This question by Lesley Bennett of CBA-Design reminds me of an occasion where it happened to me in the middle of a speech! Blank mind! Nothing there! time seemed to stretch and the gazes of the audience left me feeling light a rabbit caught in car headlights at night - frozen with fear and rising panic.
The first thing I did was take a deep slow breath, then I looked down to my bullet point notes which kick started my brain into gear again and got me past the blockage.
The best way to both minimise the likelihood of a blank occurring and overcoming one when it does happen is preparation; researching, planning and practising your speech. Also write the first line of your speech and the last summary line out in full in large print and make a bullet point list of the content of your speech in large print to act as reminders.
And if you still hit a blank that just won't go away? Stay in control of your destiny and decide what happens next; be honest and tell the audience you have hit a blank, they'll be sympathetic in 99% of cases! Then decide whether to stop on this occasion, or have a 5 minute break or - if you have the confidence - ask the audience what they think on the subject of your talk until you get rolling again!
Prepare, practice and stay in control to reduce blanks and their impact.
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