How do you stop speaking too fast?
The goal is not to slow every syllable. It is to create enough silence between ideas for the listener to process the message while keeping the words natural.
Mark idea boundaries, become completely silent for about half a second at each boundary, and continue without stretching the previous word. Use four controlled readings and one spontaneous transfer.
WHY SPEECH RUSHES
Rate is more than words per minute
Unplanned transitions, fear of silence, and squeezing the final words out of one breath can all sound rushed. A recording helps locate the exact transition where control disappears.
Ideas run togetherA new point begins without an audible boundary.
Word endings disappearShort function words and final consonants become unclear.
The breath collapsesThe last phrase is compressed into the remaining air.
3 MIN · 4 + 1 REPS
Idea-boundary drill
Be silent at each slash; do not stretch the word before it.
- Read naturally once: “I have three updates today / first I’ll explain the delay / then I’ll propose the next step.”
- Read it four more times with about half a second of silence at each slash.
- Speak for 30 seconds: what I finished → why it mattered → what I will do next.
Playback check: Are the boundaries actual silence, or did the preceding vowel simply become longer?
Do
- Pause before the next idea
- Start each repetition with an easy breath
- Compare the same prompt weekly
Avoid
- Dragging every word
- Chasing one universal words-per-minute target
- Forcing the sentence after the breath is gone