Is this thing on?

You can have a great topic. You can design great PowerPoint slides. You can be a great speaker. But you can still sabotage your presentation if you don't know how to use a microphone.

Think using a mic is easy? Actually, it's more complicated than you might think--and you don't want to find that out when you're in front of an audience. That's why I really like this advice from the Speak Schmeak blog: it's a great reminder of how to make sure the audience stays focused on your ideas, and not any random noises that get in the way.