Consequently...

Arrive early, well before the event begins. Inspect the room and check out the equipment to make sure it is functioning. Ask building maintenance to help if the equipment is not functioning to your satisfaction.

Practice until you can easily adjust the microphone to your height. Check the location of the on/off-switch so that you can quickly determine if it is on before you speak. (The person before you might switch the microphone off. Always check. Do not speak into a "dead" microphone. It looks unprofessional.)

Check the volume control. Have someone else check volume for you from different positions in the room as you practice speaking into the microphone. Overmodulation causes distortion, static and broken eardrums. Nothing annoys an audience more than having a shrill voice - exploding with distortion - coming through an amplifier. Get the audio engineer for the building to help you regulate the volume. Plant someone in the back of the room to signal during your talk if you can't be heard.

Distance.
• Keep the microphone 4 to 6 inches away from your face (sometimes closer, depending on the microphone). Keep it at chin level. Turn the microphone at a right angle instead of pointing it directly towards your face and mouth. This enables you to talk across the front of the microphone rather than directly into it and will prevent you from popping your p's, b's, d's and other exploding letters, causing distortion. Do not shout.
• You could blow out the microphone with a sudden, intense shout at close range. Breath naturally.
• Don't fill your lungs with air to unnatural levels. Keep in range.
• If you must take a step to point to a flipchart, don't speak until you return to the microphone. Chin level.
• Don't let the microphone block your face. Chin level placed obliquely to your face is best. Speak up.
• The microphone cannot do all of the work. It cannot provide emphasis. You put the personality into the speaker system. Sparkle and vocal variety make your words come alive. Practice on a tape recorder. PRACTICE.

Don't use the microphone for security.

If you are behind a podium, step out periodically to become one with the audience.

Most of all, relax - be comfortable. The microphone is a tool and a friend.

Once started, don't worry about the microphone. The microphone will work beautifully, but don't expect it to do all of the work. Think of your audience and the message you are presenting. You must supply the color, tone and change of pitch, pace, and emphasis. Keep your voice alive - with vitality, force, and vocal variety - and project with emphasis.

Different types of microphones