Fast Talkers

            One possible way to demand attention of your audience is to speed up your rate of speech.  Certainly there is the need to speak slowly enough for people to understand and assimilate your message.  There are situations where the only way to create the right mood for the content of your message is to speak slowly and methodically, especially if you are speaking to an audience for which English is a second language.

            Slow speaking with lots of pauses, however, can create lethargy among your audience members, making them passive and indifferent to your message.  People can think about four times faster than a person can talk, so the listener has the capacity to assimilate information without loss of comprehension when the speaker speeds up the rate.  In contrast, if the presenter speaks slowly he or she can lose the audience’s concentration.  Listeners will use the extra thinking time to let their thoughts wander elsewhere--and they may not return!

            Psychologists have found that speakers who deliver at a rate of 190 words per minute are more likely to seen as credible, objective, knowledgeable, and persuasive as compared to slow speakers.  We can see this specifically when attending an auction.  If the auctioneer’s chant is too slow, the audience member may lose interest in the item being sold and thus lose the urge to bid.  Part of the persuasive aspect of the auction is the auctioneer's rapid chant that accelerates the bidding process and motivates the audience member to bid quickly.

  Especially in persuasive speaking the same is true.  If you are in a spot in your speech where you are moving the audience to action or are seeking to get strong emotional assent of your content, speed up your rate of speech for positive results. One of the appeals of John Kennedy’s pubic speaking was his fast rate of speech. Certainly his Inauguration Speech was powerful in content but Kennedy also delivered it with a rapid rate of speech.  Radio and television commercials usually have people speak at an accelerated pace as they extol the value of a particular product.   When we speak to each other about something that is important to us, we show our excitement and concern by speaking rapidly.  Just because you are delivering a message to a large group does not mean you should slow down to make sure everyone understands.  Audiences can handle the fast talker from the lectern.  Incorporate a rapid rate of speech to make your speaking more effective.

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            Many of you reading this are experienced and effective speakers.  But as with any other skill, you either keep getting better or you begin to lose your edge as a skillful speaker.  Here are some suggestions for the good speaker to become even more effective. 

Memorize your stories and then practice so they don’t sound memorized.  Write out your story and edit it carefully.  Writing the story insures excellent word choice and conciseness in the telling of the story.  Practicing the story using gestures and movement to complement the content will make you an even more powerful storyteller.  Practice the story in conversation with friends at dinner or having a cup of coffee so you can get audience feedback.  Practice also gives you an awareness of how long the story will take to tell. 

Turn the sound down on the television set and watch the gestures and body movement of Jay Leno or David Letterman as they do their monologues. Concentrate on their nonverbal communication.  This can give you ideas on improving your own delivery style.  Notice the specific gestures they use.  Look at their facial expressions as they speak.  Observe how they use the stage from which they speak.  Watch posture.  Take note of how often they take steps.  Consider how they connect with the audience through the nonverbal. 

Videotape part or all of your next presentation and watch it in the privacy of your office.  Punch the pause button two or three times to observe in more detail your delivery.  You may find minor mannerisms that inhibit the overall effectiveness of your presentation.  These you can easily correct.  Listen to your rate of speech and the articulation of the words you use.  You may find places where you run words together and determine how to articulate those more clearly. 

Ask a colleague to observe and give feedback on a presentation you deliver.  You might even have specific aspects of the presentation you want him or her to note and provide reactions on.  Often people who know you well and are familiar with your one-on-one communication skills can provide input on how you could use certain speaking techniques more effectively because they observe you regularly in more informal situations. 

The effective speaker wants to keep improving and moving to the next level of expertise.  These suggestions can help you to continue to be a careful student of speaking and a constantly better speaker.