Time’s Up!
How to ensure you keep your presentation to time
Most people confuse presentation “total time” with “talking time”. Total time usually includes your presentation talking time, delays, interruptions, questions and discussions.
Because you could lose track of time when you present, there are few pre-requisites to keeping your presentations to time. The best and most traditional advice to follow is to use a timer on your phone or use the timer that comes with your presentation software (PowerPoint, Keynote, etc.). It’s best that you do that when you rehearse for your presentation. It’s not uncommon, even for experienced public speakers, to rehearse and time themselves beforehand. Rehearsing your presentation can also you help you edit your content and trim some of the extra unnecessary weight.
Once you’ve created the final draft of your presentation, prepare a timed schedule for each slide. Try to account for interruptions and delays. This will help you determine if you’re ahead or behind during your live presentation. It’s also often helpful to write notes and rehearse them. Most presentation softwares come with presenter notes that I personally find very useful.
Despite all the preparation, things could go wrong, so try to keep an open mind and be flexible. If you realize that you ran out of time and you need to cut things short, skip through the slides that are less important. Remember, nobody knows your content better than you, so you’re the best person to prioritize it.
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