Audiences shut down when a presentation sounds canned or phoned in. This is a speaker’s worst enemy. Organize and rehearse your presentation, but when spontaneity flags, take a page from the performers’ playbook.

Every speaker who enters the public arena faces their own fears, as well as opposition from skeptics. Make a strong intention your armor. Manage your fears with an unwavering desire for success.

To be truly effective, throw out the norm and speak from what you know and believe. A genuine voice is a creative one. Be unabashed and truthful.

To develop and expand business relationships, branch out from only delivering statistics.

The entry level for presenting anything is to be organized and prepared. Do more than go through the motions. Raise the bar.

As you rehearse any presentation or meeting, imagine everything that could go wrong, and role play how you would handle it.

Devote time to studying human behavior. You’ll be amazed by the diversity of gestures and modes of communication. These observations will expand your expressive playbook, give you great speaking material, and better allow you to connect with any audience.

Take concrete steps to build a suite of skills and speaker anxiety becomes manageable. Fear is reduced when you have a clear intention, defined role, rehearsed open and close, as well as three main buckets or talking points. And then don’t forget to breathe.

To 'stick it', consider your intention and audience. Then strategically deliver the strongest possible conclusion, whether it's a call to action, appropriate quote, anecdote, or a bookend to your opening. Get a running start, commit, and stick your landing.

Hew close to your purpose and trust what you've created. Keep the courage of your convictions.