Not possible you say.
I mean critical or judgmental thinking. An example might be that you look at someone in the audience and see that they are frowning. You THINK that this person is unhappy with what you are saying. You become distracted and wonder how to recover from this situation. How to get this person back on board?
First up, the person might be frowning about something other than what you are saying. Secondly, you run the risk of really losing people if you take your attention away from your purpose and your message.
A simple technique to deal with a situation like this is to pause. The pause may help you to ignore the disruptive thought or at least not to engage it fully. Let it pass. Identify it in your mind as only a thought. During the pause, say to yourself ‘ this is just a thought!’ If you do more than this, you run the risk of engaging in discussion with yourself. Pause, recognise the thought, continue with your presentation.
There are many techniques for dealing with distractions or remembering what you want to say.
Contact me if you want help with Public Speaking Coaching.
Paddy Spruce CSP
