http://www.HansenCommLab.com<br />http://www.EnglishPronunciationCourse.com<br /><br />Speak Global English Video Series<br />Part 17:<br />What's the perfect speaking rate?<br /><br />I'm often asked whether how quickly we speak influences how well others understand us. If you speak clearly and chunk your messages well, speed shouldn't be the reason why people misunderstand. <br /><br />But the problem is, as you speed up, it gets harder for you to speak clearly. If you drop your word endings and everything mumbles together, people might have a hard time understanding you. But, if you're able to maintain crisp enunciation despite your quick pace, your listeners shouldn't have a problem.<br /><br />That said, I know you want a real answer, so here you go...<br /><br />Try not to speak in public at a rate above 200 words per minute. Even 200 is a bit high. The best rate for me, is actually somewhere between 160 and 170 words per minute.<br /><br />How can you test this? Easy! Copy part of an email into a word document. Use the Word Count tool to cut the passage down to 200 words. Set your timer to 1 minute and then see how far you read (out loud) during that minute. When the timer rings count how many words are left on your page, subtract them from 200 <br />and voila, there's your speaking rate!<br /><br />If you'd like to hear recordings of me speaking at different rates, you can visit my blog at http://www.englishpronunciationcourse.com
