Pre-Planned Scripts to Maintain Poise
Our experts gave these examples:
- “Give me a moment.”
- “It’s on the tip of my tongue.”
- “I know what I want to say, but I’m struggling to find the words.”
- “Give me a second, it’ll come to me.”
- “My brain hit the pause button.”
- “I’m sorry, my mind wandered off and I lost what I was about to say.”
- “I know the word, but I am just drawing a blank.”
- “My brain is taking a short break, please hold.”
Use whichever phrases feel the most authentic to you, says Kobylarz.
These comments tell your conversation partner that you need a moment to think, says Simon. “Having a quick phrase to use to ‘pause’ the conversation and allow yourself time can be helpful.”
Trying to remember a word fast can feel stressful, says Shannon Masella, a speech-language pathologist at Gaylord Specialty Healthcare in Wallingford, Connecticut. When you feel stressed or anxious, that actually makes it harder to remember a word because your brain is so busy managing your emotional response, she says.
Masella suggests focusing instead on anxiety-reducing strategies. “Take a deep breath when stuck, and use one of the phrases that helps lower the pressure in that word retrieval breakdown moment,” she says.
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