Impactful Speaking: Improve Your Message Delivery in 2025

Why Your Message Isn’t Landing (And 5 Simple Fixes)

If you’ve ever walked away from a meeting or presentation thinking, “I know my stuff, so why didn’t that land?”, you’re not alone. Most professionals don’t struggle with content. They struggle with delivery. The difference between being heard and being remembered comes down to structure, clarity, and presence, not just the quality of your ideas.

This post distills the key lessons from Lisa Hugo’s video, Why Your Message Isn’t Landing (And 5 Tips To Fix It), into a practical, easy-to-apply guide.

The Real Problem: Delivery, Not Knowledge

Brilliant slides and perfect scripts won’t matter if your audience can’t follow you or feel inspired to act. Common pitfalls:

• Trying to say too much

• Rambling or losing focus

• Rushing so ideas blur together

• Failing to inspire action

Good news: these are fixable - often with small, intentional changes.

The 5 Tools To Make Your Message Land

1) Chunk Your Content

Think in chapters, not streams of consciousness. Break your talk into clear, digestible blocks - each with a single main point and a simple transition.

Try this:

• Open with the problem

• Present 3 key points (one per “chunk”)

• Close with a clear recommendation or next step

Benefits: easier to follow, easier to remember, easier to repeat to others.

2) Speak in Sound Bites

Short, punchy phrases beat long, winding sentences. They slow your pace, sharpen your thinking, and give your audience something to quote.

Try this:

• Craft one-liners for your key ideas

• Replace jargon with crisp, concrete language

• End paragraphs with a memorable takeaway

Result: your ideas sound sharper, stronger, and more memorable.

3) Master Diaphragmatic Breathing

Your voice is your instrument. Breathing from the diaphragm (not the chest) gives you a fuller, calmer, more controlled sound. It also steadies your thinking under pressure.

Practice:

• Inhale slowly through the nose, expanding the belly

• Exhale on your words - don’t run out of air mid-sentence

• Use breath resets between points

Outcome: more confidence, clarity, and vocal authority.

4) Get Rid of the Fluff

Filler words, tangents, and “umm/ahh” dilute impact. Trim with intention.

Do this:

• Write down your main points before you speak

• Cut anything that doesn’t serve your core message

• Replace fillers with silence (see Tool 5)

Your message becomes cleaner, tighter, and more persuasive.

5) Respect the Pause

Silence is a superpower. It gives your audience time to process - and gives you time to breathe and emphasize.

Use pauses to:

• Let a key point land

• Transition between chunks

• Invite reflection or questions

Pauses make you sound confident and in control.

Putting It All Together

When you chunk your content, speak in sound bites, breathe from the diaphragm, cut the fluff, and use purposeful pauses, you transform how people listen. You stop merely informing - and start influencing.

Try this quick framework for your next talk:

• Hook: one sentence that names the problem

• Context: why it matters now

• Three chunks: one message per chunk, each in sound bites

• Close: one decisive next step or call to action

• Pause: let it land

Final Thought

Knowledge without impact is powerless. The good news? Impact can be learned—and practiced. Start with one tool this week. Then layer in the rest.

Want to see these techniques in action? Watch the original video by Lisa Hugo: Why Your Message Isn’t Landing (And 5 Tips To Fix It).