Speaking statistics
A short list of figures writers can cite. Each item links to the source. Elqo’s own studies are first. The two industry findings are ones already cited on this site, with the publisher link that post already used.
Contents
- 18,219 recordings
- 12,660 scored attempts
- Four-week pilot
- Retrieval practice vs restudy
- NACE Job Outlook 2024
Elqo studies
1. 18,219 recordings, 3,221 people
Recordings completed on Elqo from June 2025 through April 2026. Anonymised and aggregated. Of 10,805 recordings with a valid words-per-minute reading, 47% sat outside the 100–160 WPM band. 34% of sessions contained 3 or more filler words.
Full study: What 18,219 speaking sessions mean for a cohort. For L&D teams: Elqo for L&D.
2. 12,660 scored attempts, 1,033 people
Every scored speaking session, limited to people with at least three sessions. 666 of 1,033 (64%) had an improving trend. Mean score was 43.3 at session 1 and 62.6 at session 30.
Full study: Does practice improve speaking? For education providers: Elqo for education.
3. Four-week pilot
Nine learners completed a four-week protocol. Average performance score rose from 66.7 to 76.6 out of 100. 9 of 9 completers improved. They logged 512 practice sessions.
Full study: Human-skills development pilot results. Book a demo.
Industry statistics
4. Retrieval practice beat restudy
In Karpicke and Roediger’s 2008 study in Science, college students studied short prose passages. A week later, the group that kept re-reading retained 36% of the material. The group that practiced recalling it, with no re-reading, retained 80%.
Source: Karpicke & Roediger, Science (2008). How Elqo uses retrieval: Elqo for L&D.
5. NACE Job Outlook 2024
The NACE Job Outlook 2024 report rated communication as the most essential career-readiness competency, scoring 4.55 out of 5 for employer importance. Graduates scored 3.62. On the same survey, 99.5% of employers considered communication skills important, and 55.2% of new graduates were rated proficient.
Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers. For education providers: Elqo for education.
Company background is on About Elqo. Pricing is a custom quote.