Presentation professional Guy Kawasaki preaches that the average length of a pitch presentation should be no longer than 20 minutes. Depending on the purpose of the presentation and the type of content covered, a presenter could have anywhere from 2 minutes to 2 hours or more. Despite the amount of time a presenter may have, he or she must track their presentation time accurately. The worst mistake a presenter can make is keep his or her audience over the allotted presentation time. That’s why we’ve gathered a list of 3 tips to effectively managing your presentation time:
1. Energy management vs. time management
In recent years, there has been a shift away from preaching time management to focusing on energy management. What does this mean? Let’s say you are a night person – nighttime is your right time to garner optimum productivity levels. But, you trick yourself into believing that you must wake up early to manage your daytime better. Be real with yourself. You aren’t going to magically have more energy in the morning to complete your tasks. Instead, assess when your energy levels are at their height and operate your work life within those time periods. In terms of presenting slides, keep track of which stages of your presentation you feel most energized within and expend your energy there.
2. Treat yourself like a stranger
Do you think you can easily complete your presentation in 2 days? Do you find yourself overestimating your capabilities when it comes to completing your deck and finishing your presentation within the time allotted? Take an outside view of the situation. Pretend that a stranger is tasked with hitting 3 important points or messages in a 20-minute presentation. How long do you think it would take you to cover point #1? Now, disregard your answer. How long will it take for that stranger to cover point #1? Ok, you’ll probably obtain a more realistic response to that question. Treat yourself like a stranger in order to accurately assess how you would maximize your presentation time.
3. Look at the whole, not the parts
According to the Harvard Business Review article titled “Time Management Training Doesn’t Work,” the modern day workplace functions on training that provides “clarity around role priorities rather than specific task priorities.” When applied to presentation delivery, this means emphasizing those high-level elements of your message versus the granular details that may not matter – especially depending on the amount of time you have to give your talk. In situations where you are pressed for time, inspect your overall message versus the distinct sections.
These are just a few ways you can effectively manage your presentation time. For more helpful hints, consult the resources listed below:
