Memory Lapses during a Speech

00:00 Happens to everyone. Doesn't matter how old you are or any other factor, you're giving a presentation, speech or talk.

00:05 And all of a sudden. You forget what you're going to say happens to everyone, professional speaker, amateur alike.

00:15 Here's the difference, though.

00:17 Average speakers, mediocre speakers.

00:19 When they forget what they're going to say, their face instantly reveals that Oh crap.

00:27 Or they actually articulate, Oh, I forgot what I'm going to say.

00:31 They put a spotlight.

00:32 They magnify their words, their mistakes, and that in and of itself is a mistake. Great speakers also forget what they're going to say from time to time. You know what they do? They'll stop. Look at you.

00:50 Like, I just said something so brilliant.

00:53 You need a couple of seconds to think about it.

00:55 Or they'll stop, look down, walk a few feet as if they're being completely reflective, self-assured.

01:05 Inwardly, they're thinking, Oh, what am I going to say? What am I going to say? Outwardly, they're projecting complete calm and the state of being relaxed.

01:17 The other thing great speakers understand is the audience can't read my mind.

01:21 The audience doesn't know if I forgot something or what's next on my agenda or my outline.

01:28 So if I forget it and I come back to it later and cover it, it's still all going to be good. They will know.

01:33 So realize you don't have to panic.

01:36 Your audience doesn't know that you forgot what you're going to say.

01:40 So relax, take a breath.

01:43 Just pause.

01:44 It may seem like forever for you, but if it's only 2 seconds, your audience won't notice it. They'll actually appreciate it.

01:51 Gives them a second to think and reflect upon what you just said.

01:55 So it's not crucial to have a perfect memory.

01:58 What is crucial is to figure out how to hide it from your audience and not take out a big sign telling them when you've screwed up.