Re: Rate problems when speaking

[Scattybird]

I also have this issue. I teach in a university and frequently get complaints about the speed of my lectures. It is really difficult for me to slow down. If I do, it’s like my brain and mouth are disconnected and I have no idea what I was going to say because the thought has gone before my mouth forms the words. So I make sure they all have good handouts to make up for ‘lost’ information.

But recently I have had to go abroad a lot and give talks to people whose first language isn’t English and slowing down enough for them to understand has been an enormous challenge. But I have perservered and it’s coming with practicem. I needed help from my colleagues to get the pace right though and I think I can judge it now. But it is hard.

Yesterday I told my class (at home) that I was going to try to slow down and just made a joke of it. Before hand I took my meds and forced myself to be really slow. I failed towards the end of the session but the first half was good, or at least better than usual. The students looked interested and could clearly keep up. So it’s worth practicing even if to us it sounds stupid and slow. Normally my eccentric style in class makes things a bit more lively but I think slowing down is more important.

So best advice I can give is to pretend you’re talking to a foreigner and you have to slow down.

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