Body Language of Rapid Speech
Cue: Rapid Speech.
Synonym(s): Fast Talking, Speed Talking.
Description: A voice trait when the rate of speaking occurs at an above average rate. It makes understanding what is being said difficult to follow.
In One Sentence: Rapid speech is a sign of excitement, nervousness, and generally, a heightened emotional state.
How To Use it: Rapid speech is generally not viewed as a positive nonverbal signal. However, it will show others that you are in good spirits when done in the right contexts. Amongst friends for example, rapid speech can show giddiness and therefore a zest for life. In front of a large audience, however, a slower more controlled rate of speech is considered more appropriate.
Context: General.
Verbal Translation: “I’m talking fast and it might be due to any number of reasons, none of which will be viewed particularly positively. I could be nervous, excited, insecure, anxious, scared, angry or have low self esteem,”
Variant: See Slow Speech or Talking Slowly.
Cue In Action: Her giddiness to present her case made her ramble. Her sentences ran-on and her argument became impossible to decipher. After just a few minutes the audience discounted her completely and sided with the more clam and rational presenter.
Meaning and/or Motivation: Talking fast can be due to lying (fast talking salesman), a reaction to growing up in a house where it was hard to get a word in, a basic insecurity, poor self-esteem, efforts to gain attention, nervousness, impatience, anxiety, insecurity, excitement, fear, drugs or alcohol use, anger, desire to persuade or being caught in a lie.
Visual learners are habitually fast talkers as they race to keep up with the images that they are seeing in their mind.
Cue Cluster: Fast talking is usually accompanied by erratic gesticulation and body movements, pacing and face touching,
Body Language Category: Amplifier, Arousal, Aggressive body language, Anger body language, Emotional body language, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Excited, Fearful body language, Low confidence body language, Lying or deceptive body language, Negative body language, Nervous body language, Stressful body language.
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