Do you find yourself rushing to Starbucks, rushing to work, and then rushing through your presentations? We live in a fast paced world, but we will only confuse our audience if we speed through our presentations. Here are three tips to help you slow yourself down a bit:

1) Count to Two After Each New Concept You Introduce – by counting after you introduce a new idea, you have to slow down. Remember to breath from your diaphragm when you pause.

2) Touch Base with Your Audience – Ask questions of your audience. “Does this make sense?” is a good one, as is “Please stop me if you have a question.”. That being said, don’t overdo it. If you are getting bombarded with questions, politely defer answers until after the presentation is over.

3) Rehearse Your Presentation – It’s important to run through a new presentation 3-5 times from start to finish before you present it. While rehearsing, pay attention to your transitions, and plan for moments to pause, breathe, and gather your thoughts.