Determine the Right Length for Your Presentation
If you ask around, “What do great presentations have in common?” you’ll get one consistent answer: “They’re short.” It’s no secret that people value their time.
But many presenters don’t realize that it costs them time to save the audience time. It’s easier to blather on for an hour than to craft a tight, succinct presentation. Some of the magic of TED is in the 18-minute limit. A great talk goes by quickly. A bad one—well, people can endure it if it’s only 18 minutes.
People in your audience won’t scold you for ending early, but they will for ending late. Out of consideration for them and the day’s agenda, treat the time slot assigned to you as sacred. And keep in mind that people have a 30- to ...
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