I talk fast. I mean, really fast. I mumble at times, too. During a morning walk, I had a flash of introspective insight, that explains my quick tongue.
I am afraid.
I am afraid that if I don’t speak quickly enough, you will lose interest. I am afraid that if I don’t get my message out fast, you will stop listening. I am afraid that I don’t have enough time to keep your attention. So I speak fast.
Of course, if I am interesting, if I am communicating value, if I listen to you, you will listen to me. But my fear overrides that logic and I speak quickly, sometimes mumbling to keep the pace up.
The other fast talkers I have spoke with have the same feelings. Us fast talkers are a fearful group. That quick talking sales guy, that speed speaking CEO, that fast talking business partner. All have a fear for losing your attention. Weird, huh?
I agree, Mike. I’d like to also add – due to personal experience – that sometimes people talk fast due to a fear of being interrupted.
Mike, I know exactly what you mean and agree, it’s because of my fear of loosing attention especially if thinking that a person doesn’t get me (sometimes looking at one’s face I see that s/he is not on the same page with me so I try to come up with usually a simpler explanation). It’s either I am a bad communicator or people are slow. LOL! On the other hand, it’s an interesting observation that when I listen to people who have something to say and speak in a moderate pace, I can’t help myself but to listen in order to fill my curiosity gap.