iamgoingtosharewithyouthepitfallsoffasttalking.
WHAT? Say again?
Like reading the opening sentence without punctuation, it takes work to decipher the message of a fast-talker. Whether you are giving a presentation, talking on the phone, in meetings, or one-on-one conversations, audiences don’t like to work hard to listen. They’ll not listen for very long if you are a fast-talker.
Advertisers capitalize on Fast Talking.
Fast-talking is like small print; it is easy to ignore. Advertisers are well aware of this. We’ve heard commercials where the product or service seems too good to be true. It usually is as evidenced by a fast-talking list of restrictions or precautions. And we tune it out.
Here are 10 reasons why fast-talking can work against you:
- Fast-talking causes audiences to tune you out.
- Fast-talking can cause listeners to perceive you as nervous and lacking self-confidence.
- Fast-talking can make it appear that you don’t think people want to listen to you.
- Fast-talking can make it appear that what you have to say is not important.
- Fast-talking means you’re not taking in enough air to support your voice. Not having enough air causes the words near the end of your sentences soft.
- Fast-talking can ruin your diction – causing people to not understand you.
- Fast-talking can cause you to appear “salesy” rather than sharing knowledge. No one likes to feel like they are being sold a bill of goods.
- Fast-talking can make you look impatient, aggressive, and lacking empathy for the listener.
- Fast-talking gives the impression that you are trying to bet something over with as quickly as possible.
- Fast-talking is the opposite of a composed leadership presence.
Benefits of not fast-talking
- It helps you to breathe correctly. When we breathe correctly, our voice is stronger. Breathing facilitates feeling relaxed and calm. For the audience, it is easier to hear and understand what you are saying.
- Pause, pause, pause. Count to three before continuing to speak Pauses work well between transitions, important ideas, emotions to instill, to let people respond to you humor, In short, not speaking fast allows time for the audience to ponder what you are saying, digest it and apply it to themselves.
Solutions for fast-talking:
- The average person speaks at somewhere between 125 and 150 words per minute. Thus, if you’re speaking for 20 minutes, you want a total word count of about 2,500 words. I write out my speeches all the time to get a word count
- Look people in the eye when speaking. That will slow you down because you get feedback from your listener. You can see whether or not your listener understands what you’re saying. That sense of connection with your target audience will help you pace your words, so they hit the mark.
- Pause between phrases. The pauses will give your listeners a chance to digest what you’ve said. Count to 3. Little is as mighty as that pregnant pause.
- Time yourself with a timer. If you end just on time, find some spots in your talk you can shorten or eliminate Why? Studies show a talk delivered before a live audience can be up to 33% longer. This means you’ll fast-talk to get all of your messages out before time runs out. Leave yourself some wiggle room! If you end your talk a bit early (which almost no one will object), invite questions or comments from your audience.
- Get a metronome to help you slow your pace. Many metronome apps are free. Set it at the pace you usually talk, then slow it down to 125-150 words per minute and practice talking at that slower pace.
Just for fun – Fran Capo
Fran Capo is currently listed in the Guinness World Records as the fastest-talking female, having broken the record twice. Talking fast like this is ONLY for fun! Imagine listening to someone talk fast like this for 20 minutes!
