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.

News! My new DVD, “The 50 Best Tips for PowerPoint 2007” is available for purchase. Visit my online store for details.

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Comments

  1. Very well done Danny.

  2. John D'Addario, Jr. says:

    Danny,

    Very insightful and quite interesting. I never gave it much thought but it makes a great deal of sense.

  3. 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

  4. 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.

  5. 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!

  6. 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

Trackbacks

  1. […] 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 […]

  2. […] Today, I created and recorded a PowerPoint presentation based on that article – “Did I Get My WPM Count Just Right? […]

  3. […] Did I Get My WPM Count Just Right? Share and Enjoy: Subscribe to our RSS Feed […]

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