ALERT
Alert listeners they are about to receive a spoken message and engage them with face-to-face visual contact. In other words, don't talk to someone's back and expect him or her to connect with what you are saying. Start by introducing the thought(s) you wish to convey. Don't assume the listener "got the gist" of what you are talking about from the start.

SLOW DOWN
Speak slowly enough. Don't rush through what you are saying, resulting in the listener being left out in the cold. It takes time for the brain to process thoughts. Our age often determines how fast we carry on conversations. Younger people speak quite fast these days. Older individuals require more time to process speech information. Like dance partners keeping in step, you may have to slow down to produce a coordinated duo.

PACKAGE INFORMATION IN SMALLER BITES
Since we are endeavoring to convey thoughts in our head to the mind of the listener, we greatly improve how we are understood by not packing too much information in a bunch. In other words, talk about one part of the thought or the story. Then talk about another, then another, giving time for the recipient's mind to absorb and get on track with what we are saying. Running our thoughts together in a long string makes it more difficult to stay on track if we miss one of the pertinent pieces of information.

Keeping connected during conversation is much more pleasant than leaving the listener confused. It can be humorous at times and difficult at others. A little story from my household to yours will further illustrate the point:

I have a habit of speaking to my wife when she is focused on something else in an adjoining room. No wonder she has to say "What?" so many times. Sometimes she will bristle,"I can't hear anything you're saying!" So I get moving in her direction and deliver my conversation courteously to her face. It takes a little extra time and effort, but oh the benefits! Then on the other hand, with my head in the refrigerator and she's in the dining room, no wonder I can't understand her when she tries to tell me where the mustard is. We both laugh and apologize and do it a courteous way so conversation works. After all, isn't that what life is all about, each of us coming in the other person's direction?

Enjoy the conversation!