Simon Willison’s Weblog

Does anyone ever had the experience where they could carry on a conversation with someone very well, but stutter and go blank when public speaking (eg. informal introduction) in front of a crowd?

29th March 2013

My answer to Does anyone ever had the experience where they could carry on a conversation with someone very well, but stutter and go blank when public speaking (eg. informal introduction) in front of a crowd? on Quora

This is extremely common, and will certainly go away with experience... but being well prepared is never a bad idea with respect to public speaking! Even for informal introductions it’s worth figuring out what you’ll say, writing it down, rehearsing it out loud several times in private and memorising it.

I’d also suggest having the written down version with you (on an index card hidden in your pocket)—I find that knowing I have it to fall back on gives me the confidence to go on without needing to look at it.