Effective Communication: You Know Your Stuff. So Why Isn't It Landing?
- Aug 13
- 4 min read
What actors know about making business communication feel more human.
I had a commercial callback recently that reminded me of something I wish more business professionals understood.
For my first audition, I was alone. Just me, the script, and the camera.
For the callback, they brought in another actor.
Why? Well, casting already knew we could each do the job. Now they wanted to know what happened when we had another human being to deal with. That's a totally different dynamic. They were watching...
Would we actually listen to each other?
Pick up on little cues?
React naturally?
Change what we were doing based on what we were getting back?
Or would we simply stand there and deliver our well-rehearsed lines at each other?
That distinction matters far beyond acting.
The Real Reason Effective Communication Doesn't Always Land
I see this constantly with otherwise terrific communicators.
They know their stuff. They’ve prepared. They care deeply about getting their message across. And then they start talking.
You can see it immediately in their faces. There's suddenly a second conversation going on inside their heads:
Am I talking too fast?
Did I explain that well?
Where am I supposed to look?
I forgot what I was going to say next.
Oh God, what are my hands doing?
That's a huge problem.
The more attention we give that internal critic, the less attention we have available for the actual human being in front of us.
And people feel the difference.
Communication starts to break down the moment
your attention leaves the other person and turns toward yourself.
The result? You may be saying all the right things... and still leave someone oddly unmoved.
Stop Trying to Sound Better
Here’s one of the seeming contradictions I’ve learned from acting:
Trying to look confident rarely produces your most confident performance.
Trying to sound sincere can make you sound less sincere.
Trying desperately to be interesting can make you… well, you know.
Yes, it's self-defeating. What's worse, it can take years to realize what you're doing wrong and unlearn everything you thought you knew.
So what do you do? I found the answer in my acting work.
Actors work much better when we have something to accomplish with the other person. That's why we're trained to put a purpose to every sentence and everything we do.
Actors call these intentions. Instead of deciding how to say something, we decide what we're trying to accomplish with the other person. That intention influences everything: our tone, energy, timing, even how we react. And the result feels far more natural and believable.
An intention can be as simple as:
Convince her.
Reassure him.
Get them excited.
Make her understand.
Now try putting an intention behind what you want to communicate in a sales call, presentation, speech, or video. Stop monitoring your own words or trying to impress people.
Instead, ask yourself:
What do these people need from me?
That one question changes where your attention goes. And that changes how you communicate,
Why Great Communication Feels Like a Conversation
Voice actors use exactly the same principle, even when we're standing completely alone in a recording booth. We're constantly asked to “make it conversational.” But you can't have a conversation with a microphone. So we create the other half of it in our imagination.
Here's the key: one person.
Not “consumers.” Not “the target demographic.” Someone specific.
Once I know who that person is and why I’m talking to them, the script changes. The words have somewhere to go.
And that’s exactly what should happen when you look into a camera lens, stand on a stage, lead a meeting, or sit across from a prospective client.
You're not simply delivering information.
You're trying to reach another human being.
That's an important distinction, because the people you're communicating with aren't just evaluating what you know.
They're deciding whether you understand them.
It's all about trust. Can they trust you? Are your ideas worth listening to?
And most importantly, will they put their trust in your hands, work with you, or turn to you for guidance?
That's the difference between simply being an expert and becoming a trusted advisor.
3 Questions That Can Transform the Way You Communicate
Before your next important communication, forget about trying to be impressive for a minute.
Ask yourself three things:
Who am I talking to?
What do they need from me?
What do I want to change for them as a result of this conversation?
Then put your attention there. Not on whether you sound “executive enough.” Not on executing the presentation exactly the way you practiced it.
On them.
Because people rarely remember whether you delivered every sentence perfectly. They remember whether they felt engaged. Whether you understood them. Whether they trusted you. Whether something about you felt real. And ultimately, whether they believed you.
That’s the part of acting that has very little to do with acting.
And everything to do with effective communication.
Are You Communicating? Or Just Delivering Information?
If you're wondering how you come across when it matters, I invite you to download my Believability Review. It can help you spot some of the habits that may be weakening your impact without you realizing it.
Because the goal isn't to become a different speaker... or to memorize more techniques or find mor impressive words. It's to get out of your own head long enough to genuinely connect with the person in front ofyou.
Sometimes that surprisingly small shift can make a very big difference.
✨ Get your Believability Review ✨
I'm Laura Doman, a voice & TV/film actor and video communications coach. As an actor, I create memorable characters that tell my client's stories well, from the friendly CEO to your sassy best gal pal dispensing real-world advice. As a coach, I help you become more comfortable and charismatic on camera in videos, presentations, and online appearances.
