How not to sound weird when talking to authority?

Just be yourself and talk to the authority as if he/she is just another person. He/she has a label of an authority doesn't mean he/she is better than you. He/she still eats, goes to the bathroom, and goes to sleep just like each of one us. That's how I feel comfortable talking to anyone I meet.

You can be respectful. You can address them as sir, ma'am, Mr. ____, or Mrs.____. You don't have to be uptight, authority figures are people too. It's okay to make light-hearted jokes, just maintain respectfulness.

It's important to remain calm and collected. Know what you want to achieve and think logically, planning what you want to say beforehand. If it isn't as formal as this and it is just a catch up, just try to remember they are just there to help. They may well be older or in a high position, but your care is important to them and being open and honest will help you both.

With the authority, conversation should be held executively. Be straight and clear in what you are trying to say. Do not jumble up with your words. Keep them short yet impressive. And smile often.

Practice talking to authority in a mirror. Be calm. Stand straight. Be honest and stand your ground, but know the limitations of that relationship too. Sounding weird when talking to authority might be reasonable cause for said authority to suspect something, so take care!

Adapt a professional tone and behaviour. Fake it till you make it and you wont feel awkward. Learn to become comfortable in your own skin and with who you are as a unique individual.

Being as professional and to the point as possible is the best way to not only sound intelligent to authority but also give point that you are in control of yourself and thoughts and you are firm in what you say and do and thus shows maturity to the authority figure and allots them to treat you with more respect and understanding.

We all think we sound weird when talking to others! In a public speaking course, I learned that fear of public speaking rates higher for people than the fear of death. Speaking to an authority figure is much the same, because you feel like you have a spotlight on you and that every word is being scrutinized as if under a microscope. So much of that fear is our own perception of ourselves and the short answer to your problem is that the more you practice something, the easier it becomes. Role play with friends and family who can give you constructive feedback on the way you sound and point out when they think you "sound weird" or are making common speaking mistakes, such as stammering, using words like "um" or using the word "like" too frequently. You can overcome this obstacle, but it requires practice and confidence! Best of luck to you!

Just be yourself. That is the most simple thing to do. Do not even change yourself to authority or whoever you wish to talk to. Be yourself, calm down, relax. They are likely to be humans just like you are, so there is no need to actually feel embarrassed to do things wrong - we all do things wrong sometimes and it is not bad at all to have an embarrassing situation. They can help us to improve and work on ourselves and with each step you are doing, you will grow. You see, it is not even bad or something like that - you just need to look at it from a different perspective.

be respectful, confident and keep your thoughts simple and direct. Make eye contact and smile and only say what you know to be true, don't make things up