Time Yourself

Have you ever talked to someone who’s rate of speech was so fast you found yourself struggling to understand him? Have you ever wondered if the person you were talking to was unintelligent because he spoke so slowly?

Were you annoyed? Did you find yourself hoping the conversation would end soon?

Here is a little drill you can use to develop an ideal rate of speech, guaranteed to remove at least one possible reason why your prospects are annoyed with you.

Instructions:
The paragraph below should be read out loud into a recording device for subsequent evaluation. Try to sound conversational. The paragraph has exactly 180 words. Complete reading the entire paragraph out loud within 55 to 65 seconds- exactly. No more, no less.

Paragraph:
Our company is really a people company. It’s a growing organization because it’s committed to meeting important business needs. We maintain high standards of performance and service in a variety of ways. One of the most important is our “Management Involvement Program.” MIP seeks to recognize the contributions of every employee at every level of the company. It works through organized groups consisting of managers, supervisors, and line employees from every department in the company. These groups meet regularly to discuss their operations and to identify solutions to problems. Leadership of the groups revolves among all employees within each group. Every participant speaks as an equal. Very often, the MIP groups assign a task force to brainstorm about a specific problem. Sometimes the task forces cross-departmental lines if the problem seems to involve several departments. We’ve found that the MIP is an effective way to remove obstacle to performance. It has improved communication between departments. And it has really built the strong sense that we’re a team, working together to keep our organization ahead of the competition.