Presentation Skills Question for the Expert:
How do I recover from a memory lapse?
Presentation Skills Expert:
There are a few techniques you can use to recover from a memory lapse.
The first thing to do is to smile and pause. When your audience sees you smiling they assume that you are in control. The pause gives you time to recover.
Pause to regain your thoughts and the attention of the audience.
Repeat the last thing you said. That can jog your memory and the audience thinks that you repeated for effect.
Ask a rhetorical question, "Where do we go from here?" That question might trigger your brain to get on track. Or it might even trigger your audience to throw out some helpful suggestions for you.
George Torok
Presentation Skills Coach
Presentation Skills Articles
Executive Speech Coach, Business presentation tips from George Torok, the Speech Coach for Executives.
Fortunately it's a scenario that's less likely with good planning, preparation and rehearsal. But should it happen, it's good to look at someone who's familiar in the audience when you smile and pause. A friendly face is more likely to get you back on track.
ReplyDeletePeter
Presentation Skills