15 minute talk how many words

Welcome to our conversion tool - Words to Minutes! We are here to help estimate the duration of any speech for conventions, zoom calls, weddings, special celebrations, business presentations, graduations, classroom demonstrations, performances, you name it. Use the Convert Speech Words to Minutes calculator to better prepare yourself for your next presentation.

How to use Convert Speech Words to Minutes

  1. Enter Word Count: Enter the number of words in your speech. You can find your word count by copying and pasting your speech in Wordcounter.net or Google Docs. In Google Docs go to TOOLS --> Word Count to see how many words.
  2. Choose Speed of Speaker: Choose your speaker pace from the options available: slow speaker, average speed speaker or fast speaker.

Make sure to choose your speech speed as it can have a major impact on your timing. Remember you will likely speak fast at times, and slow as well. Thus, average is typically a good indicator as to how long your speech or presentation will take. Whether you are making a wedding speech or giving a business presentation, this conversion of words into minutes should hold true.

Now you have an idea of how many minutes your speech will take to deliver, and can make any modifications if necessary. Also be sure to add time for audience participation if your speech calls for that.

Why should I use the Convert Speech Words to Minutes?

Do you know how many minutes are in a 5-minute speech, or maybe how long does a 2000 word speech take?

Using the words to minutes converter tool is crucial while preparing for a speech or presentation, especially when you are given limited time to convey your message and wrap up your ideas. Although the time may vary according to the delivery speed of each individual, converting words to minutes is a good indication of the length of your content and if it is suitable for the time frame you were given. That is how you know if you should work on your content length. Keep in mind that according to the National Center for Voice and Speech, the average rate of conversational talk in the US is around 150 words per minute (wpm), which means that balancing content, the number of words and reading speed does matter when preparing your speech.

How to craft an outstanding speech

Whether you are preparing content for a speech presentation for a business meeting, a graduation celebration of a wedding, the content does matter. While speaking in public does require a good amount of confidence, when you prepare yourself in advance, you will empower yourself with tools that will assure you are ready for it. With your speech, your main goal is to engage with your audience, catch their attention and delivery a message that will convey your idea in a clear and effective way. Here are some tips to help:

  • Write using the first person. Use a conversational tone.
  • Start by briefly introducing yourself.
  • Prepare a striking outline/opening statement.
  • Construe your speech in structural steps.
  • Start with a topic sentence in every paragraph.
  • Do not feel too shy to express your honest opinion.
  • Practicing ahead of time will help tremendously. It helps with confidence, knowing the material, comfortability, and much more. This is our top tip!

In order to engage with your audience, try to include personal stories, share your personal experiences and do not feel constrained to share your personal opinion. Good luck, you got this!

Feedback

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To quickly know what your speaking rate is, write a 650-word essay and then get out a stopwatch. Time how long it takes you to speak all of the words in the essay.

Once you’ve finished, divide the word count (650 words) by the number of minutes in decimals (30 seconds = 0.5 minutes) and you’ll get an estimate of your words per minute speaking rate.

For example, if it takes you 4.5 minutes to speak 650 words, you would do 650 divided by 4.5 and get 144 words per minute.

I have to write a 15/20 minute presentation for my boss and he is not the type to practise it to see how long it takes! I was thinking that around 1500 words, as he is french so is a little slower reading english. Does that sound about right, or is it not enough?

Question from Tim Camefan. 

Number of words in a presentation

In terms of a presentation then the average tends to be 100 to 150 words per minute – but this is a broad average and does not reflect the way that your boss speaks.

Probably the best effect would be to get your boss to read out a speech – perhaps you could use one of the famous speeches on our website and time how long it takes. You can then work out the speed that he speaks at.

The only thing that this would tend to miss out on is the use of pauses. Pauses can be very powerful. Perhaps for example you could ask the audience a rhetorical question and then wait for an answer. This would all tend to slow down the word count.

Overall somewhere between 1500 and 2000 words should put you in the right area.

Answer thanks to The Presentation Doctor. 

20 minute presentation on any topic

I have been invited for a second interview with a company. I have been asked to prepare a 20 min. presentation on ANY topic. I don’t know what to do. I want to stand out but also want to be professional. Any interesting ideas? Thanks!!

I think you should chose a topic you feel happy with and steer away from anything too contentious, do you perhaps have an interesting hobby you could talk about. Also try and bring a little humour into the presentation.

I suggest you have a look at Essential Presentation Skills, Hints and Tips and the rule of 3 on the website.

Hope it goes well.

Helen

15 minute presentation on unknown topic 🙁

15 minute presentation on unknown topic 🙁

Hello

I have just been told that I am to do a 15 minute presentation on a topic I will not know until I arrive for the interview, and I will be given only 15 minutes preparation time. How can I make best use of this? More to the point, how can I turn it into my advantage?
Any help would be brilliant.

my advise to you, other than knowing the basics of presenting a topic like starting with a brief introduction then moving smoothly to classifications, types ,etc ending with a summery and conclusion,
I want you to think of several topics and start presenting them either in front of a good friend or video-tape yourself and keep practice until you satisfied
The idea is not the topic itself.. It is how to present
if you know and practice the basic principles of how to present, any topic will be easy
good luck

A few tips

It is always a good idea to have a few quotations handy. Try to search for some websites that you can access on your mobile phone browser or laptop during your preparation time.

Secondly, speaking slowly and clearly is very important – especially since you might be nervous. Talking slowly will actually give you time to think in between and to communicate clearly what you want to say.

Thirdly, try to engage the audience at some point – by either asking questions or be telling a story and by making eye contact . As soon as they buy into your presentation or feel engaged in it, their responses will be encouraging and inspiring for you.

How long is a 15 minutes presentation?

A good rule of thumb: the proportion of pages to minutes is just a smidgen over one to two. In other words, a 20-minute presentation should be nine to ten pagels long, while a 15-minute presentation should be seven to eight pages long. No more than eight.

How many words is a 15 20 minute speech?

The average person speaks at somewhere between 125 and 150 words per minute. It's almost always better to speak more slowly than too quickly. Thus, if you're speaking for 20 minutes, you want a total word count of somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 words. Be careful!

How long is a 20 minute speech in words?

Length: ✓ People speak at rate of 125 – 150 words per minute. ✓ A 20-minute speech would be 2500 – 3000 words (word count function on computer) or about 8-10 typed pages, double spaced.

How many words is a 10 minute talk?

Given the normal speed of speech, you should consider a 10-minute talk the same as a 1500-word paper. Rule of thumb for the number of slides is 10 slides for 10 minutes, and many speakers will vary between 20 to 30 seconds or a minute per slide.