We’ve all been there.

In a room with a manager presenting.

The topic is valuable.

You’d love to hear more.

But the way the presenter talks about the topic is boring. You start thinking about other things fast. And while you’re fighting yawning and the temptation to check your phone, the manager in front of the room is getting a bit tense.

Of course the manager notices that people are not engaged. But the manager is stuck. The presentation needs to be finished. No stopping now.

Afterwards everybody feels yucky. The presenter decides to avoid speaking from now on. The audience hopes that the manager will avoid presenting.

Everybody loses. And totally unnecessary.

Presenting is part of your job as a manager.

Yep, you don’t love it.

Yep, you try to avoid it.

But as a leader you sometimes need to stand in front of a room and address your team, staff, the whole organization, or even a conference audience.

Unavoidable.

Mary is leaving your team. She retires. You’re speaking at a gathering in her honor. What can you do? Everybody expects you to say a few nice words. She has been working for the organization for 12 years so that’s the least that you can do.

New Year’s gathering. You know that people expect a few words. Some things about the past year, and then something inspiring for the future.

And of course the all-staff meetings. Motivating and inspiring your staff on a regular base is part of your role.

You might try to avoid speaking but you can’t.

Here are ten tips:

1 — Don’t Wing It

Even if your whole talk is only a few minutes, don’t wing it. Start thinking about what you want to say in advance. And write down some key points.

2 — Practice

Find moments in your day to practice. While taking a shower or driving in your car, practice what you’re going to say.

3 — Only Tell Jokes if…

Some people are naturals at telling jokes. They tell them well and they know how to select jokes that resonate with their audience. I’m not good at telling jokes. Not even at the dinner table with friends or family. So, definitely not in front of a room. I always forget the punch line. So, no jokes for me. Of course humor is always good in presentations. But if telling jokes is not your strength, skip those. Use funny cartoons, photos, or videos instead.

4 — Keep It Short And Simple

How many speeches have you attended that made you think, “I wish the speaker wasn’t done yet”? One time or two times? If you’re lucky. Often we’re relieved when a speaker finally stops. So, don’t belong to that category of speakers, keep it short and sweet.

5 — Don’t Read Your Powerpoint Slides Or Your Speech

Have a few cards with some keywords. And if you use Powerpoint: let the Powerpoint slides support your words. Don’t read your slides. Your audience can read.

6 — Breathe, Breathe, Breathe

Your breath helps you to relax.

7 — Concentrate On The Opening And Closing

Your audience is most attentive at the beginning and the end of your talk. So, concentrate your preparation on those.

8 — Don’t Let Your Fear Set The Pace

Most presenters speak too fast. It’s like by speaking faster, the ordeal will be over sooner. And that’s true, of course. But your purpose of speaking is not to be done with it as fast as possible. Don’t let fear set the pace of your delivery.

9 — Use Stories

People connect to others through emotions. Stories are a great tool to tap into those emotions.

10 — Enjoy

Think about how presenting can be more enjoyable for yourself. If you enjoy presenting, you’re more relaxed.

Your presentation doesn’t have to be perfect. It needs to come from the heart and it needs to be authentic. Then people get what you want to say.

If you have another great tip that we could share with the LeadershipBeyond community, let me know! Just comment.