Make eye contact. Eye contact is very important. You can look above the people's head because it looks like your looking right at them, but you're really not! Don't overdo it or you'll risk looking like you're nodding your head or you can appear stiff. Have a point and stick to it. In some settings you must speak on a certain subject. Even in casual conversation, though, it is important to focus on a limited set of related ideas. If you drift from one tangentially related idea to the next your speech becomes a sort of bad poetry or misplaced filibuster that may quickly bore the listener. Speak clearly. Adjust your speech for your audience. A technical audience will appreciate your use of jargon and acronyms. If your audience has trouble grasping the concepts you are relating, it may be necessary to speak slowly and offer generally familiar examples.
Belinda