Comments on: How to prevent and recover from mind blanks

By: Olivia Mitchell

Olivia Mitchell — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:26:03 +0000

Actually “seeing” people and their reactions while you’re presenting is part of creating a genuine connection with people in your audience.

The fact that some people looked at your slides rather than you is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s not who/what they’re looking at which is important, but whether they’re getting your message. So if the slide is distracting them from the message – then yes that would be an argument for simplifying your slides. But if your slide is helping them understand your message, then there’s no problem.

Olivia

By: Kevin Kane

Kevin Kane — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 05:03:14 +0000

Fair enough, Olivia!

Today I did a speech and I didn’t use notes, but I did make eye connection with one person per sentence.

This was very revealing! I noticed everyone’s facial expressions: some people laughed, some people smiled, and some people (one or two) looked comatose.

I was also surprised by how many people stared at my slides without seemingly noticing me looking at them. My slides were simple: one assertion (the same one that I verbalized) over a big picture that reinforced the assertion.

I guess my slides are more attractive than me. I’ll consider either simplifying my slides further, or using more “black” slides, or just using fewer slides.

By: Olivia Mitchell

Olivia Mitchell — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:39:04 +0000

Hi Kevin
I agree that you don’t want to be looking at your notes all the time while you’re presenting. And some people may be able to present without notes without a problem. But many people really struggle without notes and I don’t see a big problem with people presenting with notes as long as they use them effectively so that they can still make eye connection with the audience. Here are the most important tips:
1. Stop speaking to look at your notes. Once you know what you want to say, look up again, find someone to talk to and start speaking again (Analogy: when you’re driving a car, you stop driving to look at the map – same thing with speaking and notes).
2. Finish your sentences making eye connection with someone in your audience. Wait a beat before looking down at your notes. So many presenters drop their eyes away to see what they want to say next before they’ve finished the sentence. This weakens their presence and authority.
Olivia

By: Kevin Kane

Kevin Kane — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 22:01:18 +0000

But if you frequently refer to notes while presenting, you won’t be able to make as much eye connection.

And your speech will be less engaging — it might become more of a note-reading session than a discussion with your audience.

Many speakers at TED present without notes. I think the rest of us can, too.

By: Sarah Gershman

Sarah Gershman — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:42:15 +0000

Olivia – This is a terrific post. I just linked to it and blogged about it…

http://sarahgershman.blogspot.com/2009/10/prepare-for-your-fallibility-mind-blank.html

thank you!

Sarah

By: How to persuade other people to ditch the bullets : Speaking about Presenting

How to persuade other people to ditch the bullets : Speaking about Presenting — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:58:19 +0000

[...] slides are a security blanket for many presenters. They give them reassurance that if they have a mind-blank, they can just read off the slides and survive get through the presentation. People also imagine [...]

By: Olivia Mitchell

Olivia Mitchell — Sat, 09 May 2009 23:43:34 +0000

Hi Chris

I think what you’ve found to work ie: getting people moving, is exactly what the research demonstrates. Freezing is another manifestation of the flight or fight syndrome. Get the body moving and the mind will move better too. Olivia

By: Best Public Speaking Tips and Techniques [2009-05-09]

Best Public Speaking Tips and Techniques [2009-05-09] — Sat, 09 May 2009 22:55:14 +0000

[...] Mitchell suggests how to prevent and recover from mind blanks. Are you concerned that you might suffer a mind blank [...]

By: Chris Witt

Chris Witt — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:38:17 +0000

Olivia,

Wow, what a wealth of great advice. I second everything you’ve said.

I didn’t know about the study of gestures and how they helped people recall what they wanted to say. (As someone who gestures a lot naturally, I like that.) I’ve approached the question of gesturing and remembering in a different way. Whenever someone’s mind locks up, I usually find that their body also locks up. They stand stock still. Just gettting them to move — to walk to the podium and look at their notes or to take a sip of water — gets them out of that frozen state and often gets their minds moving again.

Chris