The 7 Most Common Delivery Mistakes and How to Fix Them

In training I hear the same mistakes again and again, from beginners and from people who have been working for a while. The good news is that every one of them has a clear fix, and each one you fix takes your delivery to another level.

1. Monotone: one single note

This is mistake number one. Staying on the same pitch, pace and energy from the start of the sentence to the end. The ear gets bored of a flat voice very fast, even when the content is excellent.

The fix: find the key word in every sentence and change things around it: pitch, pace or a pause. Listen to people telling a story at a gathering, and you will hear their voice rise and fall naturally. That is what you need.

2. Rushing

Nerves make us run. And because we know the text in our heads, it feels clear to us, but the listener is hearing it for the first time.

The fix: record yourself and listen. If you felt you were going fast, you were probably going even faster. Slow down and give the listener time to absorb.

3. No pauses

A pause is not emptiness. A pause is a tool. It gives weight to the word before it and makes the listener wait for what comes next.

The fix: before recording, mark the pauses on your script. Try pausing a full second before the most important piece of information in a sentence, and hear the difference.

4. "Reading" instead of talking

Listeners notice instantly when a performer is reading off a page. The tone becomes formal, dry and lifeless.

The fix: read the text several times until you truly understand it, then imagine one specific person sitting in front of you and talk to them. When you talk to someone, your voice changes on its own.

5. Stressing the wrong word

The same sentence can change its whole meaning depending on the word you stress. "I didn't say he stole the money": stress "I" and it means one thing, stress "stole" and it means something completely different.

The fix: ask yourself: what is the new information in this sentence? That is usually the word that needs the stress.

6. Energy that drops at the end of the sentence

A strong voice at the start, then at the end of the sentence it weakens and gets swallowed. This is usually a breath problem: you run out of air before the sentence ends.

The fix: train diaphragmatic breathing, breathe at natural pauses, and pay special attention to the last word of each sentence. That last word is the one that stays in the listener's ear.

7. Overacting

The opposite is also a mistake. Acting more than needed, exaggerating emotion, colouring every single word. The listener senses it is fake and stops believing you.

The fix: go back to the text and ask: what is the real feeling required? Start with a natural delivery, and build up little by little until you reach exactly what is needed.

The bottom line

Do not try to fix all seven at once. Pick one mistake, work on it for a full week until it is solid, then move to the next. And always record yourself, because your ear is your best coach once you learn to listen properly.