The next time you have to speak in front of a group, give some thought ahead of time to “what success would look like,” says Bill McGowan.

Most people are so anxious to get a formal presentation over with, he explains, that they hurtle through it. “This flattens out your tone of voice,” he says, “so that your listeners doesn’t know how to interpret what you’re saying” and the point you’re trying to make gets lost. Instead, he says, “I ask our clients, ‘How would you tell this to a friend over lunch?’ You want the pitch of your voice to reflect your message, whether it’s inspirational, exciting, or discouraging.”