If you have never attended an auction, your first time may come as a surprise. The auctioneer will speak rapidly as buyers continuously wave their paddles or hands in the air. The excitement, especially surrounding favorite items, can be described as frenzied. It is the auctioneer’s job to get people motivated to bid, and by using rapid-fire speech, the crowd reacts in the same hecticness.

It takes experience to fully understand the melodic chant of an auctioneer. The chant you hear during an auction actually has many names including bid calling, the auction cry, or the cattle rattle. The fast-paced speech can make it hard to understand just what the auctioneer is saying. Experienced bidders get to know this chant and its various parts over time. Although the auction chant can be difficult for newcomers to understand, a few quick tips should set you on the right path.

Have you ever wondered about those speed-talking skills of an auctioneer? The energetic, entertaining chant, or bid calling actually started many years ago and is still a fixture in auctions today. This hypnotizing, rhythmic, fast-talking cadence has a specific purpose and over time, can be learned.