On Speaking More Slowly: A Resolution

Today our local CBC radio morning show ran an interesting story on how people these days are speaking more quickly.

The reporter interviewed a scientist who had clocked the average speed of spoken words rising from 130 words a per minute to something like 150 in the past decade. Worse yet, he found speeds as high as 180 for teachers or even 200 for newscasters. He blamed part of this on time pressures, but part of it is just a style that we emulate to make us sound smarter.  

But as your verbal velocity increases, he argues, the comprehension of many listeners declines -- particularly with children and the elderly, but even people north of middle age. This is partly because speakers who are trying to break the speed limit tend to slurduhwords or cut off the endi-----. But is also because the oral processing speed of our brains varies at different stages of our lives. 

So when your pre-schooler does not seem to be listening to what you're saying -- "Isaacputyourshoeson! IssacIsaidputyourshoeson!" -- perhaps it is because you're saying it too quickly for them to understand.

(Then again, it just might be becuase he finds his LEGO blocks far more interesting than his shoes...). 

Set Your Cruise Control at 130

Instead, the researcher recommended trying to speak at around 130 words a minute. He modelled this during the interview; it was noticeably slower than the reporter, but I must say he was very clear. 

(To see what 130 words a minute sounds like, he recommended typing out that many words on a page and then read it aloud, pacing yourself to stretch it out to a full 60 seconds. Its slower than you think).  

"Uuuuuhhh oooohhhhh", I said, making a conscious effort to drag out the syllables despite the fact that I was talking to myself. "I'm in trooooouuuuble". 

You see, I come from a long line of mealy mouth, marble-garbled, mumblers (try saying that quickly!). My dad mumbles and so do my siblings.  Guests to our family home even suggested that we Hodgson's had our own language. Worse yet, I also tend to speak quickly, particularly when I'm in the midst of a caffeine-fuelled brainstorm and the ideas are popping out faster than my poor lips and tongue can keep up.

This is a bad trait to have as a facilitator, and occasionally workshop participants have told me that I was speaking too quickly or that they had difficulty hearing me.  

A Resolution

So, here's an early New Year's resolution:  In my phone conversations, in the workshops that I facilitate, in meetings, and especially when speaking with my kids and my older parents, I, Dwayne Hodgson, of the Mealy-Mouth, Marble-Garbled, Mumbling Hodgson's, hereby resolve to try to speak more slowly and clearly. 

There.

That's.....done. 

Have.... a.....greeaaat.....daaayy!

Comments

[Paul D. Nitz]

Me too. Mumbler through and through. Just today, I rattled on about a complicated writing task I was assigning. 20 minutes in, a student said, "I just don't understand you even from beginning to end."

I repeated myself more slowly and could feel tension release as my African students were able to track what I was saying better.

For my own comprehension, it's not the speed, but the entire absence of pauses that gives me overload. One very eloquent speaker regularly loses me because he's so smooth and seamless.

[dh]

Mmmthammmmnksmmmm, mmmPmmmamulmmm. :-) Glad to know I'm not alone.

[David E. Elliott]

I heard the radio pieces as well - great message. I like the fact that it applies to life in general, how we can communicate effectively with one another, plus, it is very relevant as professional communcators/facilitators.