The Benefits of Ending Your Speech on Time
Last week I attended a Portland Business Journal ‘Power Breakfast’ where about 200 – 300 business folks gathered for breakfast and to hear a speaker talk about their business.
This time the speaker happened to be Bob Moore, the founder of Bob’s Red Mill in Portland. The event was scheduled from 7:30 am – 9:00 am. I arrived about 7:25, mingled for a bit, introduced myself to a few people and then found a seat and ate breakfast.
Right about 8 o’clock the Business Journal publisher went to the front of the room, walked on stage and addressed the audience.
After a few minutes of ‘house-keeping’ duties (thanking the sponsors, etc) and mentions of upcoming events, he introduced Bob.
The format was very relaxed; both Bob and the publisher were wearing wireless microphones. They sat in comfortable chairs with a small table between them.
The presentation was a non-rehearsed interview format, which started when the publisher asked how Bob got started in business. Naturally this led to Bob telling a handful of stories as a young man, meeting the woman that would become his wife, a brief look at a few failures before he found the way to success with Bob’s Red Mill.
When the presentation started I glanced at my watch: 8:00 am. With the event schedule until nine, I wondered how they would make this interview last an hour – or if the organizers even wanted it to.
Finishing on time is probably one of the most important things to consider as part of your presentation, no matter how long you’re scheduled. If you go past the advertised time, many folks will get anxious, some will get up and leave and miss the end (which may be the best part!).
As Lisa Braithwaite mentioned in one of her blog posts last year, “First of all, practice your presentation so you know how long it takes. If it’s long, cut, cull and edit your content so it fits. Keep in mind that audience interaction will take up some time, so make sure you have a cushion built in; practice finishing a little early to be safe.”
So, yeah, it’s important to make sure you have the flexibility and awareness to make adjustments on the fly – once you have the ability to do that under any circumstance, you’ll be remembered as a valuable speaker no matter what your topic.
Back to the Bob’s Red Mill / Business Journal presentation: as the hour went on and it got to be about 8:45 am, a couple of folks seated near me got up quietly and left. A few minutes later a few others from the opposite side of the room did the same. It was now just a few minutes before 9 am, the scheduled ending time. The interview was wrapping up. By 9 sharp, the final wrap-up had been given, we’d heard a few reminders about future events and were dismissed.
Perfectly on time.
Since I wasn’t in a hurry, I mingled for about 15 minutes to connect with a handful of folks I knew and then headed out myself.
There is a significant benefit to your audience to ending your speech on time. But bottom line: as a speaker looking to do future speaking gigs, you benefit just as much. You’re remembered as someone who pays attention to the clock and is thoughtful of the audience. Don’t go past the scheduled end time – even by a minute. People will more likely remember that you went past your allotted time more than the important part of your presentation that you wanted them to recall.
