What is the ideal length for a speech?

There is no one size-fits-all as far as an ideal length for a speech is considered. In an era where diminishing attention span hogs all the limelight, keeping your audience engaged beyond 10 minute mark is an achievement in itself, forget about focusing on one person for an hour. So, I would like to conclude with this perspective - The shorter the timeframe, the better it is. Impose a time limit on yourself to convey more things in lesser time.

Usually, your speech is organised by someone. It could be a conference organiser, in-house event coordinator, the person or organization which invited you. Ask them what is their expectations & time availability. Given a free hand, best duration is 3 minutes. Famous speech by Churchill, Nehru and many others - all were of 3 minutes duration& yet they could convey big message. Swami Vivekanand’s Chicago address is famous for its salutation, which won many hearts!

The length of my presentations are determined during the initial negotiations of price. Most are an hour (45 min presentation/15 mins Q&A). Others are 1.5 hours (1 hour presentation/30 min Q&A). The smallest time was 7 minutes. Next to that was 30 minutes. Again, all times were negotiated by the sponsor. I would agree there isn't a specific length of a presentation. However, two of my initial questions to the client/sponsor are: "Have you determined the length of my presentation? What part of my presentation would you like me to focus on for your audience?" Once those questions are answered, then we begin negotiating the price.

I would agree with previous comment there is no “one size fits all”, but we can make sure our speach is not too long, a still not too short, and yet effective by pointing out the most important, and yet leaving a place for the listener to add their vision of our thoughts.

I once heard that it should be like a mini skirt - short enough to attract attention, but long enough to cover the subject. But in all seriousness, if the content and delivery is engaging and interesting, I wouldn't put a limit to it. But in any other case, 5-10 minutes should do it.

Imagine your talk is like a hot air balloon ride As the paying guest you want to arrive when the balloon is inflated and ready to go. Same for your talk. Start in the middle of an intriguing moment. Not at the chronological beginning. Respect your audience - they can connect the dots. Your job as a speaker is to lay out interesting dots and encourage them to be connected. This takes more time to prepare. But your audience will enjoy it. And you will be the best speaker at the event.

Knowing your audience means- Who is it that you are speaking to? Why are you speaking to them? How much time do you have with them? How much time do they have to attentively pay attention to you? Who will they be addressing, with the information you provide? What is the most important thing you want to get across? This is the information that you can ask for and find out, which would help you scope your presentation, speech, or briefing. But the most important thing is always feel confident that “you know your stuff and are the expert”.

Understanding your audience is akin to a navigator studying the seas before a voyage. Who are they? What do they seek? How well-versed are they in your subject? These insights will guide you in calibrating your speech to their appetites and receptiveness, much like setting a sail's size according to the prevailing winds.

In my experience I think it depends who you are talking to and why? Sometimes I have been invited to talk at a conference for 3 minutes to tell a light hearted story and break up the day. Sometimes I have been asked to speak to 100 students and inspire them to move forward with their goals and discover their individual genius and I have spoke for an hour. I think the main thing is to know your purpose, understand the WHY ? Then work your way back from this point. I think through experience know your audience, and listen to them , adapt as you speak! If the energy in the room is telling you to stop or continue, respond and give them what they want ??

I would say 2-5 minutes. You want to keep people engaged, and pay attention to what you are talking about, they will start getting bored and won't pay attention

When you know the context - change one thing. Do one simple thing different so you stand out. Not to shock people for the sake of it. But a ‘delightful surprise’. This way you will stand out with confusing people. Be memorable. For example if you are a keynote speaker at an event don’t stand behind the podium. Just because it was setup that way doesn’t mean you can’t step out from behind it and move around. Make sure the Mic is adaptable first - or ask for a handheld wireless mic. Also don’t ask last minute as you don’t want to make the event managers job stressful for no reason But as the speaker you own the stage Your goal is to be memorable. You audience’s goal is to enjoy swapping their attention for your insights

Knowing your context is like being aware of the terrain before a hike. Where and when are you embarking on this journey? The environment, its norms, and the available resources shape your path. Just as you'd pack differently for a leisurely walk versus a challenging ascent, understanding your context allows you to tailor your speech's length to the event's demands, ensuring a seamless fit within the larger agenda.

Regardless of speech length, work in buckets that are less than 7 minutes and decrease over time. So for example a 20-25 minute talk looks like this: 1 minute opening story. 3 or 4 minute general understanding. 6 minute body part 1; 5 minute body point 2, 4 minute body point 3, 2 minute close. Vary the tone of each part, and give people a chance to reset between parts, remembering to always work in under 7 minute pieces. This structure works within the brains natural attention span rather than trying to deliver longer chunks that humans don't do very well at.

What happens if the fire alarm goes off in the opening few minutes of your presentation & everyone has to leave? What will the audience remember? I use this principle to guide how I start a speech. Start with the most important thing first. This way, you are catching and holding everyone’s attention. Then, in part 02, share a story that demonstrates your expertise. A discovery you made, an insight you formed or an experience that taught you something powerful. Then, finish with planting a seed in the audience's imagination. Something they will ponder & reflect on. Something they can use. I call this structure the 3 Beat Mountain. Between each beat is an off-ramp, so if you are presenting to someone, they can join in the conversation

Creating a clear structure for your speech is akin to constructing a well-planned road. It ensures a logical flow from start to finish, minimizes detours, and keeps your audience on track. Like a well-built road, a structured speech helps you deliver your message efficiently, avoiding unnecessary repetition or tangents.

This is probably the most often neglected part of the average person’s preparation strategy, which is a total shame because this is where the magic happens! ? Find someone you trust who can give you the nitty gritty, bigger picture feedback. Don’t get caught up in the minutia of umms and filler words—those things make you sound human if they’re not overused. What you really want is a director—someone who can ask questions, bring up points you hadn’t considered, and can feel the storytelling of your message. Even a highly technical speech or presentation should still be given by a human to other humans. Don’t be afraid of being vulnerable and finding moments to connect with your audience—but that natural magic comes with practice.

The rehearsal process is the most vital and often the most under-utilised aspect of preparing a speech. I encourage my clients to “walk their talk”… pace it out, shape the presentation like a piece of theatre. Create moments of stillness and don’t be afraid of silence. Often the most profound learning shows up in the pauses. I also suggest you video yourself and watch it back, firstly without sound so that you can focus on gestures, movement, body language and stagecraft (eg are you pacing the stage or rocking?); then listen to the video with sound only so that you focus on the language, pacing, intonation etc. This process will help you refine your speech and show you which areas require finessing.

Practice and editing, is like the final touch of a skilled craftsman. It involves rehearsal, refining language, and eliminating filler words. By mastering pauses, emphasis, and variation, you make your speech concise and compelling. A practiced and edited speech outshines an improvised one in its brevity and impact.

Every great presenter who makes it look natural has put hours of practice in. Like the GOATs in sports, first to arrive, last to leave. But - don’t practice for perfection. Practice for flow & anticipation. Practice so that you enjoy the moment regardless of what happens on the day. There will always be things we can’t control. Detach from trying to control it all. Instead, control you & how you respond to the unexpected. How? Your presentation performance on the day starts 10mins before you step into the spotlight and speak. Turn off your phone - protect your focus Go to the loo - relax your body Breath - fill your body with fresh oxygen Stretch - be ready to move Smile - get ready to connect Sip some water - stay hydrated

I agree with the suggestion of 10-20 minutes. Our concentration span is getting shorter and shorter. So about 20 minutes is just right. I tend to reserve about 15 minutes for Q+A and usually the Q+A part can be even more interesting that the actual presentation because you are directly responding to the audience

Discovering your sweet spot is akin to finding the perfect tempo in a musical composition. It's where your speech length harmonizes with your purpose, audience, context, structure, and practice. While there's no one-size-fits-all answer, a general guideline is to aim for 10 to 20 minutes, aligning with the typical adult attention span. Of course, adapt this range as needed to fit your unique situation and goals. The essence lies in pinpointing your sweet spot, ensuring your message resonates effectively and captivates your audience.

Every great performer has an encore song. The main set is designed one song short. So the audience demands for one more. A presentation should be the same - in a way leave the audience wanting more. This could be being invited to speak again at a future event. Engagement in the QnA. Networking after the keynote. Connect on social media. It’s better to end with people feeling satisfied but wanting more because they don’t want a good thing to end.

Figure out how long you think you need to convey the message you'd like to. Draft a talk that you are reasonably happy with the content that fits in the time frame. Now cut it down by 30-50%. If it was 10 minutes trim it to 7; if it was 20 minutes, trim it to 15, if it was 40 minutes, trim it to 25. This will force you to make decisions about what really matters and no audience will get mad at you for finishing in less time. I've yet to see a speech that couldn't have been improved by being shorter. Except of course the Gettysburg address which was 272 words and delivered in less then 3 minutes.

I’m in a business community and every week a guest expert is invited to share their expertise. The session is an hour on Zoom. Most people come and give a 40-50 minute presentation. Share some dos and don’ts. With slides and end for questions. The best event was when someone flipped this. They spoke for 10 minutes. The remaining time was a conversation with the audience. Almost everyone spoke. The session ran longer for 20 minutes and no one minded. At the end of the session the organizer was planing a second talk. This speaker recognised the context of the Zoom was two-way. They were not on stage at a conference. They included the audience and everyone loved it.

I agree with the points raised. Indeed, one size does not fit all. Adaptability is key. "Mini skirt" is probably always best, 'long enough to cover the essentials, short enough to keep the audience interested.' However, sometimes the time frame of the invitation can determine the outcome in length and quality. To paraphrase, the shorter the time of the invitation, the longer the speech may become. Of course, one would need to know one's boundaries in accepting invitations.