3 Ways to Speak Without Gibbering Even When You’re Embarrassed

It is not common to speak in front of many people unless your job is special. However, there are situations in life where you have to speak in public. I get flustered easily because I’m not used to it, and in a state of confusion, everyone is bound to speak gibberish. I still remember the moment when I gave my first presentation in front of executives of large corporations and many department heads in graduate school. It was so gibberish that I couldn’t tell whether it was an announcement or a grand feast. When you are in a panic situation like this, how can you speak properly while escaping from the crisis?

First of all, don’t say anything

In an extremely tense situation, whatever you try to do doesn’t work. When the contents you prepared turn white like an idiot in your head, it may take a while, so don’t say anything for now and take a deep breath. In fact, the person who wants to hear your story right now is neither your nemesis nor your judge. And if you make a mistake, it doesn’t matter as much as you think. So, taking a moment to relax is not a problem at all. If you calm your mind through such a short time, you will start to see clues little by little. Follow the clues as hard as you can, and if you get nervous again in the middle, let’s make the time to choose your breathing short. As mentioned earlier, mistakes are often less of a problem than you might think. No one may even be conscious of the time to choose a short breath. So, when words don’t come out, don’t force it, take a long breath and organize what you want to say in your head as much as possible.

Only remember key keywords very accurately

The clue mentioned above is the key keyword. Most people who are not familiar with presentations have a strong tendency to memorize all presentation materials. Of course, if you practice a lot, you might be able to memorize and speak, but if an unexpected situation arises or the tempo breaks, it is often difficult to properly show what you have prepared. For example, if someone asks you a question you didn’t expect and you’re completely embarrassed because you can’t answer it, there’s a good chance that everything you prepared will be blown out of your memory. Even if you blow away everything at that time, you can definitely overcome the embarrassing situation if you hold on to the keyword. If you memorize only the key keywords properly in the order of presentation, you do not have to repeat the presentation you prepared. You can say whatever comes to mind as if you were freestyle rapping so that your logic isn’t wrong. If you have a chance before your presentation, let’s practice answering questions that are not defined around keywords. It will help a lot in not panicking.

Ask opposite questions

The most mental breakdown during a presentation is when an unexpected question comes in, as mentioned earlier. However, there is no need to beat yourself up too much for not being able to answer. In fact, the question itself may be the wrong question because the person asking the question is asking because he or she does not know. And if you can’t answer, you won’t be punished with a capital punishment right away. When such an unexpected question comes in, ask the opposite confirming question again. In doing so, the understanding of the question can be improved, and the questioner is more likely to ask more specifically by asking the question again. If you’re lucky, the questioner may realize it himself. If you are embarrassed to answer a question you think you know, politely saying that you will let me know when it’s over is a good way to deal with a crisis.