'CONNECT' 42 - Tips on Public Speaking - Pace of Your Speech

The Pace of Your Speech

The trouble with talking too fast is you may say something you haven't thought of yet.
Ann Landers

You may be very proficient in the language in which you speak; you may use metaphors, similes and idioms; your diction, pronunciation, articulation and inflection may be good. But, what if you speak too fast or too slow? Your rate of speech is very important to decide the quality of your communication.

We should know that the audience in front of us should not only 'hear' but also 'listen' to what we say and translate the same into understanding. The way we deliver our speech will affect the quality of their listening. One important parameter in our delivery is the pace of our speech and its speed.

Speaking too fast is a common mistake some speakers commit, knowingly or unknowingly. There may me various reasons for this. May be by nature we talk fast. Or we may be tensed up or excited and speeding up our speech may be our physiological response to manage our tension and excitement. Whatever be the reasons, we need to keep the audience perspective when we speak.

If we are too slow or too fast, the audience will switch off and disconnect. It will be a good idea to record our speech and listen to it to check the above parameters.

N C Sridharan

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