Rate of speech: To rush or not to rush, that is the question...

April 19, 2021 Author: Alexander Kharin

Category: Oratory, Articles by Alexander Kharin, Articles by our authors, Articles about speech, communication and influencing people, Effective communication

Correct speech rate = mutual understanding.

From a conversation between a business coach and a visitor.

– Coach, I want you to teach me how to speak in public, it seems to me that I am a born politician.

–...! What are you saying?

– I say that I want to become a politician, teach me the art of oratory.

-...? I don't understand you, can you slow down your speech?

- Here you go too! I say that I want to become a politician, but others do not understand me.

– I hear the words “politician” and “speaker”, but I can’t understand the rest. Say it slower.

– I can’t speak slowly when I talk to people. It’s so important for me to express myself that I’m worried!!!

The visitor begins to get angry and bangs his fist on the table.

- Oh, you will make a real politician - Nikita Khrushchev, right! (coach with irony).

-What am I saying... (smiles contentedly).

Such communication is reminiscent of a conversation between a deaf person and a dumb person.

An even bigger problem is when some people speak animatedly, while others speak extremely slowly. Watch this video:

Did you know that the principle of any communication is the ability to be understood. And this fact is undeniable. Therefore, one of the criteria of any good speech or oratory is the pace of speech. You can determine whether you are a good speaker by how quickly you speak.

Imagine that every person’s brain is a kind of computer. Every person has short-term memory; in a computer it is RAM. Depending on a person’s intelligence, the “RAM” varies, some have only 32-64 MB, while others have as much as 2 GB.

What does this mean? That at the same time the brain of one person can process several words, and another - several paragraphs of speech. Therefore, with a fast pace of speech, some people’s brains will “smoke” and they will simply stop thinking. But others with a “large RAM” will get angry if they speak slowly, or they will get bored and go about their own business.

What pace of speech to choose so that people listen

Imagine, my friends, that there are a lot of people in front of you for whom you need to speak: say a good toast, motivate them to go to football, speak publicly. What pace of speech should I choose so that everyone can understand?

The answer is obvious. You need to choose a speaking speed that is comfortable for everyone to listen to.

This is speech at a speed of 2-3 words per second. This is an average pace. Then people with a “quick mind” will not be bored, and those who are slow will be able to listen carefully.

How to develop an average speaking speed?

To do this, it is most convenient to use a rhythmic gesture. Raise your hand, join your fingers and wave in time with each word. If you speak too quickly, your hand will not have time to keep up with the words. On the other hand, a slight wave of the hand creates the rhythm of speech, and such speech will automatically enliven, will not seem slow and boring, and will be interesting to listeners.

Loss of voice and its causes

Loss of voice is one of the most unpleasant consequences of a sore throat.
When a person cannot speak, his daily life turns into real agony. Even an ordinary request or question becomes a problem to voice. When the voice disappears, doctors do not recommend whispering, since whispering requires even more effort than normal conversation. To identify the cause of voice loss (aphonia), it is necessary to pay attention to additional symptoms. There are many causes of aphonia; only a doctor can determine them after an examination. The main, most common and rare causes are distinguished.

Causes of voice loss:

• infectious diseases laryngitis (acute and chronic forms) laryngotracheitis.
• inhalation of fumes of harmful chemicals (ammonia or another equally aggressive substance that is found in hazardous industries.)
• diseases of the heart, thyroid gland,
• allergic reaction (rapid swelling occurs, the person cannot speak or even breathe),
• surgical intervention (intubation, tracheotomy, thyroid surgery),
• benign or malignant neoplasms,
• stroke,
• traumatic brain injury,
• tuberculosis,
• meningitis,
• syphilis,
• botulism,
• rabies,
• professional activities - singing, lecturing - can cause overstrain of the vocal muscles and subsequent loss of voice,
• hysteria,
• traumatic neurosis,
• neurasthenia.

When can you use a fast pace of speech?

A slightly accelerated rate of speech is used by the speaker or speaker in campaign speeches, at motivating moments of speeches, in order to enliven the audience. Although there are other options.

Remember the commentator's speech at a football match. At the moment the head of the situation, he begins to speak faster and faster. And then it seems that our players are about to score a goal. It turns out that by increasing the speed of speech we escalate the atmosphere.

It is good to speed up your speech when you are trying to “break through the defenses” of listeners or show the dynamics of what is happening. Critical episodes in stories about boxing, football, rallying, close combat, and the transfer of love passion are suitable for such accelerations.

But you should know that after describing a dynamic episode, you should reduce the rate of speech to average.

How to treat aphonia?

There is a whole science - vocal hygiene - this group of activities aimed at preventing diseases of the vocal apparatus.

Recommended during the mutation period:

• Proper structure of vocal lessons, alternating periods of stress and rest.
• Correct vocal technique: timely switching of registers when singing; avoid using low-energy falsetto mode; achieving the technique of lower costal-diaphragmatic breathing; exclusion of auxiliary muscles of the neck and chest from voice production.
• Avoid forced sound, hard attack of sound, sharp forte, squealing, screaming.
• Singing during mutation only with an experienced teacher, active sports, hardening.
• Accurate determination of voice type, singing works characteristic of this type.
• Prohibition of outdoor performances by vocal groups and soloists at temperatures below + 15 degrees. C, singing in the noise of city traffic.
• Avoid prolonged, monotonous speech, leading to the accumulation of tension, and whispered speech.
• Quitting smoking and alcohol.
• Eliminating, if possible, unwanted noise in the classroom during speech loads.
• Timely treatment of acute respiratory infections, tracheitis.
• Work in clean rooms with sufficient humidity.
• Avoid sudden temperature changes and drinking cold drinks when overheated.
• Correct operation of microphones.
• General strengthening, hardening procedures.
• Timely treatment of ENT organs and other organs and systems

The most important conclusion from all that has been said: you need to protect your voice. If a person, due to the nature of his work, constantly strains his vocal cords, he should constantly monitor his throat. It is recommended to visit a phoniatrist at least once every six months, especially if you have previously suffered from laryngitis. Many people try to treat colds at home without visiting a doctor. Such a frivolous approach to your health can end badly. Do not self-medicate and seek help from specialists in a timely manner. Don't forget that loss of voice can signal a dangerous disease.

Slow speech. What is her strength?

Speaking slowly also has its benefits.

If you want to give meaning to your words, if you want to inspire or convince a person of something, then be sure to speak slowly. This is the law!

The fact is that slow speech sounds more impressive. For example, Comrade Stalin spoke slowly and importantly, taking long pauses between words.

Therefore, make it a rule at every moment of speech, when you say something especially important, to slow down your speech, speak clearly and forcefully, as if “straining” the words through your teeth.

This is the only way they will believe you more and stronger!

Conclusion: speech is a river, it either slows down or speeds up, but is always moderate, so that river boats can navigate it.

Learn to speak accessible, but always dynamic, weighty and convincing.
You can learn to speak beautifully, convincingly and at the right pace by attending our course “Oratory”

Behavioral techniques

Below are basic guidelines for speaker behavior in front of an audience. All these recommendations are divided into 3 groups: postures, gestures, facial expressions. To some experts, these features of the speaker’s behavior seem not very significant and exclusively subjective, while others, on the contrary, believe that almost the most important role should be given to this.

In this section we largely adhere to the first point of view. The authors believe that the main principle of behavior on stage is socially acceptable behavior in which the speaker feels free, natural and confident. If you try to consciously control your posture, gestures and facial expressions during the speech, you risk looking awkward, too tense and missing out on other more important details of the speech regarding its content.

1

Pose

The speaker's posture directly depends on the personal qualities of the speaker and the circumstances of the speech. If you try to find the most general recommendations regarding posture, you can quote the words of Heinz Lemmermann that a good speaker is neither a fidget nor a pillar. It is best when the speaker's posture expresses calm and confidence, and his gestures are free and well-coordinated, rather than careless and provocatively chaotic.

So, general recommendations for behavior during a speech: be natural and behave appropriately to the situation. For example, a hand in your pocket will not be a strong obstacle during a business conversation within a team, but at a product presentation for investors it may look a little vulgar. Try to intuitively imagine the posture of a person whose performance you yourself would like to watch and listen to; your internal guidelines will certainly help you choose an appropriate model of behavior in public.

In the specialized literature on oratory, you can find the following recommendations regarding the speaker’s posture while delivering a speech:

• do not keep your hands in your pockets (most speakers successfully break this rule);
• do not cross your arms over your sternum;
• do not keep your hands behind your back;
• do not slouch, and vice versa, do not stick out too much.

It's also best to try to get rid of some bad habits if they stand out in your performance. Some people often shrug their shoulders, shake their legs, nod their heads, take off and put on their glasses, stroke an imaginary beard, tug at their ears or twirl various objects in their hands, etc. This is not as much of an obstacle as it might seem at first glance, but if you feel that it is interfering with your performance and distracting you and the audience from the content of your speech, try to avoid these obsessive actions or switch to other gestures.

2

Gesticulation

Lively gestures help us express our thoughts more clearly, emphasize important points, and support an emotional impulse. Some gestures can also be used for visualization: showing a number on your fingers, demonstrating the approximate size of an object, pointing to a board or illustration. Many of you can easily express invitation, refusal, encouragement, question, doubt and other communicative intentions using gestures.

However, at the same time, we are unlikely to see the same gestures performed by different people, since gesturing systems are diverse not only in different countries, but also among representatives of the same nation. There are no standard gestural figures, but body language always accompanies our thought process.

One scientist, Albert Meyerabian, found that information transmission occurs only 7% through verbal means, 38% through auditory means, and 55% through the remaining non-verbal means. This is not difficult to believe, remembering, for example, silent films and films with Charlie Chaplin.

This great actor (who, by the way, is also considered a great orator), without uttering a single word in his films, was able to convey to the audience an incredible number of shades of meaning, emotions and very clearly talk about any situation just using gestures, facial expressions, language bodies.

3

Facial expressions

The speaker's facial expressions also convey some information to the audience. It is important that your facial expressions are natural and appropriate to the situation, then they will work to your advantage. Otherwise, it is better not to try to deliberately portray a facial gesture, and get carried away with improvisation if you do not have professional acting skills.

It's rare to find people who lack facial expressions, so you most likely already use them in your speeches. For example, if you speak with sarcasm, then you probably squint your eyes a little and make a barely noticeable grin, and when you tell some non-obvious fact, you open your eyes a little wider.

To visualize what your audience will see during your speech, go to the mirror and try to use facial expressions to depict emotions corresponding to the following situations:

Among other things, pay attention to your eyes. The look shows your interest in communicating with the people who came to the performance. If you look over the heads of your listeners or, conversely, at the floor, then it is not difficult to conclude that you are interested not so much in conveying information to people as in simply delivering your prepared speech correctly.

It is important to try to establish visual contact with the people in the room, periodically looking from one person to another. Most likely, you will find those who agree with you, watching you supportively or nodding. If, out of excitement, you begin to move your gaze too quickly and often, such behavior may reveal your worries and insecurities.

During a speech, it is very important to take into account not only the content of the speech, but also the behavior of the speaker in the process of delivering it, since it is behavior that allows you to establish contact with the audience and correctly present the prepared material to them.

For listeners and viewers, it is not only the information that they receive that is important, but also a living person, a speaker who, unlike the author of the book, offers the audience live communication and allows them to introduce some interactivity into the ongoing process.

The initiators of this process are skillful speakers, thanks to their correct behavior, expressive gestures and facial expressions, we listen to their speeches with great enthusiasm. We encourage you to experience the performances of experienced, renowned speakers who have all the necessary qualities to gain the attention and respect of an audience. These qualities are naturally combined in their behavior in front of the public.

If you feel that your public speaking lacks behavioral factors, correct posture, bright gestures and expressive facial expressions, you will certainly need acting skills, which you can read about in the acting training that is being developed.