First, do not treat a brief pause as a disaster. Interviewers do not expect you to speak continuously without thinking. A calm 5 to 10 second pause is much better than filling the silence with weak ideas.

If you blank, go back to your structure. Say something like, ‘I have covered demand-side ideas, so let me think about operational levers as well.’ That signals control and buys you time to generate the next idea logically.

You can also take a breath and prioritize quality over quantity. One strong additional idea with a clear rationale can recover the moment. The biggest mistake is spiraling and abandoning whatever structure you had. You may also find it helpful to read structured communication throughout the case interview if you want a more structured way to practice this.

Did you notice whether you blank more when the interviewer stays silent, or does it happen even in mocks?

Same issue here. Once I panic, my ideas get so generic.

My coach told me silence only feels long to you. The interviewer usually does not care if it is 5 seconds.

Also helps to practice with a timer. The blanking got a lot better for me after enough reps.