The Mind Blank Nightmare & What You Can Do
His mind went blank, sweat gushed out of every pore, and his stomach dropped, like the descent of a roller coaster from hell.
Forty veteran professional Shakespearean actors stopped in their tracks on stage as he opened his mouth to speak and nothing came. Before he knew it, he was improvising in iambic pentameter, eventually finding his way back to his lines and the show continued, but it was a mortifying experience that he never forgot.
Has this happened to you? If you’ve ever gotten up in front of others to speak or perform, you’ve probably lived through this moment.
Keep in mind, it’s part of the territory. The problem is that the fear of mind blanks holds us back, which can have a negative effect on your development, professionally and otherwise.
So, fear not and move forward with these five tips:
Breathe, pause and try not to panic. A pause is perfectly fine. That moment of dead air is what freaks most speakers out, but if you breathe, smile, refer briefly to your notes, or take a sip of water, most people won’t even realize what’s happening.
Fast forward or rewind. Simply move on to your next point, or think back to the last thing you said. If you fast forward you can always mention later what you’d forgotten.
Avoid memorizing your presentation word for word. This will allow the use of different words to get your point across conversationally.
Organize your presentation around three main points. Have those three sections with any sub-points in large font on hand, so if you do blank out, you can refer to the notes to get you back on track.
Simply be transparent. Say, “I just completely lost my train of thought, now where was I?” Often someone will help you out, or by naming it and showing a sense of humor, you’ll find your way back.
Ask any actor and they'll tell you the story of blanking out, and how they lived through it. Don't let it freak you out or define who you are.
My friend, actor and producer Ron Simons (who told me the story above) nailed a TED talk last year. There was a moment where he took a brief pensive pause. He revealed to me that he'd completely blanked out and to him, it felt like an eternity. I told him I didn't remember anything like that at all, and watching it again, I still had no clue that his mind blanked. His years of training and performing kicked in. He paused, breathed, and moved his audience with his powerful story.