Speed and pace

The mistake of speaking too fast out of nervousness

Speech speed is a direct thermometer of the speaker's emotional state. When stage fright or anxiety takes over, the "flight" mechanism is activated, and the brain unconsciously orders to speed up the speech in order to finish the presentation and get out of the spotlight as soon as possible.

This verbal rushing has dire consequences: articulation becomes imprecise, ideas pile up without giving the audience time to process them, and breathing becomes uncoordinated, leading the speaker to a feeling of suffocation. Excessive speed conveys insecurity and lack of preparation.

It also creates a cognitive barrier, as the listener becomes fatigued trying to decode the torrent of words and ends up tuning out.

The speaker must resist the internal urge to rush, understanding that calm and pause are signs of mastery and respect for his own message and for the audience's time.

Using the metronome to find the ideal pace (80-86 bpm).

To correct the tendency to speed up or slow down too much, objective rhythmic training is necessary.

An extremely useful tool is the metronome, a device that marks constant beats per minute (bpm).

Studies suggest that a clear, conversational speech rate ranges from 80 to 86 beats per minute.

The exercise is to set the metronome to this range and read a text trying to fit the syllables and pauses within this beat, similar to how a musician follows the tempo of a score or a rap singer fits his lyric to a base.

At first, the speech may sound robotic or artificial, but the goal is to internalize this cadence.

With practice, this "internal clock" settles into the speaker's mind, allowing him or her to maintain a constant and appropriate speed naturally, even under pressure, preventing nerves from acting as an uncontrolled accelerator.

Summary

Speaking fast is a direct symptom of anxiety and fear. The brain activates the flight mechanism, trying to end the presentation early to get out of the constant focus of attention quickly.

Excessive speed fatigues the listener and hinders comprehension. The speaker must resist the urge to run, understanding that calmness projects greater dominance and respect for all.

It is recommended to train with a metronome between eighty and eighty-six beats per minute. This practice internalizes a natural cadence that prevents nerves from accelerating speech uncontrollably.