Vinh Giang

If people keep interrupting you, talking over you, or finishing your sentences – there’s one very simple explanation…

You’re easy to interrupt. (Ouch! I know. But stay with me).

Most people don’t interrupt to be mean. 99% of the time, people interrupt because:

• They’re excited
• They want to help
• They want to add value
• They misunderstood when it was their turn
  

Then there’s the 1% who interrupt because they love the sound of their own voice and want to take control of the conversation. (I know because I used to be part of that 1%)

The Reasons You’re Easy to Interrupt

This comes down to two simple things: You Have Low Vocal Presence + Low Physical Presence

When someone speaks quietly, passively, timidly, or physically shrinks into themselves, they unintentionally send this message:

“You can jump in and interrupt me at any time… I won’t mind.”

Let’s look at an example.

Imagine someone with arms crossed, eyes down speaking like this:

“Um… I’ve got an idea… I just thought maybe… if it was okay… I’d love to share… unless you want to go first…?”

Boom! An absolute invitation to interrupt. 

The moment 99% of people sense hesitation or uncertainty they are much more likely to jump in.

Not because they’re a horrible person, but because you’ve left a huge opening.

Low vocal energy + small posture = easy to interrupt.

So now you know why people are constantly interrupting you, here’s how to fix it.

So… How Do You Become Harder to Interrupt?

Here’s the simple formula:

1. Increase Your Vocal Presence

• Project your voice
• Speak with clarity
• Use stronger volume
• Remove soft, apologetic tone

Speak like your words matter (because they do).

2. Increase Your Physical Presence

• Don’t shrink
• Don’t cross your arms
• Don’t stare at the floor
• Don’t curl into yourself
• Use open, confident body language

Sit or stand like someone who belongs in the conversation.

3. Remove Hesitation Language

Start with something like: 👇
“I have an idea I’d like to share.”

Rather than: 👇
“Um… I don’t know if this makes sense… but maybe… if it’s okay…”

So the next time you’re speaking with someone and they interrupt you mid sentence – just remember: increase your vocal presence, your physical presence and use confident language.

If you do these 3 simple things I’m confident you’ll find people are much less likely to interrupt you – well 99% of people at least.

You know that moment; your name gets called, you stand up, your heart starts pounding like it’s trying to escape your rib cage… and then your voice comes out of your mouth sounding like your throat is receiving a text message.  🤦

If you’ve ever thought, “Why does my voice betray me like this?”, you’re not alone! Controlling nerves before speaking in public is one of the most common questions I get asked on social media. 

Here’s what I tell them.

Why Your Voice Shakes When Presenting

When your voice starts trembling, it’s almost never just your voice.

It’s your whole body going:

“Are we… fighting something? Running from something? A wild bear? No? Are you sure?”

Your nervous system doesn’t understand modern public speaking. It only understands perceived threats, so your brain releases tonnes of adrenaline, preparing you for either: 

Fight 👊 or 

Flight 🏃‍♂️

When adrenaline builds up and you don’t use it, your breath shortens and your muscles (including those controlling your voice) begin to tense up. 

I’ll show you! 

Try this:  

1. Hold your hand out in front of you and clench it hard. 👊
2. Keep tensing it… harder… harder…
3. Notice what happens? I’m willing to bet your hand began to shake. 

When your body tenses, your muscles vibrate and therefore your voice shakes.

How To Stop Your Voice From Shaking During A Presentation

The secret to presenting with a calm, controlled voice is to burn off the excess adrenaline before you speak.

For most people, this can be as simple as going for a brisk 5 minute walk or practicing breathing exercises like Wim Hof’s Guided Bubble Breathing technique before your next presentation. (weird name I know, but trust me it’s a powerful tool for relaxing your mind and body).

If your voice still shakes, it’s because your vocal muscles are still tense. 

Here’s a couple of extra exercises you can try to relax your vocal muscles and regain control of your voice on stage:

• Yawning: a loud, exaggerated yawn is a great way to relax the muscles that control your voice.
• Tongue Rotations: Moving your tongue around your mouth (21 times to the left and 21 times to the right) is a really great technique for relaxing your tongue.
• EEEE’s and OOOO’s: Make the sounds EEEE followed by OOOO (Kinda like a lazy donkey) for 1 minute – focusing on really accentuating your mouth movements. 

Try these tips next time you’re feeling anxious before speaking in public and I’m confident you’ll find yourself feeling much more relaxed and in control of your vocal delivery. 

Here’s a not so fun fact: An audience will decide whether they like you, trust you, and believe you within the first 30 to 60 seconds of your presentation.

This can be terrifying to learn for people who have a fear of public speaking, however – now that you’re aware of this very short window of opportunity, you can do something about it!  💪

So let’s talk about three powerful ways to start any presentation and make a great first impression with your audience.

1. Start With a Story

If you want instant connection, tell a story.

Why?

Because before the audience cares about your content, they need to care about you.

Storytelling builds:

• Connection
• Trust
• Empathy
• Attention
  

Many speakers start with content because they’re nervous and want to get straight into providing ‘value’ for the audience. 

But value isn’t just information.

You can give real value to your audience in many other ways by:

Educating,
Inspiring,
Entertaining, or simply;
Making people feel something

That’s real value and a short-cut to a great first impression. ✅

2. Use a Prop

Almost no one does this anymore (and that’s why it works).

A prop creates curiosity.

Human brains can’t ignore a physical object because they instantly start asking:

• What is that?
• Why is it here?
• What’s going to happen?
  

But here’s the key: the prop must have meaning. It needs to be relevant to your message and not just some random object you brought on stage because you I told you to.

Obviously there’s no single universal prop that’s going to be relevant to all presentations, but if you’re able to incorporate a physical object for the next time you step on stage, it’s a great way to grab your audience’s attention and make a memorable first impression

3. Humorous Energy

Emphasis on the word: energy. This isn’t about making dad jokes (unless you’re really good at them like I am 🫅) but your physical energy. 

It means:

You smile
You’re excited
You use vocal melody
You’re playful
You have open body language

Here’s another one of my go to lines you’re welcome to steal:

When the audience finish clapping (hopefully) after you’ve been introduced on stage, start with:

“Wow, thank you for clapping,  I haven’t even done anything yet. But I’ll take it!”  (told you I was good at dad jokes 😂)

It tells the audience:

• You’re confident
• You’re relaxed
• You’re human
• And this won’t be a boring 45-minute snooze-fest

Keep in mind that humor is not only about being funny, it’s can be as simple as just being warm.

And warm speakers are instantly more likeable, memorable and likely to create a powerful first impression.  

Remember…

If you want to make a brilliant first impression before your next presentation:

✅ Start with a story:  connection before content
✅ Use a meaningful prop: create curiosity and engagement
✅ Bring humorous energy: be relaxed, open, warm, playful

You know that moment:

You approach a group of people. Everyone’s talking.

You want to chime in, but don’t want to be rude, talk over anyone, or interrupt.

So what normally happens?

You stand there awkwardly nodding along, saying nothing and looking like a background extra in the Central Perk cafe (I miss them ❤️)

If this sounds familiar, use my my fool-proof 4 step approach for joining a conversation confidently without interrupting or hijacking the moment.

Step 1: Wait for the Pause

Conversations naturally have micro-pauses.

A breath.
A laugh.
A transition between points.

That’s your signal to jump in. 

Step 2: Make Your First Sentence Relevant

Don’t change the topic, but build on what somebody else has just said. 

This shows you were listening and smoothly connects you to the existing conversation

Step 3: Keep It Short

This is not the moment to launch into a 15 minute monologue. The initial goal is to join the conversation, not take it over.

Give a short, relevant contribution then;

Step 4: Hand the Conversation Back

This is the magic maneuver; end with a question.

By finishing your entry into the conversation with a question, you’ll keep the group dynamic flowing and lessen the chances of a painfully awkward silence if you don’t nail step 2.

Follow these four steps and I guarantee you’ll be chatting away with Ross, Rachel, Monica, Joey, Chandler and Phoebe on the couch in no time.

Metaphorically speaking.

Expanding your vocabulary is one of the easiest ways to improve your communication skills and ensure your message cuts through. 

Without a healthy repertoire of adjectives, verbs, and expressive language, you risk becoming repetitive, boring and easy to tune out to.

Here’s a dead simple three step process I used to turn myself into a grandiloquent, hyper-articulate, vocabulary virtuoso.🤓

Just kidding, I simply wanted to stop using the word ‘amazing’ to describe everything.🤦

Step 1: Identify Your “Overused Words”

Start by writing down the words you repeat constantly.

Common offenders:

• Amazing (guilty)
• Nice
• Great
• Good
• Stunning
• etc
  

Once you spot your “go-to” words, you can upgrade them.

Step 2: Build From Words You Already Use

Grab a thesaurus (or Google) and look up better alternatives that mean the same thing.

For amazing, you could use:

• phenomenal
• outstanding
• astonishing
• remarkable
• extraordinary
  

Step 3: Actually Use the New Words

Now instead of saying “The food was amazing” for the 83rd time, you can say:

• “The food was phenomenal.”
• “The meal was outstanding.”
• etc
  

Why This Works

You’re not forcing random new words into your brain, hoping by chance you’ll remember them next time the opportunity presents itself.

You’re replacing the words you already say daily, meaning you’re much more likely to actually use them. 

Amazing right? 😉

Most people are terrified of silence when they speak (I was too). You feel that gap open up and rush to fill it. 

So often when people use filler words like “Um, ah, so, you know, like”, they’re not replacing anything meaningful, they’re simply using these to avoid silence. 

Stop Filling Silence. Start Using It.

Let’s flip the perspective, instead of seeing silence as awkward, see it as intentional.

Think of music, the most breathtaking moment in orchestral music often isn’t the crescendo, it’s what comes right after: The pause. That sharp intake of breath between notes, that’s what makes the sound hit harder. That’s what gives the moment weight.

Even if we’re comfortable using all the other notes (our words), many of us forget to use silence. And yet it’s one of the most beautiful notes available to us.

When you pause, something incredible happens.

People listen.

And more importantly, you give them time to think about what you’ve just said. 

The Simple Trick To Stop Saying Um

When you feel yourself about to say “um” or “uh” or “so,” don’t fight it with more words, simply replace it with a pause. 🤫

It might feel weird at first, like you’re forgetting what to say. But I promise, it gets easier and the more you do it, the more confident you sound. 👊