What could be more terrifying than having to get in front of hundreds of people and talk on an important message, that you hope they hear, while keeping them engaged? It’s typically easy to produce immediate laughter to a smaller, more intimate crowd during a presentation or talk. This can sometimes give you a false confidence. When you are speaking to a large audience, your humor doesn’t deliver as quickly, resulting in a ripple effect of laughter, which can easily diminish a novice speaker’s confidence level.

One key tip to remember while speaking to large crowds is to pause briefly between laugh points. This simple delay, will allow the “laughs”, that are moving from back to the front of the room, to die down. This simple act will give the speaker time to re-poise and deliver the next line. Think slow and steady wins the race.

Own the room and the crowd, through confidence and animated movements. Hiding solely behind the podium will not help keep the audience’s ears on your message. The simple act of moving around the stage or front of the room, will make you appear more prominent.

Third, know your audience. Make sure you have included some humor and laugh lines that are appropriate for the majority of the people you are speaking to. Just hearing a group laughter once, will give you the confidence to finish your speech or presentation with finesse.

Fake it till you make it.