rate of speech
A person's rate of speech is calculated by the number of words they speak per minute. Most individuals speak too quickly and need to consider slowing their speech down for activities such as 9-1-1 call-taking and radio transmissions. Communicators need to consider that both emergency callers and response personnel are communicating in less-than-ideal circumstances and that care must be taken to speak clearly. An ideal speaking rate will be around 150wpm.
How to calculate your rate of speech
To calculate your rate of speech follow these steps:
1. Locate a passage of text. This may be online or from a book, but ensure that is is long enough.
2. Set a timer for 1 minute and start reading the text out loud immediately. The text must be read aloud as it is a measurement of speech and not reading.
3. Once the timer activates, note which word you were on and count how many words you read. You can count the words manually or cut and paste them into a word processor to use an automated word count.
4. To obtain an accurate count, consider conducting a few of these exercises and using the average count amongst them.
1. Locate a passage of text. This may be online or from a book, but ensure that is is long enough.
2. Set a timer for 1 minute and start reading the text out loud immediately. The text must be read aloud as it is a measurement of speech and not reading.
3. Once the timer activates, note which word you were on and count how many words you read. You can count the words manually or cut and paste them into a word processor to use an automated word count.
4. To obtain an accurate count, consider conducting a few of these exercises and using the average count amongst them.