Your brain is on your side — most of the time. But in the moments just before you speak, when adrenaline is flowing and your fight-or-flight response has kicked in, it can become your worst enemy on stage. In this QuickBites episode, Peter George explains why your brain is most likely to sabotage the two most critical parts of your presentation — your opening and your closing — and what you can do to prevent it.
The fix is simpler than you might think: memorize your opening and your conclusion. Not your entire talk, but these two pivotal moments. Doing so gives you the security of knowing exactly how you’ll begin and end, while leaving the rest of your presentation flexible and natural. And when your brain suggests a last-second substitution right before you go on? Peter’s advice is clear: don’t take the bait.
Welcome to QuickBites, public speaking tips and techniques you can digest in five minutes or less.
Your Brain Is Trying to Help — That’s the Problem
Your brain’s primary job is to keep you safe. And when it senses that you’re nervous — even naturally, healthily nervous before a presentation — it kicks into problem-solving mode. The result: just as you’re about to deliver the opening you’ve been rehearsing for weeks, your brain helpfully suggests a different one. One you used nine months ago. One that’s familiar and comfortable. One that has no business being in this particular talk.
Memorize Your Opening and Closing — Then Stick to Them
Peter advises against memorizing an entire presentation — but the opening and closing are a different matter. These are the two most critical moments of any talk, and they deserve the full commitment of practice and preparation. Memorizing them gives you a confident launch at the start and a powerful finish at the end. And when your brain pipes up with a last-second alternative right before you walk out? Don’t listen. The opening you planned is there for a reason. Deliver it with confidence and let it land.
“Your brain sees nervousness as a threat and immediately tries to help — usually by suggesting you abandon the opening you spent weeks preparing.”
There are rare occasions when a last-minute change is the right call. But unless you’re a very experienced speaker, stay the course. The talk you rehearsed is almost always better than the one your adrenaline thinks up in the moment. I’ll see you next time.
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