If you want to become a professional motivational speaker and create a true theatrical experience for your audience every time you speak, then you may wish to hire a small army of acting, voice, and dance coaches to choreograph your every move on the platform. But if you just want to give a pretty good presentation, you can forget all of that nonsense. Instead, just focus on doing one thing: move.

I know that sounds simple, and almost overly simplistic. But most awful presenters and mediocre speakers freeze up. They stand behind a lectern and lean on it as if it were a life preserver. They hold their hands in the fig leaf position or the military position, or they put them in their pockets (doing who knows what!).

All you have to do to distinguish yourself from the pack of awful speakers is to move around a little. It’s basically walking and talking; something you have done since you were in kindergarten. I know that giving presentations probably isn’t your idea of fun; it fact, it makes most people a little uncomfortable. And because of that, you’re natural inclination is to freeze like a rabbit trying to blend into the weeds.

Unfortunately, you won’t blend in this way. So I want to make it really easy for you. Don’t worry about making big, sweeping gestures with your arms. Forget about getting down on one knee to act out some drama in your life. Instead, imagine yourself in a three-by-three-foot box on the floor. Try to walk around and cover all four corners of the box from time to time as you speak. All this really means is taking a step or two in any direction. This doesn’t seem like much; but given that most nervous speakers look and act liked potted plants, you will come across as more comfortable, confident, and relaxed than most speakers (even if you’re not!)

If you are standing behind a lectern, that’s okay; but don’t lean on it or touch it. And since you are moving around in an imaginary three-foot box, you will occasionally step far enough away from the lectern so that your audience can see your whole body. Great! This makes you look much more courageous and confident than most uncomfortable speakers.

This article was taken from my new book “How to Give a Pretty Good Presentation” You can order a copy from Amazon.com or from your local bookstore.