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Take Your Time: Using Rate to Increase Clarity

Clear CommunicationAs speech coaches and accent reduction specialists, we at Corporate Speech Solutions spend a lot of time focusing on how to achieve clear, confident speech. But clear speech is much more than just saying the sounds of each word is a crisp, clear manner. Other factors also play a big part in how understandable, dynamic, and commanding your speech is. One essential skill you can use to project confidence, clarity and professionalism is learning to manipulate your rate of speech.

One of the most common pitfalls of professional communication is speaking too quickly. People tend to rush their words when they’re nervous or passionate about a  topic, two situations that come up frequently when speaking in the workplace. No matter how clear and articulate your speech is, if you speak too quickly, your listener will likely have a difficult time understanding you. Rushed speech tends to come across with all of the words blending together, which can muddle your message. Speaking too quickly also makes it difficult for your listener to process your message; if your listener is wrapping their head around a point that you just made and you’ve already raced on to the next point at breakneck speed, your message will lose impact or be lost entirely.

Speaking too quickly doesn’t just impact the clarity of your speech; it can also negatively impact your image. There is a variety of information conveyed in an individual’s rate of speech, including how confident they are in their message. Rushing your speech makes it seem as though you are nervous and trying to get speaking over with as quickly as possible. A controlled, even rate of speech will help you to appear confident and knowledgeable, and give your listener the impression that what you have to say has value and is worth taking the time to listen to.

Stay tuned: next week we’ll talk about how to manage your rate and vary your speed for a dynamic speaking style by harnessing the power of the pause!

Want to learn more? Check out Corporate Speech Solutions’ brand new series of podcasts! Each audio tutorial is available to stream for free on our website:

http://www.corporatespeechsolutions.com/our-products/

Are you ready to transform your speech into your most powerful professional tool? You may benefit from the services of a corporate speech-language pathologist! For information on the New York Based Speech and Accent Reduction services offered by Corporate Speech Solutions please give us a call at 212-308-7725 or visit us on the web at www.corporatespeechsolutions.com. Not in NYC? No problem! We also provide Skype and video conferencing services.

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