Michael Bay has many talents. He is an incredibly successful film director and producer, known for high budget films that attract huge audiences eager to see things explode. However, he is not a gifted speaker.

We know this because Bay appeared at a Samsung press conference during the Consumer Electronics Show in 2014 to promote the company’s new 15-inch curved TVs. Shortly after he was introduced, things went wrong: he broke off in mid-sentence and hesitantly explained that the teleprompter was switched off. It was understandable snafu, and Samsung exec Joe Stinziano tried to throw Bay a life preserver by asking him to describe how he comes up with cinematic ideas. The director struggled to answer without the teleprompter, pacing and sighing in frustration. It was uncomfortable, to say the least.

Stinziano tried one last time to get Bay to speak off the cuff, asking how a television format is changing the way viewers experience his films. But it was too late: The four-time MTV Movie Award winner was nervous beyond the point of returning. “Excuse me…I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he murmured before turning and fleeing the stage.

What happened at that moment is every speaker’s worst nightmare. Luckily for Bay, appearing at conferences isn’t his main gig, and aside from likely damage to his ego and possibly souring ties with Samsung, he walked away unscathed. Entrepreneurs, however, cannot afford such catastrophic meltdowns.

Just make sure they never happen.

Related: Do you want to give a great speech? Avoid these 5 common mistakes

know your story

There’s a reason you’re the person giving a presentation: you have something important to say. Since you’re an expert in a field, there’s no need to stiff-read from a map or memorize a stilted presentation word for word. These techniques are guaranteed to bore an audience, and fast, explains Bell + Ivy co-founder Zach Binder in a 2020 article in forbes. Instead, he advises simply knowing your key points and being ready to adjust when the situation calls for it. In other words, do the opposite of what Bay did.

“The audience wants to be able to conveniently view a presentation and connect with that person,” he writes. “The easiest way to achieve this is to be yourself.”

So instead of writing an entire speech ahead of time, write down key concepts you want to hit, the practice — and use them as a focus. Because by leaving room for flexibility, it’s easier to adapt to the mood of the room. When people seem to be turning off, captivate the audience with a question or a joke. Making eye contact and moving around the stage is also key to maintaining a dynamic interaction – both of which are much more difficult when you’re frozen and trying to remember your lines.

be direct

When you’re deep into an industry, it can be difficult to break away from the jargon you know so well. But for the sake of the audience, you have To. Long-winded acronyms and boring jargon aren’t the way to show off knowledge; more likely they will induce sleep in the listeners. And like many founders, I blame myself for this, but after realizing that what I was doing just wasn’t working, I struggled to simplify what I was saying.

Not only does this keep things engaging for an audience, but it’s also a more effective way to show what you know. A room full of smart people can tell when someone is trying to hide behind jargon to hide a lack of deeper understanding.

Keeping the conversation as uncomplicated as possible is also fully endorsed by Maria Thimothy forbes“Advisory Board for Young Entrepreneurs. “The most important thing about a presentation,” she says, “is that it’s easy to understand. If you keep them simple, you can control the flow… whichever direction.”

Related: How to engage your audience in the first 7 seconds of your speech

Nuts, bolts and presence

Some people, no matter how brilliant their ideas are or how well they know their industry, just aren’t natural speakers. That’s okay because it’s a skill that can be learned.

Nerves are pretty catch-22: You’re nervous you’re going to screw up, but that’s often the case Why you screw it up Annoying, isn’t it? The best way to calm those nerves is to practice. Yes, I know I just wrote that it’s best not to memorize a presentation, but if the idea of ​​speaking off the cuff strikes your heart with icy horror, maybe it’s the best way to go — at least until you feel more comfortable.

A presentation is of course more than just words. This is where developing a stage presence comes into play. writing for Harvard Business Review In 2013, TED Curator Chris Anderson says the most common problem with unskilled speakers is moving their bodies too much, including swaying back and forth or otherwise compulsively moving.

“Of course, people do this when they’re nervous, but it’s distracting and makes the speaker seem weak,” he explains. “Just getting a person to keep their lower body motionless can dramatically improve stage presence.”

Eye contact is also important. Anderson recommends finding five or six friendly-looking faces in different parts of an audience and then making eye contact with them as you speak.

“This is incredibly powerful and will do more to land your conversation than anything else,” he writes. “Even if you don’t have time to fully prepare and need to read from a script, looking up and making eye contact will make a world of difference.”

After all, you don’t have to treat nerves as the enemy. Just recognize them and take some simple steps to improve: Taking deep breaths before you go on stage and remembering to breathe consistently is one of the best.

Related: 3 Expert-Backed Strategies to Blow People With Your First Impression

Speaking in front of people, whether you’re campaigning in front of a group of investors or giving a speech, is part of every entrepreneur’s life. As you become familiar with the process, you and your company will come across as polished, professional, and competent. It pays to get good at it.