The physician was speaking to the patient, explaining why he had made a certain diagnosis.
The
patient merely stared, baffled. He knew the physician was speaking
English; he was talking so quickly, though, and using so many new words
that the patient had no idea what the doctor was saying.
Finally, the doctor paused, and the confused patient timidly said, "Could you say that in plain English?"
The doctor had to start over and explain it again. Have you ever had an experience like that?
People
speak quickly for many reasons. For some, it's a cultural habit. For
others, they presume the person to whom they are speaking is in a hurry,
may be a supervisor, or otherwise has little time to listen. Some
people speak fast because they assume that this makes them sound more
knowledgeable, especially to people from other professional backgrounds.
Other
people talk rapidly because of time pressure to get to the next meeting
or client/patient. Many people say routine things fast, such as
telephone greetings, because they say them so often and don't realize
how they sound to the listener. Lastly, there are some people who speak
fast, realize it, and don't know
how to slow down. (A few of them are genuinely unable to slow down on their own, due to neurological disorders.)
If
your rate of speech (or that of your employee) is fast, think about
which of the above reasons applies to you. Speaking fast often means
either the listener asks you to repeat yourself, or he does not
understand you but does not bother asking you to clarify. In that case,
your message is lost.
There are a number
of techniques that you can use to slow your rate of speech down. To
begin with, after realizing why you speak too fast, then think about
when you talk rapidly. Is it during a certain event, such as when you
give presentations, or when you speak to your supervisor? Is it all the
time, or just when you answer the telephone? Are you able to slow down
at all when you try?
Business Speech Improvement offers individual coaching and also an ebook, How to Speak Slower in 6 Simple Steps (scroll down for this).
Your message is worth communicating clearly! Get some help today!
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