Do You Mumble Your Sentences and Lose Impact?

Let’s talk about sentences. Each day is made up of hundreds and thousands of this structured group of words we string together as we speak to family, friends, colleagues, clients, strangers and pets… and we rarely pause for thought.

However, how often do you stop to think about how those sentences are received, especially in a professional environment? Let me draw your attention to a bad habit which is rather more common than you think. It involves a sentence that starts with strength and clear intent but then, almost imperceptibly, drops away as it concludes and becomes something more inaudible.

Now I’ve mentioned it, you’ll probably notice it happening within your daily interactions. When it does I want you to register how it makes you feel as the listener. It’s important to recognise, because it’s quite likely that you do it yourself at times.

In a work situation, this habit is undermining the way you present yourself. It is a small thing, but it is not a trivial one. There is a particular way in which professional impact is lost that often goes unnoticed by the person speaking, but not by those listening.

In meetings, presentations and everyday conversations, this pattern appears with surprising frequency. People start strongly and finish weakly. The beginning of the sentence carries intent, but the end carries uncertainty. Words blur together, volume dips and, in a worst case scenario, the listener is left to piece together what was actually meant.

On a larger stage, the same dynamic plays out more visibly. A presentation builds, ideas are laid out, and then the close dissolves into something tentative. “So… yes… that’s it really… any questions?” The energy that carried the message disappears just when it’s needed most.

Let me illustrate the importance of the follow through within different contexts. In sport, when a tennis player strikes the ball, it’s the follow through that gives the shot direction and intensity. In music, it’s vital that ‘phrases’ – short sections which often correspond to a singer/musician’s need to pause for breath – carry all the way to their final note. If the energy drops before the end, the ball hits the net and musical phrases collapse.

Speaking is no different. A sentence is a movement with a beginning, a middle and an end. Like any movement, it requires follow through, yet many people develop the habit of releasing energy too early.

Part of this is cognitive. While still speaking, the speaker is already thinking about the next point, the next sentence, the next response and this can lead the current thought to be abandoned mid-delivery. The result is a trailing off, both in sound and in presence as the voice lags behind the thought process.

From a listener’s perspective, when the sentence tails away and words become mumbled they move from a state of understanding to decoding. You no longer have their full attention because they are now having their own inner conversation as they try to decipher whether you said ‘increase’ or ‘decrease’ or that something ‘will’ or ‘would’ be happening. Such subtle differences in (misheard) sound can translate as huge differences in professional intention!

 

 

So how do you fix it? The pacing of sentences is most often the culprit – the rush to get info out, perhaps layering two or three points in one sentence. In order to combat this, try to think of structure (visualise bullet points in your head) and give each point its own sentence. The Power of 3 is a good tool to grab for in these situations – three well-made points will always beat a fistful of muddled thoughts .

Think of the follow through, by aiming to slow down at the end of the sentence for emphasis, rather than rev too high at the beginning. Another bit of good practice is to embrace the micro pause – a slither of breathing space between sentences to gather your next thought.

I worked with a (now) very well-known barrister on this very issue.  During our sessions I would screw up pieces of paper into balls and instructed said barrister to launch those paper balls at me from the other side of the room on the final word of every sentence as a physical reminder of the importance of sustaining energy all the way through to the final word.  It worked a treat.

Professional presence is often judged in ways that are difficult to articulate. People may not be able to explain why one person sounds more credible than another, but they feel the difference. It lies in clarity and confidence and in the small details that signal both. It will take a bit of rewiring and practice to get your brain and speech to synch, but building a good habit in the way you finish a sentence with purpose is one of those details.