Why Do I Sound Monotone on Camera? Five Causes and the Fix
May 30, 2023
You sound monotone on camera for five reasons: nobody told you tone mattered, nerves have you focused only on getting the words out, you are reading a script or a slide deck word for word, you are not engaging anyone in the room, and you have not rehearsed enough. Fix the cause, not the voice.
Why do I sound monotone on camera when I am fine in conversation?
Because the room changed, not you. Put someone under lights with a lens pointed at them and, in Chris's words, it is a stress environment, so things suffer. In this episode he names five things that push a presenter into a flat delivery: no awareness that tone matters, nerves, leaning on a script or a slide deck, no real engagement with the audience, and not enough preparation.
"Many presenters underestimate the impact their tone has on their audience." - Chris Schwager
That is the diagnosis. If you want the technique itself, the pitch range and where to lift and where to land, that is a separate episode: Learn how adjusting your tone holds attention.
Does reading from a teleprompter make me sound robotic?
The teleprompter is not the problem. Reading off it with nothing behind the words is. Chris is blunt about the order people work in, too, and it is the slide deck that does the damage.
"Oh man, don't create your slide deck first." - Chris Schwager
Build the deck first and everything after it is written to fit the slides, so you end up reading a document out loud instead of talking to someone. His description of what that sounds like: "Reading verbatim without injecting emotions or emphasis on the value of the message can make the presentation sound robotic and monotonous." The fix is not to throw the script away. It is to know it well enough to leave it. Blend script and ad-lib on camera is the practical version of that.
How do I stop nerves from flattening my delivery?
Nervous presenters put everything into getting the content out and nothing into how it lands, which is exactly how a safe, flat, careful read happens. Chris tells a story in this episode about a client finishing a session by announcing she was an anxious person, and being asked what the upside of that was. She said there was none.
"But there is always an upside." - Chris Schwager
In her case the anxiety was showing up as energy and a bubbly delivery, which is the thing everyone else is trying to manufacture. Nerves are managed with preparation and practice, not with a personality transplant, and having someone in the room who can tell you what they actually heard shortens all of it. That is what get confident on camera covers in full.
What actually fixes a flat delivery on camera?
Six things, and they are ordinary. Recognise that tone changes how the message lands. Build confidence through preparation and rehearsal. Aim for an interactive style that involves the audience rather than reciting at them. Balance the scripted parts with enough spontaneity for your tone to vary naturally. Bring in storytelling, humour and vocal modulation. Then get feedback from someone who does this for a living.
That last one matters more than it sounds. Chris's argument against figuring it out alone is not that you are incapable, it is that you have no reference point: "It's reasonable that you don't know what you don't know, that you're in an environment that is completely foreign to you." Left alone with it, people spend months perfecting something that did not need perfecting. Hear Chris Schwager's five on-camera performance tips for the short version of what to work on first.
Frequently asked questions
Can a monotone delivery actually be changed?
Yes. Tone is a skill, not a personality trait. Chris teaches it as a range you move through rather than a setting you are stuck on, and the change often shows inside a single coaching session because you are adding variation to words you already know. What takes longer is doing it without thinking about it, and that comes from repetition.
Will adding more tone make me sound fake?
It feels fake to you long before it sounds fake to anyone else. That gap is the whole problem. Watch the playback rather than trusting how it felt in the moment, because the version that felt over the top on the day almost always plays back as normal, and the version that felt natural plays back flat.
Should I script my videos at all, or just talk?
Script it. The script is not what makes people sound robotic, reading it without emphasis is. Chris's warning in this episode is about building the slide deck first and working backwards from it, and about reading verbatim with no emotion behind the words. Write it, then perform it, and leave room to go off script where it helps.
How much practice does it take before I stop sounding flat?
Less than people expect, and more than one attempt. Insufficient preparation is one of the five causes in this episode, so the first fix is simply rehearsing out loud instead of reading cold. Beyond that, the fastest route is someone watching you do it and telling you what they heard, which is what a coaching session is for.
Transcript
Read the full transcript
Chris Schwager
Have you ever noticed how important it is to capture your audience's attention and make them truly understand your message? It becomes even more challenging when you are discussing a complex and dry topic, especially if you are new to presenting, particularly on camera, the last thing you want is for people to tune out, start doing something else, or even fall asleep. But fear not, there's a way to keep them engaged, and it all comes down to the tone of your voice. I'm your host, Chris Schwager, and welcome to Video Made Simple.
[00:00:38] Now I'll give you the heads up. We're just taking on our newest employee, John, who is currently building his first DIY video studio. He is the G Rock of Ridge Films and so if you hear some unboxing, some clanging, some tapping, it's cuz he's busy working out the 60 components to making this kit. Bringing the this kit to life. Look. Why do people end up presenting in monotone? Well, there are five common factors that contribute to this phenomenon.
[00:01:17] A lack of awareness. It is so clear that when you get under lights under that stressor and it is a stress environment, then lots of things suffer. Okay? Many presenters underestimate the impact their tone has on their audience. They believe that simply delivering the content is enough. Reading it from a teleprompter, it's enough, isn't it? Without considering the importance of varying their tone.
[00:01:45] Secondly, The nervousness or lack of confidence. Presenters who are nervous or lack confidence often focus solely on delivering their content, neglecting their tone. This can result in a flat, monotonous delivery as they stick to a safe and practical and practicable presentation style.
[00:02:09] Number three over reliance on scripts or slides. Oh man, don't create your slide deck first. So many mistakes. So much wasted time from people working on slide decks and working backwards. Some presenters heavily rely on written scripts or slide decks, which can hinder their ability to infuse energy and variation into their tone. Reading verbatim without injecting emotions or emphasis on the value of the message can make the presentation sound robotic and monotonous.
[00:02:45] And then there's a lack of engagement with the audience. Presenters who fail to actively engage the audience may unintentionally slip into in a monotonous tone. Limited interaction, feedback, or connection with the listeners can cause the presenter to lose enthusiasm and deliver the content in a monotonous manor.
[00:03:06] Number five. Lack of preparation or practice. Insufficient preparation and lack of practice can contribute to a monotonous presentation. When presenters are not well versed in their content or haven't rehearsed enough, they may rely on monotonous delivery as a means to getting through the material.
[00:03:25] Hmm, they are the five things that you gotta try and think about. And I argue to the point in anybody that's I'm training for the first time, don't let excuses get in the way. It's reasonable that you don't know what you don't know, that you're in an environment that is completely foreign to you. Why would you know what is expected of you? It does take the skills of a professional presenter, of a video coach, presenter, coach, whatnot, to help you through that. I don't think it's a great advice or great a tip to try and figure those things out for yourself because quite frankly, you dunno what you dunno, and it could just be wasting your time endlessly trying to perfect something that perhaps doesn't even need to be perfected. So there are so many variables to it, and so just take care when you're trying to get this done yourself.
[00:04:18] To avoid presenting in a a stupor hmm, and falling into the trap of monotony, here's what presenters should focus on.
[00:04:27] One. Look, be aware of the importance of tone, its impact on audience engagement. John, has just this afternoon heard me bang on with a client about tone. He heard firsthand the differences between, um, mono neutral performance that lacked tone. And then hearing the aftermath of all of this methodology that's been injected into the, into the student to then have something that sounds so much more interesting just by improving in periods the tone to enhance the communication and the messaging and the overall intent of the content.
[00:05:10] Build some confidence. Manage those nerves through adequate preparation and practice. Uh, when I had my girl leave this afternoon, the one thing she said was, what did she say? She said, I am. Um, I'm gonna put a pause in, oh, I'm, I'm suffering, uh, an I'm anxious. And I said, oh, okay. You said you're, you're an anxious person. She goes, yeah, I'm an anxious person and this is right at the end of the training. I'm anxious. And I'm like, yeah. And so what's the, what's the upside to being anxious? And she said, nothing. And I'm like, it's untrue. You know, you're a bubbly personality. You are, you know, on edge. You are bringing energy. You have that. You have that about you. So whether that's a direct result of being anxious, I don't know. But there is always an upside. There's always a way to look at, uh, look at what you are doing. Rather than the negative of it all the time. You strive for an interactive, engaging presentation style that involves the audience, and you do you, boo. You just do what you need to do. It's, there's no excuses needed.
[00:06:22] You gotta balance also the scripted content with spontaneously. Uh, spontaneity, sorry, and flexibility to allow for a natural variation In tone.
[00:06:33] Five, you gotta incorporate storytelling techniques, humor and vocal modulation to make the presentation more lively and engaging.
[00:06:40] Or better yet, seek professional feedback and continuously improve your presentation skills through self-reflection and learning from others. By addressing these factors and adopting effective presentation techniques, presenters can avoid the danger of presenting in a stupor. And in, I don't know what stupor is.
[00:06:58] Didn't that John, what's stupor? Hmm. What's stupor? No idea. No idea. Christine Gotta change stupor, I dunno. I, I, I think I know what it is, but whatever. As John unwraps his 56th component. Uh, and so stu and deliver engaging and impactful presentations.
[00:07:18] Want to improve your virtual presentations with a more powerful tone? Well, our experts offer personalised coaching to help you deliver engaging and impactful presentations. Learn how to infuse energy and authenticity into your voice, captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression. Elevate your virtual presentations today. Contact us for more information and subscribe to our channel for valuable tips.
[00:07:41] Master your tone in your presentation. That's all for this episode. Say bye, John. bye. Hi John, and thanks for listening and see you next week.
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