As storytellers, we not only need to make sure these two things are clear to the audience, but we need to "Enhance the moment, and make sure the audience understands what's happening, and that they are (most of the time) on the edge of their seats, wanting to know what's next.

Let's address the first one first. We always have to ask ourselves, "Are we clear about what's happening?"

Are your pronouns are clear?

The King was in the throne room. The Jester entered. He belched and they both laughed. 

Who belched? It's not precisely clear. We can generally assume that the last person spoken about is the one connected to the pronoun...but it may not be completely clear.

Make sure your navigation is clear.  A term I learned from David Novak. How do you get from one scene or place to the next? Have you ever been listening to a teller, and all of a sudden, you're not sure how they got from the throne room to the dungeon? Make sure that you are being clear about when and where the characters are, and how they got to that point. If suddenly, the Queen speaks, make sure she has entered the scene. Otherwise, your audience will be puzzled.

Are the directions clear? I mean, are the directions that people are coming and going clear? Do you need to use terms like east and west, or up the hill and down the hill? At minimum, say that the King was coming from one direction and the Jester was running in the other direction and they collided. It's also important that your gestures, body movements and head/face/eyes are coordinated with your words.

Be consistent. Did you state that the Chalice was on the shelf at the right? Then don't attempt to pick it up from the table in front of you. Once again, make sure your words are consistent with your gestures and movements. Recently, one of my students told a story about breaking his arm. In one scene, he held up his right arm. In the next scene, he wrote on a cast on his left arm. After the story, when asked, he said, "I don't really remember which arm it was." Ah... then make a decision: one or the other. 
 

Now, let's talk about what happens next. There are many ways that this can be handled.

Make a statement that piques the audience's interest:

Sampson was a great warrior. But today was not a day for victory.

This makes us want to know "Why? Tell us more."

Ask us a question. Again, something that makes us want to know or understand more.

People can steal money or things, but do you think someone can steal a SMELL? We'll soon find out.

We'll be listening now, and assuming we won't really know until the END of the story!

Take a pause; not too short; not too long... just the right length.

A pause after an important event or statement can "tease" the audience into sitting up and waiting for the next thing that happens.

If you walk away now, I will follow you to the ends of the earth and destroy you!

A pause here makes us want to know if the character will be leaving or not. A short pause might indicate the next scene, the Queen in her chambers, struggling with her decision. A long pause can indicate the passage of time and/or a change of location, like a new chapter in a book. Then...

The Queen stands outside a small hut by the road. She is not dressed in finery. She has hidden her crown in a sack with some other personal items. She does not want to be seen as the Queen. She nocks at the door.

Now we know she has made the decision and has left. We want to know what will happen to her. Will the King eventually find her? What then?

Sometimes, we want it to be evident. There are times when you want the audience to assume or know what happens next. Either you want them to be included in the "joke" or prank. Or, you may want them to assume one thing will happen, and then surprise them with another.

Consider the graphic for this tip. Clowns coming from one direction. A rack of pies, unseen, around the corner, coming towards the clowns. We have an expectation of what will ensue.

We were in the dressing room and were all putting on one brown shoe and one black shoe. I went around the stage to the other side to make my entrance. (We should all know what happens next.) When we all stepped on the stage, I was the only one with one brown shoe and one black!

Those are just a few suggestions for making your audience sit up and want to hear more.