For me it depends on how soon I see the message, but usually I take a few seconds to really survey the cards and get the connections made, etc. I think the time required to do that was the scariest and hardest hurdle for me to get over when I started to read for other people because, as someone else said, the seconds feel like hours when you feel like you're on the spot. However, once I realized that it was okay to take time, it stopped being so uncomfortable. I also learned that sitters don't care. They just want you to give them the reading they wanted in the best way you can, so they're very patient.
I think that discomfort of feeling like you're on the spot and have to read the cards immediately may be why some readers have gone to preferring to read on the internet. If that's the reason for anyone reading this post, try some face-to-face readings having told your sitter up front that you won't begin speaking immediately because you need time to absorb the messages in the cards to be sure you've fully understood everything they want to tell you. The joy and fulfillment of reading face-to-face shouldn't be missed.
I've also found that it's okay to draw a blank on a card during a face-to-face reading. What I do, though, is just read the cards I "get", then come back to that one. If I get its message, fine but if I don't, fine. I don't read the cards (except in the Your Readings forum) card by card for the sitter. For example "this card means this and that card means that". I read the spread as a whole cohesive message, so chances are that the sitter won't even realize I blanked on one card.
Rarely, a whole spread will just be silent and then I'll give it an honest shot but pick the cards up and start over or just tell the sitter that the cards don't have a message for them on their chosen topic at that time and give them a free reading another time or shuffle and lay out a new spread. This doesn't happen very often, though.
