Lose your train of thought

How it is used

Used when explaining a pause during speech. Train of thought means the sequence of ideas; it does not mean the speaker has forgotten the whole subject.

Example sentences

1. If you lose your train of thought during the pitch, pause and check the next heading in your notes.

   A heading helps recover the sequence after a temporary lapse, rather than supplying new subject knowledge.

2. Constant chat notifications can make you lose your train of thought while answering a client's question.

   The interruption affects the developing answer, even if you know the information well.

Common collocations

• suddenly lose your train of thought
• avoid losing your train of thought

Related terms

• bear with meA polite request for someone to be patient while you find something, fix a problem or finish what you are doing.
• deliver a presentationTo give a formal talk to an audience, often with slides, to explain information, ideas, or results.

More terms: Presentations

• slide
• deck
• walk through
• Q&A
• highlight
• handout
• bullet point
• takeaway
• move on to
• to sum up
• pitch
• breakdown