Speech rate and customer service training

An unfamiliar professional with a strong foreign accent recently called me. He spoke so quickly that his speech was very hard to understand. As a speech expert, I had to ask him to slow down and say each word clearly so I had any idea of why he was calling.

What can a person do to make his or her speech clearer? The first thing to do is to slow down your rate of speech. Simply speaking more slowly helps others understand you a little better. Certain groups of people understand speakers better when they speak more slowly.

To speak slower, remember what counts is what the listener understands, not how fast you can convey your message. After all, if you need to say it again, you have wasted time. If you really cannot slow down, get professional help from a corporate speech pathologist. There may be several reasons why some people cannot slow down on their own.

Second, say the final sounds in a phrase or sentence clearly. In the phrase, "It's the best!", pronounce the "t" correctly, as an example. If you use a script when speaking on the telephone, read it aloud for practice, saying the final sounds well.

Third, make sure you are pronouncing the longer words the way your listeners do, with stress on the correct syllable. Putting stress on the wrong syllable confuses listeners, and they need a few seconds to think about what was said. That means they miss the next comment you made.

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training in verbal communication. Customized coaching and e-books are available!

Speech Secrets: Tips to Talking More Clearly

Do you struggle saying extra long words or words with a foreign pronunciation? Do people wonder what you said? Do you hate those puzzled looks others give you?

Here are some secrets that speech experts know! First, speak slower when you say tough words. If you have time, look online for a dictionary of that foreign language that has a button you can click which will say the word for you, as many times as you need.

Second, make sure you know what syllable to stress or emphasize. Stressing the wrong one might mean you said a different word. Some languages are very tonal. If the word is in English, you still need to know what syllable to stress.

Third, if the word seems like a tongue-twister to you, say it three times very sloooowly and then you will be able to say it at a regular pace. Think of it as a practice period for your mouth!

Business Speech Improvement
provides intensive training in accent modification, speech rate, pronunciation and grammar, executive communication skills, public speaking and more! Training is offered through coaching and e-books. Check out our options!

Speech rate too fast? Tips to slow down

Do you talk too fast so that others cannot understand you easily? Does it happen only when you're giving a speech, when a specific person is there, or all the time? It's very frustrating, when you want to make the best possible impression and sound like a mouth out of control.

Business Speech Improvement offers two ways to help. How to Speak Slower in Six Simple Steps (http://businessspeechimprovement.com/enabler/scripts/category.pl?EBooks) is a concise, practical e-book with techniques. For those who want intensive targeted coaching from an expert, a group Open Enrollment course on Speech Rate and Timing will be offered January 18, 2011. Enroll by visiting http://businessspeechimprovement.com/enabler/scripts/category.pl?Classes. Individual speech coaching is also available on request.

Speak too fast?

One of the most common complaints about a speaker is that he or she speaks too fast, and can't be easily understood. Speech rate can be influenced by many factors, from the rate of the general culture (such as NYC) to a person's health status.

Speak slower! Speech Rate Reduction is an intensive one day workshop offered Friday, July 9th in Chattanooga, TN. It includes work-related speech simulations. This course is not suitable for people with such disorders as Parkinson's or other neurological issues. For more information, visit http://businessspeechimprovement.com/enabler/scripts/category.pl?Classes and scroll down to "speech rate and timing".

Talking too fast?

A surprising number of people say that they speak too quickly, and often don't know how to slow down. They say they can often speak slower when reading a simple sentence, such as "Bob ate an apple." In an e-book called How to Speak Slower in Six Simple Steps, readers learn that it is easier to speak slower when the topic is not interesting to them. For example, people who don't care about horses or parakeets could talk about how to ride a horse, or care for a parakeet. Then start talking about things that are slightly more interesting, at a slow rate. (The e-book can be found at www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com/ebooks.htm.)

Some people only speak quickly when they are nervous, such as when giving a speech. They should remember that when giving a speech, what counts is not the amount of information that flows out of the speaker's mouth. What counts is how much information sticks in the listener's mind. Speaking too fast, particularly on complicated material or to audiences of children or seniors, is a big mistake. Speaking slowly gets the point across more efficiently.

If a fast rate of speech is new, people should see a physician. Sometimes a fast rate is the first sign of some neurological issues, such as Parkinson's. Life-long fast speech when both calm and nervous can also be a sign of a communicative disorder, called cluttering. This and other speech disorders are diagnosed and treated by speech-language pathologists.

In most cases, though, fast speech can be slowed down. The e-book is a great way to start.

Talking Too Fast

There has been considerable interest in the articles I have posted on my website, www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com, on learning to talk slower. There are many reasons people speak fast. Some people talk quickly due to diseases such as Parkinsonism or bi-polar disorder, or to taking certain medications. A specific type of speech therapy has been shown to be effective in many people with Parkinsonism, although it does not help everyone. If the problem is due to medications, check with your physician or other healthcare provider about whether a dose or the medication itself can be changed.

Other people have a speech problem called cluttering. They are often unaware of the fact that they speak fast. Some people speak rapidly due to cultural influences, or because they think others will not listen to them if they speak slower. Some feel a fast rate impresses listeners.

Listeners, however, often get frustrated by not being able to understand a speaker. They may ask for a repetition of the information, or just not bother.

Rapid rates of speech can often be controlled, using a variety of training techniques. It is a wonderful experience to hear a person's rate of speech decrease so he can be clearly understood! For the speaker, it can be a real confidence booster to know what he needs to do to increase his clarity.

If you have a speech rate problem, how does it make you feel? What helps you control it?