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Beating Speaking Anxiety

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What to do when your mind goes blank

Episode 260127 / 27 Jan 2026

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The fear of forgetting words

Forgetting words mid conversation is a very common experience and can lead to panic, frustration, maybe even embarrassment. But don’t worry - it’s very normal. When speaking a foreign language, the brain is juggling many tasks like remembering how to structure a sentence, so our mind sometimes goes blank when trying to think of an exact word. What can we do about it?

Try these tips

  • Instead of freezing when you can’t think of a word, try to find a way to describe that word. Use phrases like ‘it’s that thing that…’, ‘you can find it in…’.
  • Learn ‘buying time’ phrases, for example ‘just a minute, I need to think’, or ‘bear with me, I can’t think of the right word’.
  • Use other ways to communicate, such as hand gestures or photos from the internet.
  • Relax and take a deep breath – people are more patient than you think!

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