Speak slowly. What feels like it’s almost unnaturally slow, sounds right to the audience’s ears.
A good practice techniques is one that choirs use. Practice your speech in your head, but say “buh” for the syllables. This helps give you a sense of timing.
It can be helpful start out with an introduction that tells the audience why you’re talking to them and what’s important about what you have to say. “I’m here today to discuss 4th quarter trends in Medicaid utilization of our hospital. Compared to 2007, utilization is up 4.5% present, while our funding is down by 10%. In 1st quarter 2009, we will be called upon to arrive at viable solutions to this problem.”
If you’re using a powerpoint, use as few words on the slide as possible, keep the slide clean, and reduce the temptation to use funky fonts or clip art. Know your material, and keep in mind what’s important about what you have to say. It’s okay if what comes out of your mouth is abstract (conceptual), and what’s on the slide is concrete (numbers).