How do I explain a layoff in interviews? after 8 years as a payroll clerk

They always ask why I left, and I freeze. I have been practising in the mirror. What do you say?

I keep it to two sentences: the company cut my team, and here is what I am proud of and what I am looking for next.

If a company has been in the news for layoffs, you can mention that. Often the interviewer already knows.