Ever wonder if you talk too fast or too slow when giving a speech or presentation? We’ll offer suggestions on the number of words per minute you should target along with several ways to find out if you should speed up or slow down your speaking rate.
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About speaking rate aka words per minute
As you know, everyone speaks at a different pace and when it comes to public speaking, it can vary even more. Some people feel comfortable speaking and maintain a steady, conversational pace while others become nervous and tend to speak faster and rush their words.
An average American speaks at the rate of 120 to 150 words per minute for conversational speeches and 100 to 150 words per minute for presentations.
Remember, these numbers aren’t set in stone but are good targets to keep in mind. And, it’s also common to fluctuate your speaking rate.
For example, when explaining something important or complicated, most speakers slow down their pace. But if they’re expressing excitement or urgency, they may speed up the pace. Both are normal in the course of a speech or presentation, but obviously affect the overall speaking rate and time.
Other things that can affect the pace for a presentation or speech include waiting for slides to transition or looking at your speaker notes.
How to calculate words per minute
To find out if you’re on track with your speaking rate, there are a few tools you can use to determine your words per minute.
First, there is a formula you can use to calculate your speaking rate for a presentation or speech.
Total Words / Number of Minutes = Speaking Rate (WPM)
To obtain the values for the formula, you can first use a voice recorder or timer to get the number of minutes you speak. Then, find the total number of words by counting them, or better yet, use a built-in word count feature. You can get the word count in applications like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint or follow our instructions for checking the word count in Google Slides.
Pop your numbers into the equation to obtain your speaking rate and see if it matches the words-per-minute suggestions.
For example, if you have a 1,000-word presentation and it takes you eight minutes to present it, then your speaking rate is 125 words per minute (1000 / 8 = 125).
Online speech calculators
Alternatively, you can check out a couple of online tools to help you calculate the overall speech or presentation time based on speaking rate. You can then make adjustments to reach the time or pace you need.
Omni Calculator helps you find the number of minutes it should take you to speak a specific number of words. This is handy if you think you’ve been speaking too fast or too slow.
- Visit the Omni Words Per Minute Calculator page.
- Enter the number of words in the Speaking section at the top.
- Choose your Speaking speed.
You’ll then see how many minutes it should take you based on those values. You can adjust the Speaking Speed to arrive at the total time needed and then have a number to hit for words per minute with your next practice.
Another option is the Debatrix speech calculator. With this tool, you can paste in the text you plan to speak. It then counts the number of words for you and provides the output.
- Visit Debatrix Speech Calculator page.
- Copy the text from your application and paste it in the box on the left. You’ll see the word count to the right.
- Also on the right, choose Your speech rate.
You’ll see how many minutes the presentation or speech should take. Once you receive the output, you can make adjustments in this tool as well. You may want to shorten the text if you must meet a certain amount of time or change Your Speech Rate to see how many words per minute you need to reach the target time.
Practice presentations in PowerPoint
If you’re presenting a slideshow using Microsoft PowerPoint, you can use a built-in feature to obtain the words per minute.
With the Presenter Coach, you walk through your presentation as a practice session. As you speak and advance the slides, you can opt to see tips from the coach to help you continue. When you finish, you’ll not only see the speaking rate, but other helpful tips to improve your oral presentation.
- To use the feature, open your slideshow in PowerPoint and go to the Slide Show tab.
- Select Rehearse with Coach.
- You’ll see your presentation begin and a pop-up window near the bottom right corner.
- Optionally, check the box to Show real-time feedback if you want tips as you speak.
- Click Start Rehearsing when you’re ready to begin.
- Wait for the pop-up window to display “Listening” before you start speaking. Then, present the slideshow as you plan to do for your audience.
When you finish presenting, the Coach stops automatically. You’ll then see Your Rehearsal Report. In the sample report below, you can see we did pretty well with a Pace of 130 words per minute.
You can also view a Summary, Fillers, Repetitive Language, Inclusiveness, Pitch, and Originality. These additional sections can help you polish your oral presentation.
Click Rehearse Again to do exactly that or use the X on the top right to close the report.
Make your content more presentable with Plus AI
Maybe someone else created the slideshow and added terms you’re unfamiliar with or maybe you’ve included too many lengthy lines and would like to tighten up the text. Things like this can have a big impact on not only your speaking rate but how well you present the slideshow.
Plus AI is an add-on that works with both PowerPoint and Google Slides, so you can use whichever tool you prefer. Simply use it to rewrite portions of text or entire slides to make the content easier to present and more digestible for your audience.
Select Plus AI’s Edit option and choose to Rewrite text. You can then pick from a preset update like Shorten or you can enter custom instructions on how to rewrite it.
Once Plus AI provides the text, see how much it helps you present the updated content. Are you more comfortable with the edited text? Can you speak to it better and with more confidence? Are you now able to meet the time limit you were given for the presentation?
Take the tool for a test drive by visiting the Plus AI website. You can check out the features for creating new presentations, editing options for existing slideshows, the template gallery, and more.
For additional assistance look at ideas for informative speeches or these persuasive speech topics, or check out how to give a great presentation and then our tips for more effective presentations.
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