Why People Blank Out During Presentations

It’s a terrible feeling to “blank out” or “freeze” during a presentation. Everything comes to a screeching halt, adrenaline starts pumping throughout your body, and a small pause can seem like an eternity. To help presenters avoid this moment, I’ve identified three main things that can trigger a “blank out”.

1. When you click to a new slide
People often blank when they switch to a new slide because, even though they know the content they’d like to share, they don’t know what sentence to say as they begin. This often happens because the words in the title of the slide don’t match the transition phrase the speaker wants to use. That’s why I recommend putting the key words you want to remember in the title. That way, when you click to a new slide, you see the phrase you want to share and you can keep the narrative smooth.

2. Trying to remember a script
It’s common to blank out if you’re trying to remember a specific script. When people memorize something, they often read the script in their mind during the presentation. Unfortunately, if something happens in the room such as someone asks a question you weren’t expecting, or if you forget one word, the entire script can disappear from your mind. That’s why I like to think of my speeches as stories. Instead of visualizing the text in my mind, I visualize images in the narrative. I think of each slide as a piece of the story, not specific sentences I need to recite. By going into storytelling mode, you’ll be able to adapt to variables more easily, engage the audience more, and avoid moments where you freeze if you forget a minor word.

3. Replaying a previous rehearsal
Rehearsing a presentation is important. You want to feel prepared before an important event. However, on the day of a presentation, people often try to “replay” how they rehearsed it. When that happens, speakers stop paying attention to the present moment and “rewind” to a previous time. They try to share the presentation like they practiced in the past, which can cause a speaker to blank out. The purpose of a rehearsal isn’t to give you something to “replay”. Rehearsals are a way to build a solid foundation for a talk so that you can get familiar with the material. When you’re giving a talk don’t think back in your mind to a previous moment. Instead, focus on sharing your story with the people in front of you.

To help you avoid blanking out during a talk, add in key transition phrases on your slide, think of the presentation as a story, and trust that your rehearsals have prepared you for the present moment. 

Author: Bri McWhorter