By Dianna Booher

Talking on trajectory makes you look nervous. Whether just leaving your seat to walk to the front of a meeting room, simply rising from your chair at the conference table, or joining a conversation when someone asks your opinion, pause before you begin.

Pausing prepares you to make an assessment and take control of a situation. Scan the room or the group, and reflect for a moment on whom you're speaking to and assess their key interest.

Never make the first words out of your mouth a throw-away line. Those meaningless mumbo-jumbo lines that people mutter at the beginning of a talk before they've put their brain in gear reflect no preparation:

--"Good morning. How are things going so far?"

--"Sorry we're a little late getting started."

--"I appreciate the opportunity to be with you today."

--"This may not make much sense, but let me toss out a few ideas."

Such throw-aways sound like practicing your scales before the real concert begins. The greatest benefit of pausing is that it builds anticipation for what you have to say. A long pause says, "Here come words of great import. Listen carefully. I'm not about to just open my mouth and rattle on."

Then don't disappoint.