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Often, I have seen people refuse to use a microphone when they’re presenting, whether at an office meeting, community event or industry conference. Yet, using a microphone correctly can make it easier for the audience to hear you and understand your message – which is the whole point of your presentation.

Here are the 5 reasons I hear for not using a microphone – and how you can overcome them.

1. You Don’t Think It’s Necessary
You may think, “my voice is powerful enough and I don’t need it,” but often, that is not the case. Realize that it may be difficult for the audience to hear you, given the size of the room and the amount of surrounding noise. Also, according to a 2009 study by the Better Hearing Institute, the number of Americans with hearing loss has grown to roughly 11 percent of the U.S. population – and six out of ten of them are below retirement age. So it is likely that there are people in your audience with some level of hearing difficulty.

2. You Aren’t Used to Hearing Your Own Voice
The more you listen to your own voice, the more comfortable you will get listening to it. Almost every computer and smartphone has an audio recorder, so use it to record yourself and play it back, so you can get used to how you sound.

3. You Don’t Realize It Can Protect Your Voice
Most people don’t project well without a microphone (unless you have been trained in singing or acting). So you end up shouting when you try to project, which can leave you with a sore throat, laryngitis or vocal cord damage.

4. You Don’t Know How to Use a Microphone
This concern is legitimate and can easily be addressed by practicing with the microphone. Ask the AV staff or a techie friend to help. You want to find out things such as: where to clip the microphone or how to hold it; who will control the volume; how to avoid ear-splitting feedback (don’t point the microphone at the speakers) and where to get an extra battery. Then get in the room ahead of time and practice using it.

5. You Think It’s Too Formal
You may think that using a microphone is only for professional speakers on a stage in front of thousands of people and that it would be arrogant to use it in a smaller setting. Not at all. Used well, a microphone can demonstrate that you’re a smart and respectful presenter who cares enough about your audience to use every tool at your disposal to ensure they can hear and understand your presentation.

The way that you end your speech will resonate with your audience long after your presentation has ended. By using advanced presentation skills when you close your speech, you can deliver a speech conclusion that will set you apart as an expert orator. Here are some quick tips to ensure that you hit them with a grand finale!

1. Don’t Quit; Close

Your entire speech is a journey that you are undertaking with your audience. Don’t leave them disappointed that you quit right before the culmination. Work the group to a conclusion that you come to together. If you have delivered your speech effectively, you should know exactly what they are thinking in that moment. Now you can engage them one last time by asking them for a response that will cause them to self-reflect and take action.

Some good endings to consider:

“Now that you know the problem, can we count on you to help with the solution?”

“How will your contributions help us get to our goal?”

“I ask you, are you up for the challenge?”

2. Preparation Is Key

Think of your speech like a Broadway performance. The actors don’t just step on stage opening night without any practice, do they? They have long rehearsals daily, they know every step they will make on stage, and they memorize the script inside and out. By the time performance night comes, they could run on autopilot. The same applies to your speech closing. You should know every nuance of your closing, including how much time it will take to deliver it with the biggest impact. Practice your closing until you can do it in your sleep.

3. Expect The Unexpected

Not everything goes according to plan, which is why you should be able to conclude from anywhere in your speech. Nothing is worse than getting the “5 minutes” signal and realizing that you still have 15 minutes left in your speech. Developing a transition from any segment of your talk to your wrap-up can save you from fumbling and trying to decide which information to include and leave out. Practice your transitions from any part of the speech so it flows smoothly.

4. Add A Final Touch

One of the advanced presentation skills that will set you apart could be including a succinct quote that summarizes your viewpoint, or even a piece of poetry to leave them in the mood you established. While touches like these aren’t vital, they add class and impact.

The first rule of breaking the ice is to involve the audience. Whether we are presenting a keynote or a workshop, the more we can get participation from the members of our audience, the more attention we will receive for the rest of our presentation.

If we can get them involved the minute they walk into the room we’ll already have a jumpstart. One way to accomplish this is to have a puzzle and/or questions for them to consider while waiting for us to begin. I hand it out or have it up on the screen and tell them that it is fine to work with anyone else on the answers. Usually, I create a sheet of questions and/or a fun puzzle that relates to the day’s subject.

If the group has been doing a great deal of sitting already, get them physically involved. Being a fitness instructor, I have lots of spunky tapes. I will often start a presentation on creativity with music and asking everyone to stand up, breathe deeply and stretch. Then I will say something like, “All right. Now we are going to stretch our minds and creativity, because when the mind is stretched by a new idea, it never returns to its original state.”

Well designed questions will also get your audience involved. The two questions that are effective and also help you the presenter — as suggested by Bob Pike, training guru — are as follows. Supposing your topic is time management, you would ask, “What happens when people don’t handle our management of time well?” and “What happens when we handle our management of time well?” Ask for the answers, and, if time permits, have someone record them on a flip chart. The first will list the problems that need to be addressed and the second will list the benefits that will be gained by listening to your presentation.

We can also make use of snappy introductions. If it is a small group, I will often have members stand up – one at a time – say their name, tell us what they did as a profession yesterday (this will actually be their profession) and what career they have today (which can be completely “off-the-wall.” They can be a movie star, an astronaut, an Olympic athlete – you get the idea). If the group is large, have members of the audience turn to the person next to them and do the same thing, or you can give them other questions to pose to each other.

The reasons for doing this breaks the ice for the group (even if they already know each other) because it will get them interacting and laughing, so that when you bring them back to the presentation, they are relaxed and open, rather than thinking, “Oh, now I have to sit through another speech.” The one warning here is to have a way to regain control. I use a drum, a bell, or another musical instrument to pull back the attention of the participants.