Walks and Talks

When things go wrong...

It’s unlikely to happen but sometimes something goes wrong with our walk or talk. While you can’t completely anticipate what will go wrong, you can be mentally prepared.

Do
Smile
Recognise it’s human nature to make little blunders
Maintain your dignity!
Do your best under the circumstance
Keep your sense of humour / Don’t
Blow your cool
Surrender to the situation
Continually refer to the problem

Losing the plot

If you forget your place or your mind goes blank a second or two seems like a lifetime to you but it isn’t a very long time for the audience. Remember the audience doesn’t know what you had planned to say.

·  Back up. Summarize the point you just finished making. Often, repeating your previous point, like retracing your steps, will help you find your place.

·  Check your notes, props or memory aids.

·  Treat your audience as a partner and ask them for help. Say, “I got so caught up in what I was saying that I lost my place. Where was I?”

·  Say something. Say anything. The longer you remain silent, grasping for exactly the right word, the more your anxiety (and the audience’s) will grow. Try to recall anything relevant to your speech, the audience, or the occasion, and say it. Once you begin talking, your memory will most likely kick into gear.

·  If you completely lose your place, open up the floor for questions. ‘Let me pause here for a moment and see how we’re doing. What questions do you have for me so far?’ The disadvantage is that you’ll most likely lose forward momentum; audiences’ questions meander, circle back, and repeat. But that’s OK if the audience is engaged. Just keep a close eye on the energy levels, and cut things off just before the audience starts to flag.

Equipment or venue problems

·  Focus on the audience and on your message, not on the problem. As you work on a solution, keep your audience involved. If you can’t quickly resolve the problem, go on with your walk or talk as best you can.

·  Use humour to relieve audience tension. Direct your humour at the situation or at yourself, never at another person.

Above all, remember that your audience wants you to succeed.

Our tips for when things go wrong:

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