Want to Be Taken Seriously? Slow Down.

The conference is almost over, and suddenly the team asks for your input.

You stand up, a bit sweaty due to the nerves, and you start speaking like a bullet train.

No one understood a word, and even if they did, there was just so much information thrown at them with not enough time to grasp it.

You sit down wondering, "Why do I speak so fast?"

Now, there can be multiple reasons for this:

It's ok to feel this way

1. Influence of Native Language ( Some languages require you to speak faster ).

2. Feeling overly anxious or a sudden rush of adrenaline.

3. A voice in your head saying, "Don't waste people's time"

4. The urge to cover too many ideas at once.

Let's solve these problems one by one:

The Light Bulb Moment

1. When there is an influence of your native language that is affecting your speech rate, take a book you love reading and intentionally start reading it slower. As slow as you can without losing flow. Practice this for 60 days, and be more mindful about your speech rate, and you will slowly see a change.

2. If you are anxious or have a sudden rush of adrenaline before you speak. Focus on drinking some water and taking a few deep breaths right before you speak. Additionally, putting a few drops of water on the tip of your nose can activate your dive reflex, which slows down your heart rate.

3. If you think you are wasting someone's time, it's best to ask yourself the question, "Who am I speaking for?" Are you speaking for yourself or the audience? If it is the audience, then let the audience decide the value they get out of the conversation, rather than you deciding for them. 

4. If you are like me and love covering multiple ideas at once, then I recommend writing your ideas down and picking the most important one. Now you don't have to speak fast to cover more ground; rather, you can communicate a single idea impactfully.

Always remember that you can control the way you appear in rooms, and every move you make can make or break your authority.