We have all been there…
Speaking up in the meeting. Delivering our part of the presentation. Chatting to that cute colleague. And then, it hits.
Your mind goes blank as a whiteboard and you cannot even remember what you were saying, or what words you had intended to say next. You freeze. If it’s your second language, the vocabulary word is on the tip of your tongue but evades you.
Well, the good news is you are not alone. The Mind Freeze Attack has been experienced by every multilingual person in the history of the world who ever set out to learn a new language. Luckily there are some ways to cut down on the frequency of this issue, including but not limited to:
– Speak at a medium speed.
Yes. Medium speed is your friend!
What I have seen in a decade of teaching English as a Second Language is very simple.
The primary culprit of the Mind Freeze Attack is talking too fast, faster than the mind can keep up. Our society, unfortunately, runs faster and faster all the time, and it’s a commonly held misconception that our tongues need to win the NASCAR race of the conversation in order to be considered ”fluent.”
That could not be further from the truth, ladies and gentleman.
Someone who is calm, chill, and measured in their conversational speech will not only have a clearer pronunciation in their target language, but will also be less susceptible to the panic attack of the mind, the Mind Freeze Attack.
I firmly believe that if people talked 10 to 20% more slowly, even in their native tongues, we as a world would have fewer communication problems (even in monolingual offices). Lots of issues in management, inter-departmental relations and even botched negotiations can be caused by a hectic pace. People trying to talk too fast.
Fight that urge to race around the track…there’s no trophy for the Fastest Blabbermouth. Results matter much more than speed, and we all perform better when we communicate clearly.
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– Secondly, in order to prevent the Mind Freeze Attack, simulate the chat beforehand whenever possible
Practice makes perfect – North American proverb
For example, if you are tasked with delivering a presentation to clients, your boss or team, try to prepare as much as you can beforehand. Run through the simulation twice or even three times, speaking at a medium pace, clearly. If you can talk to a mirror, that’s even better. It simulates the experience of presenting to someone else. (Cats, dogs, and spouses also make great sounding boards. They don’t have to know what’s going on to be helpful. Cats are probably a little less helpful. They tend to be judgemental.)
I even recommend going one step further. As you go thru your presentation, imagine what type of questions your audience could ask you about. Write those down in a notepad, and prepare answers to those. Then, simulate those answers too.
Preparation is key, practice makes perfect, and this will help you avoid that Mind Freeze Attack during your presentation or report.
By the way, this tip also works for everyday conversation. I used to run thru conversations with the corner store cashier in my head (in Spanish) before going to the store in Mexico and South America. I knew what I would buy (made a paper list in my target language) and I practiced the imaginary conversation before it became real. I practiced it before going to the store. It helped immensely when the real conversation arrived.
So, simulate the talk beforehand whenever possible.
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– Sleep 7+ hours a night
”Sleep is the most underrated health habit- Doctor Michael Roizon, Chief of Medicine Cleveland Health Clinic
I agree. I cannot tell you how much my mental acuity after really committing to sleeping enough.
Mountains of evidence point to the fact that millions of people these days in industrialized societies are sleep-deprived. (That sleep deficit was covered thoroughly in a book I highly recommend, The Sleep Revolution by journalist Ariana Huffington.)
Now how does that apply to language skills? Well, scientific studies in the last decade have shown conclusively that a night of crappy or little sleep leads to poorer verbal abilities the next day. Poor quality recall of memories and words you don’t use so often (such as business or medical jargon in your second language) is one of those verbal abilities that suffers when we do not sleep enough.
I can back this up from my personal experiences, having lived in Latin America as a USA-born English speaker for 5 years of my young life. There was a persistent and direct correlation between how much I was sleeping and how well I was able to deliver lectures and answer student questions in my second language (Spanish). On a more fun note, after pulling an all-nighter on Saturday, I could barely even function in any language by dawn on Sunday morning. We have this tendency to think we’re betting at languages when we’re drunk…
Sleep is important. Get your 7 hours at least.
– Use flashcards frequently to keep new vocabulary fresh in your head
Old-fashioned flashcards are great. The paper ones. If you make them yourself, I think that’s great because you know where your problem areas are.
Also, I recommend both the Anki app for desktop and cell phone, as well as the website Quizlet. There are lots of flashcard groups that people have made. Here’s an example of an Anki deck that teaches phrasal verbs of the workplace.
Test yourself once a week, even for just 10 minutes while waiting for the bus. It will help your recall and prevent your mind from getting rusty on vocabulary.
– And finally, breathe.
“Our breath is also like a wave, gently rocking us into a deep peace.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
This tip comes from a very personal place. As someone went to live alone overseas as a very young man, I had my fair share of problems. That included foreign language stuttering, Mind Freeze Attacks, and straight up panic attacks.
A wonderful roommate in Asia showed me how he dealt with this issue before he had to present or do something else that made him nervous…he simply breathed. In breath, Out breath. 10 deep breaths.
It seemed so simple but Kent’s method worked. It cleared the mind of those mental cars that were going 200 miles per hour around the race track of my brain. It allowed me to actually focus on what was important. Over the years this simple practice has served me very well.
Try it right now and see if it doesn’t help you feel a bit more relaxed. Close your eyes. Breathe deep and feel your chest rise. Focus just on that sensation.
”10…-breathe in, breathe out-
”9…-breathe in, breathe out-
”8…-breathe in, breathe out-
”7…-breathe in, breathe out-
”6…-breathe in, breathe out-
”5…-breathe in, breathe out-
”4…-breathe in, breathe out-
”3…-breathe in, breathe out-
”2…-breathe in, breathe out-
”1…-breathe in, breathe out-
Open your eyes. Smile and breathe one last time.
I have done this before presentations in my second language, before delivering lessons to new students, before heading to a party where I knew I’d be the only English speaker, and in a dozen other scenarios. My students have used it in diverse situations as well: before playing soccer against the big rivals; before going to act in the big high school play; before having a tough conversation with their boss about a salary raise, etc.
Over time, the person who learns how to breathe properly and relax into situations will be seen as sort of a superstar by their colleagues and clients. Your friends might even notice a difference in your personality. Try.
All of these methods, I have tested personally to communicate better in my own native language, English, as well as in languages in which I am L2 (Mandarin, Spanish and Portuguese). I recommend getting enough sleep, simulating conversation scenarios before they ever happen, practicing presentations multiple times, and taking deep breaths before a difficult task.
Using all of these methods, I guarantee you will more effectively recall and utilize what you already know much better and more often.
This is how you Beat the Mind Freeze Attack.
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