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How to Recover from “Mistakes” in Speaking By lynn Grasberg
The reason so many people are afraid to speak in public is they’re afraid to make mistakes in front of witnesses. Of course, this happens all the time, and experienced speakers and performers learn how to handle the situation with warmth and poise. You can actually use slips of the tongue (or blips of the brain) to your advantage – and turn them into moments of shared humor and increased connection with your audiences.
To do this, you need to 1. Stay present and 2. Integrate your “mistake” into your presentation.
To stay present: Make sure you’re breathing. Look people in the eye.
To integrate your “mistake”: Accept what just happened and build on it. Shorthand for this is Yes-and*. Say Yes to what just happened (accept it), and add to it or transform it by saying and . . .
The ability to ‘Yes-and’ anything makes you flexible in your responses. Sounds nice, but how do you do that?
Let’s pretend you’re giving a presentation to your sales team. “We’re ahead of our competitors by 600%.”
Oops! You meant to say 60%. Do you look down and try to disappear into the floor? No, you smile and what you said.
“We’re ahead of our competitors by 600%.” Yes-and ways to recover: “Did I say 600%? I guess I’m skipping ahead to next quarter. Right now we’re ahead by 60%.” Or “Wow! Our figures are pretty good but my mouth just inflated them. We’re ahead by 60%. We’ll add that zero later.” Or Laugh out loud, pause, take a sip of water and say, “Just seeing if you were awake. I accidentally said 600% instead of 60.”
You get the idea. Anything you say that acknowledges the mistake and then builds on it, will work. You’ll have fun, your audience will, and you’ll be effective getting your message across.
*This is the key to improvisation. (Inclusive Humor Principle #4 in my book, Bounce Back: The New Play Ethic at Work.)
Copyright @2008
This article is excerpted from Ta-DAH! Lynn Grasberg’s free monthly newsletter. Click Here to Subscribe Order her book, Bounce Back! The New Play Ethic at Work at LynnGrasberg.com.
Lynn Grasberg lights up the stage at conferences, conventions and retreats as a keynote speaker and musical comedienne. As a presentation skills coach, she helps individuals and organizations make powerful presentations, handle change with humor and resilience, and develop top-notch communication skills. Contact her at 303.913.5226, LynnGrasberg.com.
Note: You have permission to publish this article as long as the resource box is included. Do not edit it in any way without permission. Please let us know of its publication by sending either a website link or a courtesy copy of your publication to lynn@lynngrasberg.com.
Call today to book programs with content, creativity and humor. Contact us for keynotes, speeches, Denver Metro: (303) 913-5226 Toll-Free (877) 587-4872 ©2007-2008 Lynn Grasberg. All Rights Reserved.
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