Communicating With Greater Impact

Most talks are totally forgettable because they don’t touch people emotionally and logically — and in the 2020s, attention is under constant attack from phones, tabs, and “distraction heaven” on the internet.

Author bio: Dr. Greg Story is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University, with a Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making. He’s a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie “One Carnegie Award” (2018, 2021) and a recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). He’s also a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer and author of multiple best-selling Japan-focused business books.

Why are most presentations forgettable, even when the content is “good”?

Because information alone doesn’t stick — impact does. Most audiences can’t remember the speaker, the topic, or both, because the presentation never lands emotionally and logically. In post-pandemic business life — hybrid meetings, Zoom fatigue, constant notifications — “good data” gets drowned out fast. Stats from a year ago often feel irrelevant today, so your job isn’t to dump content; it’s to make meaning. Think of the difference between a dry document in a shared drive and an executive who makes the same ideas feel urgent and real. When delivery is boring, people don’t fight it — they simply escape to their phones in two or three clicks.

Do now: Design for emotional + logical resonance, not just accuracy. If your audience can’t feel the point, they won’t repeat it.

How do you use word emphasis to make your message land?

Emphasising key words changes meaning and makes your message easier to remember. When every word is delivered with the same weight, your sentence becomes mush — a kind of presenter “white noise”. Strong speakers create contrast: some words stand “head and shoulders” above their neighbours. Try the line “This makes a tremendous difference” and stress different words: THIS, MAKES, TREMENDOUS, DIFFERENCE — you’ll hear the intention shift each time. This works whether you’re pitching B2B SaaS in Singapore, updating a multinational leadership team in Tokyo, or selling professional services in Sydney: emphasis tells listeners what matters now and what they should carry forward. It’s also a credibility move — you sound decisive, not vague.

Do now: Pick 3–5 load-bearing words per section and punch them. Your audience should be able to “hear the headline” inside the sentence.

Why do pauses increase attention (and stop people scrolling)?

Pauses work because silence is a pattern interrupt that pulls attention back to you. When you stop speaking, the contrast is so sharp it snaps drifting listeners back into the moment — especially in hybrid meetings where people are one click away from email, Slack, or social media. Pauses also create anticipation: the audience leans in because they sense something important is coming next. Most presenters avoid pausing because they fear awkwardness, but awkwardness is usually in your head — to the audience, it often reads as confidence. The practical test is simple: next time you speak, double the length of the pauses you already use in a couple of spots. You’ll immediately feel the room (or the call) settle and refocus.

Do now: Add two deliberate pauses — one before your key line and one after it — and let the idea land.

How do pacing and modulation stop you sounding monotone?

Variety in speed and strength keeps people listening from start to finish. Monotone delivery guarantees you lose the audience — it’s the fastest route to presenter oblivion. Pacing gives you instant contrast: slow down to spotlight meaning, speed up briefly for energy, then return to normal before you lose people. Modulation matters even more across cultures and languages; for example, Japanese is often described as more monotone than many Western languages, so speakers can inject variety through changes in speed and strength. Think of a classical orchestra: if it only played crescendos or only soft lulls, it would be unbearable. Your voice needs highs and lows to keep attention and signal importance — whether you’re leading a board update in Europe, running sales enablement in the US, or briefing an Asia-Pacific team.

Do now: Mark your notes: SLOW for the key point, FAST for short contrast, and vary strength (soft/strong) to create highs and lows.

What makes phrasing memorable — and how do you create “sticky” lines?

Memorable phrasing uses patterns the brain loves: rhyme, alliteration, and contrast. Great presenters don’t just explain — they package. A phrase like “hero to zero” sticks because it’s short, rhythmic, and easy to repeat. That repeatability is the real win: if your audience can quote you later, your message travels without you. This matters across roles: executives need quotable strategy, salespeople need repeatable value statements, and leaders need language that anchors culture. The style might differ — more understated in Japan, more direct in the US — but the mechanism is universal: give people a clean verbal handle for your idea. Once you have that handle, your talk becomes less forgettable and more shareable.

Do now: Write two sticky lines: (1) a contrast pair (“X to Y”), (2) a short rhythmic phrase you can repeat at least twice.

How should you use movement and gestures without distracting people?

Move with purpose — otherwise your body steals attention from your message. Gestures are powerful when they match what you’re saying, because they add strength and clarity. But they have a shelf-life: hold a gesture too long and its impact drops; keep it tight and intentional. A practical rule is to cap gestures at about fifteen seconds. Random pacing — up and down the stage, to and fro like a caged tiger — is a distraction and often reads as nervous energy, not authority. The best speakers design movement into the talk: step forward for a key point, shift position to signal a new section, then stop to deliver the close with stillness. That stillness often hits harder than motion.

Do now: Pre-plan 3 movements: forward for the key point, sideways for contrast, still for the close. No wandering.

Conclusion

Communicating with greater impact isn’t about becoming someone else — it’s about being deliberate with the tools that keep attention: emphasis, pauses, pacing, modulation, phrasing, and purposeful movement. Most speakers stay stuck in the same groove and lose their audience. If you apply these six techniques, you’ll be seen as the person who holds attention, makes meaning, and strengthens both personal and professional brand — in the room, on Zoom, and in every high-stakes conversation.

Author credentials

Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie “One Carnegie Award” (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results.

He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業) and Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人).

Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan’s Top Business Interviews, followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan.