What is the word count for a 5-minute speech? A 5-minute speech has 750 words. So, write a 5-minute speech that includes at least 50 of those words.
The first thing to know about writing a 5-minute speech is that it's a talk. Thus, it will include both oral and visual components. A good 5-minute speech should be informative while being entertaining and inspiring. It should also demonstrate awareness of cultural differences in language usage. You should not try to cover all of these areas in a single talk, but rather focus on one or two topics with enthusiasm!
Words are the main component of a speech. The more powerful your message, the more words you need. A typical speech uses about 1500 words, including quotations and paraphrases. A short speech may use only 500 words while a long one needs about 2000. However, most speeches fall between these ranges so there are sufficient words for any occasion.
When writing a 5-minute speech, it is important to keep in mind that listeners want to hear how you feel about what you are talking about. So, explain your ideas clearly and get into the topic at hand without boring them with details unrelated to the point you are trying to make.
A 10-minute speech has 1,500 words. This is an average amount of text for an essay or article. Many longer speeches have even more words.
A 10-minute speech uses up approximately 50 single-spaced pages of typing (using the default font in most word processors is about 14 characters per inch). A well-written speech will have more than 50 sentences and can therefore fill several pages. A speech that does not follow a structure that allows for proper development of ideas will likely feel rushed and lack focus.
An effective way to keep your speech under 10 minutes is by using one of these time limits as guidelines: 90 seconds + 60 seconds for every thousand words = maximum time limit of 10 minutes
The first thing you should do is figure out how much time you have allowed for your speech. If you only have 5 minutes left, it is not enough time to properly develop your idea. You should start thinking about what part of your speech would be relevant to include in this limited amount of time.
It is best to divide your speech into different sections with clear transitions between them.
Although pace varies, a 5-minute speech contains around 750 words. According to publication coach Daphne Gray-Grant, the average individual speaks at a rate of 125-150 words per minute, which translates to 625-750 words in 5 minutes. A pause ratio of 2:3 is recommended for best effect.
The time limit should be stated clearly and repeated at the beginning of the speech. If you are given a longer time, say so at the beginning of your talk and thank the audience for their patience.
Here are some examples of 5-minute speeches:
John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address January 20, 1961
"I am not the first man to speak from this platform. But I will be the last." Abolitionist Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address on March 4, 1865. He was speaking about four years after the end of the American Civil War.
Bill Clinton Acceptance Speech 1992 Democratic National Convention
"Let me tell you what kind of president I'll be...." Eight years later, in 2000, Bill Clinton gave this same speech at the DNC again. This time he was talking about himself in the third person!
Barack Obama State of the Union Address Jan 28, 2009
Count the words: Counting the amount of words in your speech is the easiest technique to measure its length. Most speeches are delivered at a rate of around 130 words per minute. As a result, if you want to give a five-minute speech, you need write roughly 750 words. This isn't an exact science, as people speak at different rates depending on how they feel about what they're saying and how familiar they are with the topic, but this should give you a good starting point.
Measure the time: It's also possible to work out how long a speech will take by counting up how many minutes there are until the end. For example, if your speech is supposed to last for five minutes then it will take approximately two hours to deliver. You can shorten this time by using more concise language or by breaking down your argument into sections.
These are just two techniques used to estimate speech length. There are other methods such as using estimated speaking times which we'll discuss below, but these two techniques are all that's required to know how long your speech will be.
In terms of actual length, the average length of a five-minute speech is much longer than this. In fact, it has been estimated that a five-minute speech covers about 7,200 words - which means that your speech will likely be between 10 and 15 minutes long instead!
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