1. Prepare your paper for an oral presentation. Most papers start out from a text meant to be read, rather than spoken. We speak differently from the way we write. Consequently, we hear differently from the way we read. When preparing a paper for oral presentation at the Annual Meeting, hear it in your mind. Ask yourself whether it sounds natural as an oral presentation.

2. Speak, don’t read, to your audience. This may take a little practice, but it’s worth it. After all, the people in the audience have often come thousands of miles to hear you.

3. Be informal. It really is possible to be informal and scholarly at the same time.

4. Time yourself. We’ve all seen what happens when the chair tells speakers they’re out of time; it’s embarrassing, but worse still, speakers often are prevented from making their most important points. There is an easy antidote for this problem: Time yourself beforehand.