The number one challenge faced by students of public speaking when they are first learning is speed. They will inevitably either speak too fast or, in an effort to avoid speaking too fast, speak in a slow, clear voice generally reserved for small children, the deaf and the disabled. The secret to successful public speaking is learning how to find a balance between the two.

A general rule of thumb when it comes to public speaking is that as the size of the listening audience increases the speed with which the speaker is speaking decreases. Speakers who spend a great deal of time speaking to large audiences speak very slowly. This is noticeable in both their public speaking voice and in the voice they use daily with their friends and family. By speaking slowly they are able to place special focus on the enunciation and emphasis of their speech, allowing them to clearly impart the message behind their words to their audience.

A second consideration when identifying the speed with which a speech should be delivered is the material that is being addressed. Narratives, descriptions and explanations that are easy to understand can be given much more rapidly than those that are detailed and technical, contain vast quantities of information that are new to the listening audience, use unfamiliar phraseology or abstract reasoning and/or contain unwelcome sentiments. These portions of the speech should be delivered slowly and clearly to ensure that the audience is able to understand and to impart the proper gravity.

Speakers generally speak much more slowly at the beginning of their speech than they do toward the middle and the end and so must be very careful not to start off so quickly that they leave the listener in the dust long before the meat of his oration. This doesn’t mean that the speaker should “drawl” when speaking. If he has not had the pleasure of growing up amid southern hospitality drawling his words is going to be both unfamiliar and uncomfortable!

Aside from the novelty of it in public speaking, drawling words inevitably results in a change in their delivery. –Ing at the end of the word often mysteriously misplaces its g, yes becomes yeeh, my become mah, et. If a speaker finds that they have begun sacrificing enunciation for speed they should go back to the drawing board and practice the careful production of their consonants. Some words can easily be lengthened by virtue of their meaning; however, others must be extended for the speaker to properly address each of its components.

The best way for a speaker to decrease their rate of speed in public speaking is to practice proper phrasing through the use of pauses. The audience listening to the speaker speak will automatically divide their own thoughts according to his pauses, just as a reader will divide their thoughts according to the author’s punctuation. The judicious use of pauses will give the speaker’s ideas clarity and form, keep their speed at a level that is easily understood and give their speech a cadence that is a pleasure to listen to.

My Name Is Christopher Carlin And I Want To Give You Twenty Free Public Speaking Tips