Did I get My WPM Count Just Right?
As a follow-up to yesterday’s article, I produced a PowerPoint Presentation on the topic of “words-per-minute( WPM) when speaking. Watch – and Listen – this video recording. Am I speaking “too fast”- for you? “Too slow” – for you? Or, is my WPM count “Just right” – for you?
Yesterday’s written article is 515 words in length. At a normal WPM count of 150, that would make it @ 3 minutes and 45 seconds long. That is a good length for broadcast via the Internet in my experience.
As I was creating the PowerPoint slide presentation, I realized that I would have to add a few words to the narration. I wanted to ensure that it would make sense to viewers watching the presentation- even with the added visual aids and the graphics on the slides. And, of course, I did deviate from the script occasionally. As best I can determine, this presentation contains 600 words and the video lasts 5 minutes. So my WPM is 120.
This is much slower than my normal speaking rate (close to 160 WPM.) I wasn’t trying to purposely slow down. After three practice runs, this is the pace that felt natural to me.
What do you think? Is my WPM “Just right” – for you?
Please share your comments with our readers and viewers below.
September 9th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
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September 12th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Very well done Danny.
September 13th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Danny,
Very insightful and quite interesting. I never gave it much thought but it makes a great deal of sense.
September 13th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Thank you Dave & John. I appreciate your kind words.
Yes, once you start to think about the concept it makes sense. Unfortunately, I have sat through too many presentations where the speaker left me no alternative but to “tune out.”
I make it my mission, now, to vary my rate of speaking to match my audience’s level of understanding and engagement.
Danny
September 14th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Thanks Danny. You are a great speaker. Obviously, this is part of what makes the really good speakers such a joy to listen to. By the way, you must have taught Alan Friedman everything he knows about speaking.
September 16th, 2008 at 9:10 am
[...] I have been using a script for my recent videos, I have been able to track my Words-per-minute (WPM) count. For my “Which Presentation Will You Give” entry, the script contains 1,130 [...]
November 24th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
I definitely think that this is too slow, it makes it harder to focus and really listen to what you are saying. But brilliant article!
November 24th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Hi Mariah -
Thank you for you comments.
Too slow / brilliant article – Well… that is the essence of the conundrum that we face today
How to create a scintillating comment in a (very) few seconds!
It is hard work – worthwhile work, yes – to create content that grabs attention, captures interest, and motivates the audience to take action. Very challenging. And, ultimately, the prize!
I try. I aspire, I hope… to achieve – that balance between intriguing – and actionable – content.
Thank you for you interest – and your challenge!
Danny Rocks