> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://miniti.app/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # delivery metrics > talk ratio, speaking pace, longest monologue, questions asked, and clarity - deep dive four metrics shape how your delivery reads on a call: **talk ratio**, **pace**, **longest monologue**, and **clarity** (average words per turn). a fifth, **questions asked**, is directional rather than a score. all are computed locally from final transcript segments. ## 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..." if your ratio is too low: * 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 to speed up: * cut hedges ("sort of", "i guess") - see [filler words](/docs/coaching/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 250 words is roughly 90-120 seconds of speech. five minutes is \~600-800 words. ### 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 heuristic `lower = 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 ## see also * [filler words](/docs/coaching/filler-words) * [tracking progress](/docs/coaching/tracking-progress) * [speech coaching overview](/docs/features/speech-coaching)