GREENSBORO, N.C. — Recently, a contestant in a live singing competition made headlines for breaking down after messing up lyrics on stage during a live performance. While we may not all find ourselves on reality tv performing for millions, we will, from time to time, make mistakes in front of others.
When you remain calm, then you’re better able to think of the next steps. When you panic and focus on the mistake, you stay stuck on the mistake instead of taking action.
Many times, when you make a mistake, you might immediately freeze or look away. When you freeze, you tend to hold your breath. Take a deep breath because you’re breathing allows oxygen back in your brain to think and move forward. You’ll tend to refocus instead of focusing on the anxiety you’re feeling.
It can be embarrassing and humiliating when you make a mistake in real-time, like a performance or a public presentation. The way you respond sets the path for the way others respond. If you don’t make a big deal of it, the audience will follow suit. You can pause and pick up where you went off course. Or, you can address it by something like, “What I meant to say.” Or, “Let me re-explain.” Or, “Let me explain that differently.” Or, “That didn’t come out the way I thought.”
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