You just faced a public speaking mishap. How will you bounce back with resilience?

Absolutely acknowledge-with humor when possible. As I ascended the stage at an international conference to deliver the keynote, I tripped over the microphone cord (in the days before cordless mics). I managed not to fall on my face in front of hundreds of people but my note cards flew out of my hands. I scrambled after them. The audience was horrified and embarrassed for me. I took a deep calming breath and said into the mic, “And now for my next act…” Everyone laughed WITH [not AT] me and relaxed, as did I. Win-win. MY POINT? We all stumble from time to time. In the “dance” of life, let’s embrace our stumbles and make them part of our rhythm. Others will respect us more if we don’t try to hide the elephant in the room.

Recently I was delivering a keynote speech. The Fire alarm went off which wasn't a scheduled practice. Then it stopped. Not only did I acknowledge it, I made a joke of it which re-assured the audience that everything was okay. Yes; things happen during speeches; it shows you are human and the audience will warm to you.

Things are going to happen when you are speaking! Go with the punches. When you are up there you are an example of calmly dealing with the situation. Remember - your audience wants you to succeed! Did you see the picture of President Trump after he was shot in the ear while speaking? Be resilient.

In public speaking, it is common to get scared about the thought of making a mistake. For example, forgetting a line of your speech or missing a key point. I think it is important to recognise the public speaking mishap in a calm and assured manner, recognising that mishaps happen, where your speech is not as polished as it was when you did it in rehearsal but it is often how we deal with the setback which will show true professionalism and your resilience to bounce back and continue going with your speech. Additionally, briefly acknowledging the public speaking mishap and then getting back on track with your speech conveys an important message to your audience that everyone has setbacks, but it is how we handle them that matters the most.

Give yourself Grace. No one is expecting you to be perfect, Infact making a mistake shows the audience you’re human. There’s been numerous times where I’ve forgotten what I wanted to say or pronounced a word wrong etc etc. Don’t let it stop you from delivering though. You can pause and take a second to think about your next point or turn it into a joke and say something like “looks like I had a slight glitch there” or something along those lines. As long as you have resilience, keep it stepping and don’t overreact you’ll be fine.

I always focus on my message because I am speaking to share my ideas not to impress. So in that given moment it’s important to keep going and not letting that one moment define you. After the gig, make sure to reflect upon what could have been better so you don’t repeat it again. Practice makes progress!

Mishaps are normal. Finding out the reason and working on it is what is important. At times mishaps lower our confidence which can ultimately result in completely losing the track. On the stage, saying calm and acknowledging the mistakes helps to continue the flow of presentation. Once the presentation is done, understanding and analysing the reason behind the mishap and overcoming it by practice is a way out. There can be different practice methods for different mishaps. For example if you stammer on stage, you can use a technique in which a pencil is kept in the mouth and sentences are spoken etc. Identification of the cause of mishap is very important.

After a public speaking mishap, bounce back with resilience by seeking feedback. First, acknowledge the issue calmly during your talk, showing confidence and poise. After the event, ask trusted colleagues or audience members for constructive criticism. Use their insights to understand what went wrong and how to improve. For example, if you stumbled over your words, feedback might reveal that slowing down your speech and practicing more can help. Embrace these suggestions, apply them in future presentations, and view each mishap as a learning opportunity to refine your skills and enhance your performance.

Resilience is pretty much like a muscle that can be build with enough reps. When I used to door to door sales, 35/50 people would say no and the more I heard "No" the better I got in taking them without them impacting my attitude. If you bomb a speech, learn and deliver the next one. If you tank the second speech, learn and do the third one. Increase the number of reps and you will inevitably improve the way you react to failures. Goes for everything in life.