You're running out of time for your speech. How do you decide which key points to emphasize?
With the clock ticking down to your speech, identifying what to highlight can feel daunting. Focus on these key strategies:
- Determine your core message. What is the one thing you want your audience to remember?
- Assess the value of each point. Which provides the most insight or impact?
- Be ready to adapt. If something isn’t essential, be willing to trim it for clarity and brevity.
What strategies do you employ when refining a speech under time constraints?
You're running out of time for your speech. How do you decide which key points to emphasize?
With the clock ticking down to your speech, identifying what to highlight can feel daunting. Focus on these key strategies:
- Determine your core message. What is the one thing you want your audience to remember?
- Assess the value of each point. Which provides the most insight or impact?
- Be ready to adapt. If something isn’t essential, be willing to trim it for clarity and brevity.
What strategies do you employ when refining a speech under time constraints?
-
This happens frequently—whether it’s due to a great question or an engaging discussion, running out of time is common. ⭐️ One of the biggest mistakes you can make is trying to squeeze in additional points. Rushing through your content leads to reduced engagement and overwhelms your audience, making it difficult for them to process and retain the information. Instead, focus on recapping and landing the plane comfortably. Remember, you’re judged by how you start and finish. So, ask yourself, “If they remember nothing else, what are the top three things I need them to retain?” Summarize those, and leave them with an inspiring final message. A strong finish leaves a lasting impact! 💪🏿
-
Every great talk has an opening, middle, and end. As a professional speaker, it's very important to start and end on time. If you find yourself crunched with time, stay calm hit your main points and close strong.
-
Always have a shorter version of your speech ready. Focus on 3 key themes no matter what the length of your speech. You can shorten examples and ideas from each theme and just keep them simple when time is running short.
-
Staying on time during a presentation comes with practice and experience. Two tactics will help here: 1. Sometimes discussions take longer than expected eating the time, here there is no need to rush slides or talk fast. We use "Crossing over technique" which is presenting the key point in the remaining slides. The speaker must know which point in each slide is the most relevant. 2. Time management within the presentation. Let's assume you are presenting 5 points in your agenda within 30 minutes. Taking out 3 minutes for your opening and 2 minutes for your closing, you are left with 25 minutes so 5 minutes per topic. If you spend more time on topic A, you adjust from topics B & C.
-
Make it about THEM! Omit any point that talks about you, rather make it strategic and connect with the audience. Analyze the interests, mood, and environment of the room and talk accordingly. Tip: Write Keywords on a piece of paper, phone, or your hand about the most important parts of your speech.
Rate this article
More relevant reading
-
Corporate CommunicationsHow can you open and close a speech effectively?
-
Public SpeakingWhat are some common pitfalls to avoid when outlining your speech?
-
Public SpeakingHow do you balance stakeholder and sponsor expectations for your speech?
-
Public SpeakingHow do you manage time constraints when asked to condense or expand your speech on short notice?