talk ratio
what it is
your share of the total words spoken in the meeting. if you spoke 600 of 1,000 total words, your talk ratio is 0.6 (60%).how miniti calculates it
- counts every final transcript word from your mic (labeled “you”) and every final word from system audio (speakers 1, 2, …)
- your ratio = your word count / total word count
- updates live during a session; final value shown on a saved meeting
ranges by meeting type
there is no universal “good” talk ratio - the right number depends on what you’re doing.| meeting type | rough target for you | why |
|---|---|---|
| discovery call | 30-40% | the buyer should be explaining their situation, not you pitching |
| demo / pitch | 50-70% | you’re presenting, but still leave room for questions |
| interview (you’re the interviewer) | 20-30% | the candidate should be talking |
| interview (you’re the candidate) | 50-70% | you need to demonstrate thinking |
| 1:1 with a report | 20-40% | let them drive; ask, don’t tell |
| 1:1 with a manager | 40-60% | roughly even |
| team standup | (your share) ~ 1/team size | split roughly evenly |
| coaching / listening | 20-30% | they should be processing out loud |
how to shift it
if your ratio is too high:- ask one open question and then stop talking until they answer
- count to 3 after they stop speaking before you respond
- summarize instead of re-explaining: “so what i’m hearing is…”
- longer answers: when you have a view, give the full thought, not a single sentence
- take the first response opportunity instead of deferring
speaking pace (words per minute)
what it is
average words per minute for each speaker, across the full meeting.how miniti calculates it
total words spoken / total elapsed session minutes. it’s not instantaneous pace - it’s an average across the whole recorded session.typical ranges
| pace | what it sounds like | when it’s fine |
|---|---|---|
| under 110 wpm | slow, deliberate | complex topics, non-native audience, emphasis |
| 110-140 wpm | measured | presentations, formal calls |
| 140-170 wpm | conversational | default for most business calls |
| 170-200 wpm | brisk | energetic discussion, familiar material |
| over 200 wpm | fast, hard to follow | rarely ideal |
what pace actually signals
fast pace isn’t always bad and slow isn’t always good. what matters:- too fast: listeners miss information, especially if you’re introducing jargon. clarity usually drops with pace
- too slow: you lose energy and attention; sounds tentative
- mismatched: if your pace is much faster than the other side, they struggle to interrupt. if much slower, you drag
how to shift it
to slow down:- breathe at punctuation marks
- emphasise key words instead of racing through
- pause between bullet points, not just between sentences
- cut hedges (“sort of”, “i guess”) - see filler words
- prepare; unpreparedness shows up as slow, searching speech
- stand up if you’re on a call
longest monologue
what it is
the longest uninterrupted stretch of speaking by one speaker, measured in words. interrupted the moment another speaker’s final segment appears.how miniti calculates it
walks the final transcript segments in order. starts counting when a speaker begins, accumulates words across their consecutive segments, resets when another speaker speaks. the longest such run is the metric.what it tells you
- under 100 words per longest run: you’re in dialogue - good for discovery, 1:1s, interviews
- 100-250 words: you’re explaining something concrete, which is fine if the other side asked
- 250-500 words: you’re presenting or monologuing. double-check the audience wanted this
- over 500 words: consider whether anyone’s still following
how to break long runs
- plant check-in questions every 60-90 seconds: “does that match what you’ve seen?”
- end on a question, not a statement. this invites their turn
- split: instead of a 4-minute answer, give a 1-minute answer and ask if they want you to go deeper
clarity (average words per turn)
what it is
your average number of words per speaking turn across the whole session. shorter turns tend to read as clearer. the label in the app is clarity with the heuristiclower = clearer = better.
how miniti calculates it
your total word count / your number of final transcript segments. a “turn” is effectively each final segment from you.what it actually measures
this is a rough proxy for how crisply you communicate. three long segments of 200 words each gives avg=200. thirty segments of 20 words each gives avg=20. the shorter-turn speaker almost always reads as clearer.typical ranges
| avg words/turn | reads as |
|---|---|
| under 15 | punchy, very clear - often interruption-driven dialogue |
| 15-30 | conversational, clear |
| 30-60 | measured, somewhat formal |
| over 60 | lecturing or monologuing |
caveats
- deepgram’s segmentation matters. if your mic is cutting segments at natural pauses, clarity is low. if it’s keeping you in one long segment, clarity is high
- presenting a pre-written statement will legitimately score high (long segments) without being “unclear”. read the metric against context
how to lower it
- more pauses that let the transcript break
- ask more questions (which end the segment)
- deliver in shorter, punchier units
questions asked
what it is
count of? marks in your final transcript segments.
what it tells you
a directional signal only. a high count without context doesn’t mean good listening - you might be asking closed or leading questions. a low count usually does suggest you aren’t leaving space.useful patterns
- on discovery calls: aim high, 15+ questions in a 30 minute call
- on demos: aim for 5-10 questions - not zero, not constant
- on interviews you’re running: aim high, 20+ in a 45 minute call
- on 1:1s with reports: questions > statements is usually healthier
quality beats count
two good open questions are worth five leading questions. use this metric to spot the absence of questions, not to chase a number.putting them together
these metrics interact:- high talk ratio + high longest monologue = you’re dominating. reduce both together
- fast pace + short clarity number = you’re rattling off short thoughts. slow down for emphasis
- low questions asked plus high talk ratio = you’re telling, not asking. flip it
- high fillers + fast pace = you’re improvising out loud. pause and compose