For a speaker, timing is critical. It’s one of the first lessons I share when I teach. Sticking to time is a sign of respect towards your audience. It's also a sign of your own skill and professionalism.
Hence the reason I’m still cringing as I recall my last presentation...I went over. More cringeworthy is HOW this happened. I'm usually great with time but on this occasion a *silly oversight led me astray.
I'd love to sweep this all under the rug but thought it a good learning opportunity instead! Here's what I do to nail my timing - as long as I follow every step. (*Ahem, just be sure to start your stopwatch and your clock is set to the right time...DOH!)
Practice, practice, practice.
Time yourself as you practice.
Anticipate time for audience questions and interaction.Monitor the time - use a clock, stopwatch or timer.
If you don't have any of the above, ask someone!If you're running over on time, simply adjust the remaining content and delivery. Remember, your audience won’t mind if your talk is shorter than expected – as long you give them what they came for.
In my case, I went the opposite way, but my saving grace was that my audience was engaged and benefited from the content that I delivered.
Still, I can't help but picture the audience below...we've all been there...listening to a presentation that goes on for WAY too long. Ok, now I'm cringing again...
...but at least I learned my lesson!
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