58TH Issue of Newsletter

Free Your Voice from Speaking Anxiety

Reader,

Has your mind ever gone blank in front of an audience?

How does it feel?

Ugly and uncomfortable, right?

I know, I've been there...

To me, it used to feel as if the world around me was gonna explode any second.

But when I found the underlying cause of this fear and learned how to react when it happens, the fear of going blank just vanished.

Because know this:

Let's dig deeper and find out the potential limiting beliefs behind this fear:

Limiting Beliefs Behind This Fear:

1. Going blank on stage would make people think I'm stupid
2. I must be perfect on stage, otherwise I will be rejected as a presenter

Ever noticed that pausing for 3-5 seconds during a talk or presentation feels like eternity?

Especially in those moments high stakes when you're in the spotlight?

Suddenly, we feel this HUGE pressure to say something, otherwise people would think we're stupid.

I used to believe that...

As a public speaker, it's forbidden to take a long pause... even for a couple of seconds. I will look stupid, unintelligent, and the audience will reject me as a public speaker.

This is because I grew up watching others delivering "flawless" speeches, reading news, and delivering political sermons on TV.

But the reality is quite the contrary...

Actors rehearse their lines 100s of times and others use a teleprompter​ and that's how they don't go blank on TV.

So..

Have this belief that going blank is NOT the end of the world..

It can happen to anyone who is not reading directly from slides, notes, or using a teleprompter.

But whenever it happens, you must know how to react and get back on your train of thought.

Here's the belief you should hold on to about your audience:

All they care about is...

WIIFM: What's in it for me?

So long as you are providing value to your audience, they don't care if your mind goes blank, you make mistakes or start dancing.

Value in terms of either one or a combination of many of the following:

• Education
• Entertainment
• Information
• Inspiration

Whenever your mind goes blank on stage, here is what you should NOT do...

Picturing them in their underwear or panties... because that's a ridiculous advice but I still see it on the internet ;)

Here's what you SHOULD do whenever it happens:

1 - Look at your audience

Instead of looking at the floor, side walls, chairs, or at the ceiling, look at your audience.

Otherwise, it's easy to tell that you've lost it—not that there's something wrong with it, but you can get away with it without even anyone noticing it.

So, stare at them... Yes, I am not joking.

Take this as an opportunity to have a moment with them: human-to-human connection.

Chances are you will recall the next lines of your talk, and no one would even know that your mind went blank.

Also..

Be okay with taking pauses in your talks as it allows you to recall what to say next.

There are a dozen good reasons why you should embrace that awkward silence—I mean pausing—when presenting or giving updates in a meeting:

• Pausing for emphasis
• Pausing to calm your nerves
• Pausing to remove fillers
• Pausing for them to digest your content
• Pausing before answering to their questions

2 - Be honest and ask your audience

If you still feel lost don't panic and don't overcomplicate things.

It's OK!

Simply be honest, name the big elephant in the room.

"I've lost my train of thought, can someone please remind me where was I?"

Someone in the audience will help you get back on your train of thought.

You can even take this opportunity to joke about it.

​

Bonus Tip:

Practice and rehearse at least 10X before the actual speaking engagement—not on a single day but spread it over multiple days.

But DON'T practice word-for-word.

Because when you memorize and practice your talk word-for-word, you're more likely to blank out... I've experienced it many times.

Also, you'd sound robotic and bland.

Here's a technique you can use during the prep and rehearsal stage:

It's called Memory Palace.

Here are some useful YouTube Videos to learn more about it:The Body Method and Creating Memory Palaces​

Using bullet point notes would also do the job.

​

Best,

Waqas - Head Speaking Anxiety Coach

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