Imagine you're sitting in my coaching. You have prepared yourself well. You know exactly what you want to say. And now the moment has come: I ask you to show me two minutes of your talk or presentation. You start – full of energy.
I'm listening to you carefully.
And then it happens:
I see the thought structure in your head – but as a listener, I don't hear it. Instead of a clear, structured Network I experience a Wortwurst , a stream of sentences that seem completely logical to you, but have no recognizable structure for me as a listener.
After two minutes I pause and say:
“Stell dir vor, du würdest deinen Text als geschriebenes Dokument vor dir sehen. Siehst du Absätze? Überschriften? Oder wirkt es wie ein einziger, langer Block?”
(c) Alan Ovaska
The problem: You're prepared – but your message doesn't get across
I almost always get a thoughtful nod. That's exactly the problem: the acoustic structure is missing. The Listener has to pull the structure out of the spoken stream itself with difficulty – and that costs energy. Energy that is missing in the end for your actual message.
And that's exactly what it's all about today:
How can you participate in your Voice Mixer adjust the crucial controls so that your listeners can effortless your message gets to the point – and in the end you not only hear, but also understood Will?
1. Structure – Without structure, stress and pressure to speak arise
Many people underestimate how important a Clear acoustic structure is. You know what you want to say – but your listener doesn't. Without an outline, he has to laboriously filter out what it's about from your flow of speech. It's exhausting. And when listening becomes exhausting, people quickly lose interest.
But that's not all: Unstructured, non-stop Speak also increases your own stress level considerably. Your brain registers the constant flow of speech and unconsciously puts you under pressure. You feel that you have to keep talking – because your tone of voice suggests that there is still something to come. The result: an inner pressure to speak arises, which gives you the feeling that you are not allowed to take a break. As a result, you often don't really think before you speak, but 're talking about simply continue – often without a clear structure.
This way of speaking not only seems restless, it also costs you an incredible amount of energy. Whoever feels that he has to continue speaking has no control over his Flow of speech – but is controlled by it.
How to turn this knob:
✅ Set verbal paragraphs: Make targeted short breaks between the individual thoughts. In this way, you help the listener to orient themselves - and give yourself the space you need.
✅ Use structuring signal words: Intentionally start sections with words like "Three points are important..." or "The first point is..." . This makes your structure immediately clear.
✅ Develop visual imagery: Think of your speech as a text – where would you put paragraphs? Where do you belong Titles there? Speak in such a way that this structure is also audible.
Case study:
- Before: "So we've improved the product and there's a new feature and the customer response so far has been very positive and we've also adjusted the price."
- Afterwards: "Three things are new: First, an improved function. Second, an optimized price. And thirdly, enthusiastic customer testimonials."
The difference? Clarity. Structure. Traceability. Your listener knows what's important – and you yourself have less pressure to speak.
2. Speech melody – Why upturned sentence endings create "ums" and garland sentences
Do you know the phenomenon of Ducktails ? That's what happens when every sentence goes up at the end – as if it were a question. This habit unconsciously causes uncertainty in the listener. He wonders: Does the person actually know what they want to say?
But that's not the only disadvantage: Sentence endings that always go up also involuntarily produce filler words such as "um" and "uh". Why? Because your brain registers that the statement sounds "open" – so it has to keep talking. But the moment you don't immediately think of how to continue, the famous filler word .
Another side effect of this Way of speaking : Sentences are strung together with "and". Instead of clearly separating thoughts, many speakers insert an unconscious "and" – often without realizing it. This creates so-called Garland Sets : a never-ending chain of statements that all sound the same.
The problem? Garland sets are incredibly tiring. Since they have no real structure and the melody always remains the same, your listener unconsciously switches off. It lacks the Acoustic signal , which shows: Now comes a new thought!
How to turn this knob:
✅ Intentionally send sentence endings: Pay curious attention to the reactions your sentence has triggered! Do you see a smile or a thoughtful nod?
✅ Train internal security: Uncertainty in the content is often reflected in the Voice . Prepare yourself in such a way that you know exactly why you want to trigger something in your listeners.
✅ Consciously pay attention to "and" and "um": Replace it with a reaction pause – this gives you time to think and sounds more confident.
3. Perspective – Don't talk about yourself, but about your counterpart
The common mistake, to speak from the first-person perspective , stems from the fact that you want to explain and present your topic as well and clearly as possible in the preparation. When you do, you often don't even notice that you're telling everything from your own point of view.
Psychologically speaking, you create Unconscious Resistance (Reactance) in your listeners. Why? Because smart listeners automatically start to apply your statements to their Correctness – one step too many. Instead of connecting with your message, they inwardly keep their distance and scrutinize your words skeptically.
This approach also reveals a Too self-focused mindset . You speak from your own understanding, but not from the perspective of the people who listen to you. In this constellation, above all the intellect of the listener nevertheless real conviction only arises when the listener finds himself in your message.
How to turn this knob:
✅ Switching from "I" to "You": Instead of "I'll explain how our tool works" Say better "You will now learn how to get the most out of our tool."
✅ Actively involve the audience: Ask questions like "Have you ever wondered how...?" or "Do you know that?" .
✅ Practice writing: Correct your emails – you can often replace an "I" with a "you".
Your next step:
Would you like to further improve your communication skills and learn how to proactively avoid objections? Come for an espresso with me! Together we will find the best strategies for your individual challenges.
If you want to learn more about concrete training opportunities with me, arrange your free phone call here today! Let's talk about your goals and challenges and find a solution together.
Good luck on your way to effective communication!
Your
Arno Fischbacher
P.S.: If you find this post interesting, feel free to share it! Do you have a question or want to discuss something with me? Leave a comment!
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The author:
As an experienced manager and coach, Arno Fischbacher combines in-depth knowledge with practical solutions. With over 30 years of experience as an actor, voice coach and speaker, he shows leaders and teams how to work with sovereign language and powerful voice . His trainings inspire people to develop their Effect and rethink communication. https://arno-fischbacher.com
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