One thing to understand is that audiences really don’t mind one bit if you pause your talk for a moment to take stock. You might feel some discomfort. They won’t. The key is to be relaxed about it. When superstar DJ Mark Ronson came to TED2014, he was masterful at this. He lost his way at one point, but he simply smiled, walked over to a bottle of water, sipped it, told the audience this was his memory crutch, studied his notes, sipped again, and by the time he got going again, everyone liked him even more.
