This "harmless" communication habit could be costing you a fortune

Are you spending 100+ hours a year on something nobody notices?

Bob freezes mid-sentence.

We’re at a cafe, just chatting, nothing major, just a Monday morning coffee catch-up. Then out of nowhere, he stiffens. Lowers his voice.

“Leanne… let’s stop. I need to retake that. Forget everything I just said. I can do better.”

I start laughing and then I stop.

I realise: He’s dead serious.

My cappuccino is halfway to my mouth. I just blink.

Because in real conversations, you don’t get to do retakes? You stumble, laugh, sometimes acknowledge your stuff-up. And then you keep going.

So, why do we become like Bob the moment we hit Record, start replying to an email, or draft a LinkedIn post?

Most professionals spend over 100+ hours a year re-recording, overthinking, and over-editing things that don’t need to be perfect. If your time’s worth $400/hour? That’s $40K gone.

And for what? Messages that will be skimmed, watched at 2x speed, or forgotten tomorrow.

Why do we do this?

I was thinking about this while doing a recovery walk. And while ducking under spiderwebs and avoiding a cute dingo (pictured below), the phrase “one-take wonder” dropped into my head.

It’s not every day you see a dingo on a walk. Luckily, I shot this photo in one take as he disappeared moments later!

Being a “one-take-wonder” is a skill I’ve been practising all year. Because I have a daily podcast, I don’t have the luxury of interrupting myself, pausing, or the time for do-overs.

Do I stuff up? Of course. I say “umm” and “you know” a lot. I trail off and sometimes ramble a bit.

But look it’s real, and I get it done.

Which is more than I can say for the three hours I used to spend editing a five-minute message that no one would remember anyway.

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But Leanne! I hear you say: “Let me do just one more take!”

Sure, okay. Let’s say you’re recording a short video for your client, or a team. It should take five minutes.

But then:

• You script it.

• You record it. You fumbled in the last 5 seconds of the video. Noooo (seriously, it always seems to be the last line right? So awf).

• Re-take time!

And just as you finally nail the tone, the pace, the message…

You realise your mic was muted. Or your sausage dog coughed. Or your face was wildly overexposed and you look like you’ve been sitting in the sun for 15 hours without SPF.

So what do you do?
You sigh. You re-record. Again.

Now it’s taken 45 minutes to deliver a three-minute message.

For what? A message that the viewer will glance at, absorb, and move on from (and if they’re anything like me, they’re probably watching it at 2x the speed anyway).

Let’s say you do that just four times a week, across video, email, voice notes, or posts? You’re burning 150+ hours a year chasing polish no one asked for.

This is the hidden cost of performative communication.

We wrongly associate professionalism = polish. But increasingly, that polish reads as artificial and doesn’t cut through.

In other words, your slightly messy message probably has more impact than your perfectly produced one.

Your viewer/listener/reader - whether it’s your team, a client, or 2,000 people on LinkedIn isn’t analysing your phrasing. And also? They can smell over-rehearsed from a kilometre away.

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How to become a one-take-wonder

As Ultra once sang, you Say It Once (Side note: Great tune! You’re welcome. Oh and that band Ultra? A one-hit-wonder!).

I received this client email yesterday, “Given you seem pretty comfortable in front of the camera, I wonder how you’d feel about doing a 60-90 second promo video to introduce yourself to our members and potential delegates to get them as excited as we are about your keynote and workshop topics?! It would be great to have something to put on our Facebook page and to send to members in our newsletter and conference updates”

Client, I’m happy to do this! Luckily, this won’t chew up hours in my calendar.

But before I share my process, here’s an important side note: On my CliftonStrengths report, Communication is ranked #24 out of 34.

I’ve never naturally landed words. I’m still trying to improve here.

It’s taken years of daily podcasting, client videos, awkward first drafts, live workshops, and real-world reps to get comfortable speaking clearly without scripting.

So, if this doesn’t come easy to you either? That’s okay. We’re in this together.

Here’s how I approach it:

1. Use bullet points

When you script every word, you create a performance prison. Each deviation from said script feels like failure. You become an actor rather than yourself.

Bullet points, however, create what I call "structured spontaneity." I usually jot down just three must-say ideas, a few words each on a Post-it or my Notes app.

Something like:

• Saying hey *smile*, highlight the challenge/problem I’m helping them out with (problem)

• Share how my keynote/workshop might be the solution (solution)

• CTA / Next step (action)

Everything else flows around these anchors in a casual, Leanne-way.

2. Use AI tools to help

I use Descript daily and swear by its magic. If I really butcher a sentence or get interrupted by a leaf blower outside, I'll use a jump cut.

But here's my #1 and only rule: I never stop and restart a take. That ruins the flow and trains your brain to fear mistakes. One recording only.

Here’s a walk-through video on how I use Descript to edit my daily podcast.

3. Talk to one person

Forget the theoretical 200+ people watching. Only one person sees your video at any given moment, so speak directly to that person.

One-on-one always wins because it's how humans are wired to connect. Notice how your voice naturally softens, your expressions become more authentic, you speak more “real” and your examples become more relevant.

It’s why I stopped saying, “Hi everyone” on my podcast. I’m not talking to everyone. I’m talking to you.

4. Practice (obvs!)

The more you send, the less precious each one feels. This isn’t a revelation - every guru on the internet tells us to “be more consistent.”

And it’s true. Videos, podcast episodes, All-staff emails, even weekly articles like this? They eventually become as routine as texting. What once took full concentration and endless agonising pain…becomes second nature after a while.

The more you do it, the faster you figure out what process actually works for you.

I went from spending hours on a single video… to recording a two-minute video in, yep, two minutes :)

5. Stop trying to control what other people think of you

Notice when you're re-recording or over-editing, what you’re trying to do is control how others perceive you (yep, deep!).

In the book The Courage to Be Disliked, this is called the separation of tasks: your role is to express yourself clearly. Their role is to interpret it. Don’t cross the wires.

Step away from the re-record button and build a “this is good enough” mindset.

Ask yourself: Would I redo this if I’d said it live? If not, send it.

Question: What prevents you from sharing your message in one take?

I also shared this topic on Instagram, and here are some great one-tip-wonder tips:

• “Just do it! Get in the headspace. Imagine yourself just talking to a friend and go! Don’t rewatch/listen” - Sarah Stoddart

• “Press record just in case. Gold often comes out of a “test run” - Joel Birch

• “Don’t let perfection get in the way of done. Trust the intention behind the email/podcast/video” - Ally Nitschke

Enjoyed this? You might also find this article valuable.

How I landed my first international speaking gig (after being mostly ignored in a Facebook Group)

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Also…

If you’re a consultant running your own show, I highly encourage you watch a replay of my latest Talk the Walk masterclass with Alan Weiss on Looking for business in all the wrong places.

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Leanne “one-take-wonder” Hughes

p.s. 21 May! Let’s hang out? You’re invited to my next virtual masterclass, sharing workshop design secrets that were slightly-more-advanced than the level I was pitching in my book, The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint.

To join the masterclass on 21 May (Zoom), donate $50 to stamp out homelessness, and you’ll get an invite. 100% of workshop proceeds go to St Vincent’s, a charity doing great work in Australia.

p.p.s. If this hits home, tap the ❤️ below, or share your thoughts in the comments.