[alexpetralia]

One interesting trick I learned from great speakers - they tend to maximize variability upon several axes:

- Maximize emotional variability (feigned surprise, excitement, equanimity, urgency, reflection)

- Maximize tonal variability (high tones, low tones)

- Maximize cadence variability (slow speech, rapid speech, speech with pauses)

- Maximize facial expression variability (raised eyebrows, focused eyes, inviting/warm eye contact)

Basically any axis you can think of: if you increase the variability, it makes your presentation more captivating.

I've found generally that "performing" (that is, being conscious of how I am presenting) makes there feel like there is less pressure on "me" and more on the person doing the performing.