What is rate of speech?

Rate of speech or pacing is a measure of how fast a person talks. It is calculated by counting the number of words spoken per minute (WPM). 140 - 170 WPM is considered conversational pace. More important than average pace is how you vary your pace over the course of your speech. Experts suggest having a sinusoidal graph (ie. sections in which you speak fast and others where you speak slowly).