For a lot of experts, especially engineering and science types, public speaking and presentations are fun – much like root canals and picking up in-laws from the airport are fun. But when you’re in the public sector business or even in a business, business that requires talking to actual human beings comes with the job, so you might want to get better at it.

One simple thing that will help you get better, and be heard, is through the strategic use of “the pause.” Pausing in a normal conversation oftentimes invites other people to jump in and hijack the conversation just when you were on a roll, and that can feel annoying, right? But in a presentation, you have the floor and the time, so use it to your advantage.