I completely blanked during a client presentation in Denver last month

I was in a conference room with three senior managers from a potential client, about 20 minutes into my pitch. I was explaining our project timeline when my mind just went totally empty. I forgot the next three key points I had practiced for days. There was this awful silence for what felt like a full minute, but was probably only 10 seconds. In my experience, the worst thing you can do is panic, so I took a slow breath and said, 'Let me just check my notes to make sure I cover everything accurately.' I flipped open my notebook, found my place, and picked right back up. It felt super awkward, but I got through it and we actually landed the account. Has anyone else had a moment like that and found a good way to recover without looking at notes?

2 comments

2 Comments

finleyl5519d agoMost Upvoted

Great recovery. Asking a quick question can also buy time.

lily23019d ago

But what question do you ask?