How Many Words Per Minute in a Speech?
This question is asked often and it depends on whether or not you are giving your speech live or recorded. We tend to speak around 135–150 words per minute. Speechwriters preparing speeches for the Democratic National Convention had the hard task of preparing for all of the speeches to be online and without the usual applause, cheering, and crowd reactions. One large finding was that the speeches could be 150 words per minute!
Here’s a table based on the range above that can help you quickly gauge how long your speech needs to be if you have a specific a time frame in which to deliver it.
How to use this chart to plan out the number of minutes in your next speech:
So how is this chart useful?
It’s best when you’re on a strict time limit or there are multiple speakers–no one likes it when one speaker cuts into another speaker’s time. You can also use it when planning your speech–you can be confident that you have a good estimate of where your text needs to be and if it’s too long or too short. People differ when it comes to editing–some like to write a ton and then edit down whereas others are better are writing a small amount and then adding in–use which ever method works best for you.
Know your own speaking rate first
Here’s how to find your own speaking rate:
- Find the text of a speech online or in a book
- Set a time for 3 minutes–give the speech in the allotted time
- Mark the spot after 3 minutes and take the word count so far and divide by 3 (you can select a portion of text in Word or Google Docs and then use Tools>Word Count and both programs will tell you the count for that portion)
- Determine where you fall within each range and plan accordingly
Use word counts as estimations and ranges:
The word counts above are averages–each speech you give isn’t given at the exact same rate the whole time. Some parts will be slower and faster than others. As long as your draft is within the range, then you should feel comfortable delivering it in that time frame.
Common Speech Word Count Ranges:
- How many words in a 3 minute speech: 405–450
- How many words in a 5 minute speech: 675–750
- How many words in a 10 minute speech: 1350–1500
- How many words in a 15 minute speech: 2025–2250
- How many words in a 20 minute speech: 2700–3000
Plan in time for technical delays, Q&A, needing to elaborate on parts, impromptu ideas
Rather than plan for the maximum amount of words per minute in a speech, start with a lower amount or fewer number of minutes and plan in time for inevitable interruptions.
Next Steps for Getting Your Speech’s Word Count Correct:
Set a goal the next time you write to limit yourself to a certain number of words or to hit a minimum threshold depending on the situation.
Try writing your speech in different lengths if you have ample latitude–what is the 3-minute speech vs. 10 minute speech version?
Use speech word counts as a guide and you’ll hit your mark each time.
Photo Credit: Photo by Agê Barros on Unsplash
