Rushed speech is the biggest giveaway that someone is nervous.

Your thoughts speed up, your breathing shortens, your muscles tighten — and your voice tries to “keep up.” The result is fast, thin, unclear delivery.

The good news: rushing is not a personality trait. It’s a physiological chain reaction you can train out of your voice.

Why You Rush When You’re Nervous

When pressure rises, three things happen instantly:

• Your breath gets shallow → short phrases
• Your jaw tightens → speech speeds up
• Your pacing shifts to “survival mode”

Your brain interprets silence as danger, so it tries to fill space with speed.

To stop rushing, you must break this sequence.

1. Control the First Three Seconds

Your first breath determines your pacing for the entire conversation or presentation.

Do this before your first word:

1. Exhale completely
2. Inhale low for four seconds
3. Deliver your first line slower than you feel like you should

This single adjustment prevents 70% of rushing.

2. The Anchor Sentence Technique

Choose one short, grounding sentence to begin:

• “Here’s where we’ll start.”
• “Let me show you something important.”
• “Let’s focus on this first.”

Delivering your anchor sentence slowly resets your nervous system and your pacing.

3. Speak on the Exhale, Not the Inhale

Nervous speakers often try to talk while inhaling or right after they gasp. This creates frantic pacing.

Instead:

• inhale low
• pause one beat
• speak on the first smooth exhale

This makes speech naturally slower and more grounded.

4. Add Micro-Pauses

Great speakers don’t pause dramatically — they pause micro-moments.

• between phrases
• between ideas
• after important words

These tiny pauses force your pacing back into control.

5. Use Resonance to Slow Yourself Down

Rushing happens in the throat. Calm lives in the front of the face.

Do a quiet “mmm” to pull the voice forward. This instantly slows your tempo because forward resonance requires steadier airflow.

The 15-Second Anti-Rush Reset

1. Exhale all the way
2. Low inhale for four seconds
3. Gentle hum for two seconds
4. Deliver your anchor sentence slowly

This eliminates rushing even if your heart is racing.

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