What to Do When Your Mind Goes Blank

Throughout high school, I was a strong student and a confident speaker. Presentations didn’t rattle me.

Then one day, during a Grade 10 French presentation, my mind went completely blank.

Not a pause.
Not a stumble.
Nothing.

I was mortified. I could feel my face turning red. The seconds stretched on. With no words coming, I left the classroom.

That moment didn’t mean I was bad at public speaking.
It meant I didn’t yet know how to recover.

Blank moments happen to everyone - including experienced spokespeople and the reporters sitting across from them. Your mind going blank isn’t a big deal unless you make it one.

What hurts credibility isn’t forgetting for a second.
It’s scrambling, rambling, or guessing to fill the space.

Recovery is a skill. And like any skill, it can be practiced.

Here’s the recovery pattern I teach:

Pause. Give yourself a brief beat instead of filling the silence.
Take one quiet breath. Let your voice and pace settle.
Use a reset phrase. Try, “Let me take that again,” or “Here’s what I can tell you.”
Return to a simple, solid message. Choose one idea you trust and start there.

Most audiences don’t remember the blank moment.
They remember how you handled it.

A calm reset often makes you look more composed—not less—and allows you to regain control without drawing attention to the pause.