tips to make a speech longer

• Speech Crafting →

How to Add Length to a Speech (Make Presentation Longer)

Looking for a way to make your speech longer? Whether you’re a lawyer trying to fill out closing arguments, a history professor trying to fit more detail into your lesson, or presenting a persuasive argument, there are many reasons to know how to add length to a speech. But knowing where to start isn’t always easy.

That’s why this blog post has been assembled: To offer you tips for extending your speech and giving it the length it needs to make an impact.

From adding examples to providing visuals, we’ll cover everything you need to know about adding length to a speech. So whether you’re looking for crafty ways to increase your speaking stamina – or how best to synthesize reams of information into an interesting oration – read on for our top tips for making your speech longer.

Quick Summary of Key Points

You can add length to a speech by providing more detail and examples in the main points, introducing new points or arguments, or simply expanding upon any existing points. Additionally, including multimedia elements like images, audio, and video will help you increase the length of your speech.

Making Effective Use of Time

Making effective use of time is a great way to add length to your speech while also making the topic more engaging. While quickly transitioning from one point to another can help you cover a lot of ground, it doesn’t always make for an interesting performance.

To give your audience time to reflect on the information shared and enjoy some well-timed pauses, use a few different strategies for controlling the pace of your speech.

Debaters often make use of rhetorical devices such as similes and metaphors – you could likewise employ these kinds of figures of speech in a more subtle manner in order to provide breathing room between points.

Another trick is to deliberately draw out an unusually long pause after making an important remark; doing this can emphasize its significance and help ensure that the message sticks with your listeners.

Providing details when making claims or explaining concepts is also beneficial, as it gives you more opportunities to clarify the material and speak about it at length.

By taking the time needed for digressions and reflections, you can both fully explain complex topics without rushing through them and keep your audience paying attention for extended periods.

However, there can be too much of a good thing; don’t overuse pauses or try to stretch out each segment indefinitely – know where to draw the line to make your presentation exciting rather than boring.

Using effective strategies for controlling the pace will make your longer speech much more enjoyable; let’s move on now to the next section which looks at how they can be used more deliberately by varying your technique during pauses.

Control the Pace with Pauses

Pacing your speech is one of the easiest and most effective ways of extending the length of a presentation. Pauses in between thoughts can greatly increase the time it takes to deliver a speech, while still maintaining interest with the audience.

For example, pausing as a way to signal that an important point is being made, or to catch breaths in between ideas. Pausing also gives the audience members time to react and process the information that has been shared.

Adding appropriate pauses throughout your talk can emphasize critical story points, draw attention to actionable takeaways, or give your audience a chance reflect on what you have said.

An effective way to ensure pauses in your speech is to be mindful of how quickly you’re speaking and using your breath effectively by taking natural, measured pauses between sections or points. By doing this, you can extend your attention span without running out of air and losing grip of your audience’s attention.

On the other hand, too much pausing or relying heavily on it can create a disjointed flow in your address and slow down the tempo considerably; halting any momentum that has been generated from your talk.

It is important for speakers to remember not all pauses are created equal – careful consideration should be given to their placement within a talk and make sure that they feel authentic and purposeful.

In conclusion, there is value in controlling the pace of a speech through natural pauses – appropriately used, they will add length while maintaining interest. The next section will provide further tips on how including stories into your speech can hold an audiences’ focus while conveying key messages more effectively.

Including Helpful Stories

Stories can be a powerful tool to add length to a speech and connect with your audience , especially when used appropriately. Incorporating stories into a speech can create engagement and evoke emotion.

By using real life or relevant stories, you can highlight the message of your speech and make it more meaningful.

However, if overused, stories can be distracting to the audience. Make sure that any story you include is pertinent to the point you are trying to make. If an anecdote is not adding substance, leave it out of the speech. Additionally, make sure your stories are brief; delve into no more than one or two key points.

By including helpful stories in your speech, you can provide extra details about your topic that could make the material more vivid for your audience.

To ensure the story is effective and entertaining , remember to keep it brief and relevant to the point you are making. Having accomplished this goal, it’s time to turn to another way of comprehending how to add length to a speech: Connecting with your audience.

Connect with Your Audience

Connecting with your audience is one of the most important elements of creating a successful speech. When an audience can connect with a speaker, their natural interest will tend to keep them engaged.

To achieve this connection, consider using stories, humor , and conversations to engage your audience and make it more memorable.

On the other hand, connecting with your audience can be challenging without practice. Even if you have great stories or jokes prepared in advance, they won’t do any good if you don’t know how to recognize your audience’s responses and adjust accordingly.

The tone and energy level during your presentation is also important; too quiet and you may lose the audience’s attention, too loud and you may come off as desperate.

It is possible to add length to a speech by connecting with your audience, but it is also something that should be approached with caution and thoughtfulness. Finding ways to engage an audience can make a speech longer, but it should always feel natural and relevant to the content being presented.

By understanding how to connect with an audience effectively, you can create a longer, more engaging speech that is sure to leave a lasting impression. Next we’ll discuss how important it is to explain key points in depth when creating a longer speech.

Explaining Key Points

When trying to add length to a speech, make sure to take the time to explain any key points. Explaining the essential elements of your talk with clarity and detail can quickly add up the minutes! It’s also beneficial to make sure to provide examples and analogies which help listeners understand your points more clearly as they are easier to remember.

Be sure to clearly answer questions from your audience, as this is another way to extend the length of a talk. Don’t be afraid to ask your listeners for their perspectives on the topic – this can be a great opportunity for dialogue that both adds length to a speech, and engages the audience in something interactive.

On the other hand, one must be cautious not to get carried away with adding too much detail or redundancies that will bore and risk losing audiences by providing too much information, which ultimately defeats the main goal of giving an effective presentation . Too much detail can lead attendees to lose focus or even distract them entirely away from the main points of your speech.

When done correctly however, explaining key points properly in a speech is essential for making it longer and creating quality content that resonates with an audience.

With some practice and experimentation, speakers will be able to find what methods are most effective when elaborating on certain topics. Moving forward, mastering these techniques can greatly aid in transitioning into the next section – practicing for perfection.

Practice for Perfection

A key part of stretching out your speech is to practice. It can be helpful to practice in front of a mirror or with an audience (starting small if needed) so that you can get feedback. As you practice, you will be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your speech, as well as any areas where you could add more information. This will allow you to adjust it until it is near perfect.

Another benefit to practicing is that you will be able to time yourself as well. This is important for determining how much content you need to add for optimal timing. By timing yourself, you will know when and how much material needs to be added in order to make your speech longer without going over the allotted time limit.

Finally, when practicing your speech, try to focus on enunciating your words and projecting your voice to fill the entire room. If your audience can’t hear what you’re saying, then all of your hard work in adding material will be in vain. Investing time in properly delivering the material is key for ensuring that the message is conveyed well and resonates with your audience.

By practicing for perfection, you can ensure that all aspects of your speech are ready for delivery come presentation day. Now let’s move onto a key component: repeating ideas.

Repeating Ideas

Choosing to repeat key ideas throughout a presentation can be an effective way of adding length and impact. In fact, repetition often improves understanding, gives coherence of thought, and encourages better memorisation.

Furthermore, using repetition as a tool for amplifying the core messages of a speech encourages a deeper understanding for the audience.

Reiterating ideas also serves a useful purpose in simplifying complex topics for those listeners who may not be familiar with the field. By repeating certain terms and phrases, more focused emphasis is placed on those points during the delivery of the speech.

Repetition acts as a catalyst for unraveling difficult concepts in order to reach an understanding between speaker and listener.

However, it is important to be aware that too much repetition has the potential to work against progress by invoking boredom or confusion in an audience.

It’s important to ask- are specific phrases being used that are absolutely vital? Is there another way to say it? Too much repetition can have negative repercussions such as disengaging the attention of the crowd.

It’s crucial not just to focus on the sheer number of times one may mention a particular idea but rather foster a creative approach to reiteration or rephrasing of their core messages.

To maximize effect, consider using rhetorical strategies such as anaphoras , metaphors or chiasmus which are all capable of adding interest and gravity to your words without causing tediousness.

When used correctly and carefully, repeating key ideas throughout your speech can be an incredibly useful tool for increasing its length and impact. Just remember not to overdo it! With this in mind let’s move onto our next section about using effective transitions when adding length to a speech.

Using Effective Transitions

Using effective transitions can be a great way to add length to a speech. When transitioning between topics, figures of speech can be used to bridge the gap between thought processes, creating an interesting connection and adding valuable seconds to your total speech length.

A few examples are: metaphors, similes, analogies, puns, and proverbs. However, the use of transitions all boils down to effective rhetoric and the speaker’s personal style – not all stories will suit all speakers in every situation.

The key is finding which type of transition works best with their topic and audience. While it may be tempting to use transitions as time- fillers and crutches for when you’re out of ideas, it isn’t sustainable as a long-term solution or very effective in holding audience interest.

It’s important to remember that transitions should be used to connect related points together – not fill voids or whitewash awkward breaks in conversation flow.

By carefully selecting the right type of transition that works for their speech topic and audience, speakers can create an engaging transition instead of an abrupt switch between two topics. This provides a smooth transition, while also adding valuable seconds to the overall speech length.

Heading into the next section, let’s discuss the importance of structuring your speech correctly so you can efficiently extend its length without losing its value or impact on the audience.

Conclusion: Crafting an Engaging Speech

Every great public speaker knows that it takes much more than just lengthy words and phrases to make a speech stand out.

While finding ways to add length is useful, crafting an engaging and memorable speech that captivates can be far more important. To do this, speakers should focus their energy on the overall quality of their words and the content that they present.

For a powerful conclusion that sticks in the audience’s mind and ties everything together so you don’t leave your audience hanging, try offering recommendations or solutions in your closing remarks that are relevant to the core themes of your speech.

A call-to-action or energetic summary of what was discussed can also be effective for leaving a lasting impression with your listeners.

Speakers should also strive to have a good command of nonverbal communication when giving speeches . Your demeanor plays an important role in creating a link between yourself, your topic and your audience.

Through facial expressions and body language like hand gestures and movement, speakers can effectively use visuals to bring extra emphasis to their key points. This helps hold listener attention while providing a memorable experience they won’t soon forget.

Ultimately, it’s all about anchoring the different elements of your speech together to create something extraordinary. Whether you add length with intricate stories, vivid imagery or summaries of your points, the goal is to ensure that you remain organized yet creative, engaging yet concise.

With these steps in mind, any speaker can enjoy the satisfying feeling of delivering an outstanding speech!

Common Questions

What methods can i use to ensure my speech remains interesting.

When it comes to ensuring that your speech remains interesting, there are several methods you can use. 1. Use humor. Adding a few humorous one-liners during your speech can be a great way to grab the audience’s attention and keep them engaged. 2. Connect on an emotional level with your audience. When crafting your speech, try to find ways to resonate with the audience by drawing on personal stories or experiences that they may relate to or stories of people who have been in similar situations as them. 3. Showcase facts and figures. Statistics and data can help prove a point in a persuasive way and is often more interesting than just talking about abstract concepts. 4. Insert visuals. Visual aids help break up the monotony of a lengthy speech and helps keep the audience’s eyes engaged on something other than the speaker for a few seconds. 5. Engage with the audience through questions or activities. Asking thoughtful questions throughout the speech or offering interactive activities are excellent ways to get the audience involved and create a more dynamic atmosphere.

How can I add meaningful content to my speech?

Adding meaningful content to a speech is an important part of ensuring that it resonates with your audience. Here are some tips for doing just that: 1. Identify Your Audience: Knowing your audience’s needs and interests will help you tailor your speech to provide the information and value they seek. Consider including a brief introduction about who you are speaking to, then adjust the topics of your speech accordingly. 2. Determine Your Message: If you’re not sure what message you want to send, take some time to think about why you are delivering the speech in the first place. Define exactly what value you plan to communicate and be as specific as possible. 3. Research Your Subject: Conducting research before writing or delivering your speech can help ensure that your content is relevant and accurate. This can also give you useful facts and figures which can add tangible data points to support your argument. 4. Utilize Examples & Stories: People remember stories more than facts, so intersperse anecdotes throughout your speech that demonstrate how the concept applies in real life situations. This can make abstract information more accessible and engaging for audiences. 5. Request Participation: Ask questions throughout your presentation that require audience participation in order to fill gaps in their knowledge, keep them engaged, and create shared experiences amongst those present. Ultimately, adding meaningful content to a speech requires thoughtful consideration of who you are speaking to and what type of value they expect from the presentation. With these tips, you will be well on your way to delivering a memorable, impactful talk!

What strategies can I use to lengthen my speech?

1. Add sources and references to your speech: Don’t just cite the source in-text, but explain the relevance of the source to your arguments. This will not only help to flesh out your argument, but also increase the length of your speech. 2. Include stories or anecdotes: Adding stories or anecdotes can work to bring a personal element to your speech, which can further bolster your arguments and increase its length. 3. Incorporate examples and visuals: If possible, back up your argument point with facts and figures that the audience can relate to. This will allow them to have a better understanding of what you are saying, as well as add more time to the total duration of your speech. 4. Speak in complete sentences: Not only does this make it easier for listeners to follow what you are saying, but it can also significantly increase the overall length of your speech. Be aware of run-on sentences, however – these can quickly make your speech confusing and/or too long to be effective. 5.Elaborate on ideas: Spend more time going into detail about certain points raised during the speech. This gives you an opportunity to explain why a particular subject is important, while also adding more words and extending total duration of the speech. 6. Insert pauses: Pausing after making a key point allows the audience time to consider and understand what was said before moving on, which then gives you more speaking time in turn if done correctly. 7. Introduce new topics: If time permits, introducing an entirely new topic late in the game can provide an excellent way to create an interesting endnote for your speech and extend its duration further still. 8. Use humor: A lighthearted joke here and there during a speech adds an unexpected element that will engage the audience and add an additional few seconds on top of whatever length you initially intended for your speech. 9. Reiterate: Reiterating important points throughout a speech is another great option for lengthening it without taking away from the original message being conveyed. It also helps remind audience members of key messages they might have forgotten in between other points being made during your presentation or talk

10 Tips for Improving Your Public Speaking Skills

Few are immune to the fear of public speaking. Marjorie North offers 10 tips for speakers to calm the nerves and deliverable memorable orations.

Marjorie North

Snakes? Fine. Flying? No problem. Public speaking? Yikes! Just thinking about public speaking — routinely described as one of the greatest (and most common) fears — can make your palms sweat. But there are many ways to tackle this anxiety and learn to deliver a memorable speech.

In part one of this series,  Mastering the Basics of Communication , I shared strategies to improve how you communicate. In part two, How to Communicate More Effectively in the Workplace , I examined how to apply these techniques as you interact with colleagues and supervisors in the workplace. For the third and final part of this series, I’m providing you with public speaking tips that will help reduce your anxiety, dispel myths, and improve your performance.

Here Are My 10 Tips for Public Speaking:

1. nervousness is normal. practice and prepare.

All people feel some physiological reactions like pounding hearts and trembling hands. Do not associate these feelings with the sense that you will perform poorly or make a fool of yourself. Some nerves are good. The adrenaline rush that makes you sweat also makes you more alert and ready to give your best performance.

The best way to overcome anxiety is to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more. Take the time to go over your notes several times. Once you have become comfortable with the material, practice — a lot. Videotape yourself, or get a friend to critique your performance.

Communication Strategies: Presenting with Impact

Search all Communication programs.

2. Know Your Audience. Your Speech Is About Them, Not You.

Before you begin to craft your message, consider who the message is intended for. Learn as much about your listeners as you can. This will help you determine your choice of words, level of information, organization pattern, and motivational statement.

3. Organize Your Material in the Most Effective Manner to Attain Your Purpose.

Create the framework for your speech. Write down the topic, general purpose, specific purpose, central idea, and main points. Make sure to grab the audience’s attention in the first 30 seconds.

4. Watch for Feedback and Adapt to It.

Keep the focus on the audience. Gauge their reactions, adjust your message, and stay flexible. Delivering a canned speech will guarantee that you lose the attention of or confuse even the most devoted listeners.

5. Let Your Personality Come Through.

Be yourself, don’t become a talking head — in any type of communication. You will establish better credibility if your personality shines through, and your audience will trust what you have to say if they can see you as a real person.

6. Use Humor, Tell Stories, and Use Effective Language.

Inject a funny anecdote in your presentation, and you will certainly grab your audience’s attention. Audiences generally like a personal touch in a speech. A story can provide that.

7. Don’t Read Unless You Have to. Work from an Outline.

Reading from a script or slide fractures the interpersonal connection. By maintaining eye contact with the audience, you keep the focus on yourself and your message. A brief outline can serve to jog your memory and keep you on task.

8. Use Your Voice and Hands Effectively. Omit Nervous Gestures.

Nonverbal communication carries most of the message. Good delivery does not call attention to itself, but instead conveys the speaker’s ideas clearly and without distraction.

9. Grab Attention at the Beginning, and Close with a Dynamic End.

Do you enjoy hearing a speech start with “Today I’m going to talk to you about X”? Most people don’t. Instead, use a startling statistic, an interesting anecdote, or concise quotation. Conclude your speech with a summary and a strong statement that your audience is sure to remember.

10. Use Audiovisual Aids Wisely.

Too many can break the direct connection to the audience, so use them sparingly. They should enhance or clarify your content, or capture and maintain your audience’s attention.

Practice Does Not Make Perfect

Good communication is never perfect, and nobody expects you to be perfect. However, putting in the requisite time to prepare will help you deliver a better speech. You may not be able to shake your nerves entirely, but you can learn to minimize them.

Find related Communication programs.

Browse all Professional & Executive Development programs.

About the Author

North is a consultant for political candidates, physicians, and lawyers, and runs a private practice specializing in public speaking, and executive communication skills. Previously, she was the clinical director in the department of speech and language pathology and audiology at Northeastern University.

Why Gender Equity in the Workplace is Good for Business

Research indicates a correlation between gender equity and organizational success, yet it also points to obstacles for women in leadership.

Harvard Division of Continuing Education

The Division of Continuing Education (DCE) at Harvard University is dedicated to bringing rigorous academics and innovative teaching capabilities to those seeking to improve their lives through education. We make Harvard education accessible to lifelong learners from high school to retirement.

14 Tips On How To Improve Speaking Skills (Speak Like A Pro!)

If you feel nervous or flustered when it’s your time to talk, use these actionable practices to be more articulate and well-spoken in the workplace and beyond.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

Whether you’re chatting with coworkers at lunch, having an important conversation with your boss, or giving a big presentation, speaking with confidence and charisma can transform your daily life.

Research shows that communication skills are strong predictors of your success in the workplace and relationships . Yet, so many people still struggle with verbally expressing themselves. Excellent speakers benefit from:

• Improved communication
• Getting their ideas heard
• Earning more respect
• Being interrupted less
• Having more loyal and deep connections
• Not being underestimated or overlooked

If you are hesitating or flustered when it’s your turn to talk, here are 14 actionable tips for improving your speaking skills.

Watch our video below to learn powerful presentation skills in person, on video, and in meetings:

How to Improve Speaking Skills at Work and Beyond: 14 Action-Packed Tips

Most kids learn to talk around 1 to 2 years old, but learning to express yourself verbally is a lifelong learning experience. You can excel in your career and get what you want by mastering the art of talking. 

Many tools are available to improve your speech, whether you’re a native speaker or an English learner. Here are the top 14 science-backed ways to speak better: 

#1 Stay in your zone of genius (only talk about what you know)

You may notice that the most professional-sounding people tend to stay in their zone of genius when speaking publicly. You won’t hear Oprah pretending she’s an expert in electric cars. Nor will you hear Elon Musk advising about spirituality and personal development.

They both stay in their realms of expertise, which naturally makes them sound confident when they speak. They’re not faking it— they know what they’re talking about!

If you struggle to speak with conviction, you may inadvertently talk about topics you don’t know much about. Instead, focus on your zone of genius.

Your zone of genius is the mental space where your skills and interests converge .

It includes the subjects, facts, and stories you know the most about. These things are easy for you to talk about with others because you’re knowledgeable and passionate about them. 

Avoid talking off the cuff about topics you’re not familiar with. Not only does this make you sound uninformed or untrustworthy, but it can send off the message that you are a “know-it-all.” 

Masterful conversationalists are usually not afraid to say, “I don’t know.” Similarly, a public speaker won’t add random facts or opinions that they can’t back up with authentic knowledge on the topic.

Pro tip: Not a master in your subject? No worries! Most people have limited knowledge in a particular field. Try learning from the Three Book Rule, which states that if you read 3 books on a specific topic (for example, tennis), you’ll be more knowledgeable than 99% of the population.

#2 Read books or articles out loud

Reading is one of the most underrated tools for becoming a great speaker. It can make you sound more articulate and smooth in your speech. Plus, you learn new vocabulary and better comprehend the book in the process. 

Unlike conversations or spoken speeches, written text tends to have a better structure for learning, as authors and editors have worked together to keep the text free of grammatical errors or awkward sentences. Reading books aloud helps you learn to speak more smoothly in day-to-day conversations. 

Repeat this exercise at least once per week (or every night before bed if you’re determined):

• Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted.
• Choose a book you enjoy, flip to a random page, or continue reading where you left off.
• Read the page out loud from start to end.
• Take note of words you had trouble pronouncing or sentences that sounded awkward out loud. Notice how fast or slow you read and the tone of your voice. Depending on the character’s speaking, you can also practice changing your voice if you’re reading fiction. This can help you practice vocal variety.
• Look up the pronunciation of specific words if needed. 
• Now read the page or passage out loud again. Change your performance based on what you noticed in the first round. Emphasize important points with a shift in volume or inflection (highness or lowness of your voice)  
• Optionally, use voice memos on your phone to record yourself reading.
• Listen back to your recordings and find places where your inflection, cadence (the rhythm of speech), and volume change. Do these align with the overall message of the piece? 

If you feel unsure about reading aloud, try listening to audiobook samples to hear how different speakers recite written words. You can also use a free resource like Librivox to listen to free audiobooks or volunteer to read yourself and practice becoming a better speaker.

#3 Use tongue twisters to practice enunciation

Mumbling speech can make it challenging to understand what you’re saying. When people mumble, it sends the message that they don’t want to be heard or feel embarrassed by their speech. On the other hand, people who enunciate their words are seen as more intelligent. 

Eloquent speaking is undoubtedly an art, but it starts with the simple act of training your mouth to move in a certain way. Those silly tongue twisters from your childhood can be surprisingly useful. Repeating related sounds can improve your English speaking skills and articulation of specific words. 

Repeat these 10 times each or until you can say them over and over without fumbling: 

• Red leather, yellow leather, red leather, yellow leather.
• Sally sells shells by the seashore.
• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
• How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
• You know New York, you need New York, you know you need unique New York. 
• I saw a kitten eating chicken in the kitchen. 

Use tongue twisters regularly and as a vocal warm-up before you do a lot of talking. 

Bonus Tip: Learn the Art of Stage Presence

Did you know that public speaking is actually a skill? Many people struggle with stage anxiety because they feel they ‘missed the memo’ on public speaking or they are lacking because they do not have a natural stage presence. Not true!

Stage presence and public speaking are skills you need to be taught—very few people have them naturally. 

Watch our video below to learn the 7 steps to overcome stage fright and beat performance anxiety:

Here are all the aspects of public speaking you can master.

• How to make a first impression with an audience
• How to have stage presence
• Powerful body language
• How to speak with a commanding voice
• What to do with your hands while speaking

For every speaking skill you add to your toolbox, the less speaking anxiety you will feel.

If you want help really diving into your presentation skills, be sure to sign-up for our course…

Master Your People Skills

• Create a Memorable Presence
• Communicate with Confidence
• Achieve Your Goals

Have a question about the presentation or People School? Email Science of People support .

#4 Talk to yourself

One of the easiest ways to step into your power as a speaker is to start talking to yourself. People often dismiss those who talk to themselves as crazy when, in reality, talking to yourself is entirely normal. 

Scientists have found that talking to yourself is beneficial for enhancing your performance in sports, finding things you lost, and solving problems. A practice called mirror meditation combines neuroscience and self-reflection to overcome insecurities like physical appearance and public speaking. 

You can use self-talk with or without a mirror to achieve two primary goals:

• Build your confidence : Psychologists say that talking to yourself in a mirror can help externalize your inner dialogue and sort through your thoughts. Speaking positive things to your reflection is a form of positive affirmation. For example, you can calm your nerves before talking to someone important by telling your reflection, “You’ve got this! You are well-spoken, eloquent, and powerful with your words. You’re going to rock this conversation. I love you.” You don’t necessarily have to say these things out loud, but you want to signal to your mind that you are your number one fan (and you should be!).
• Rehearse before big moments (and sort through your thoughts) : For example, you can rehearse what you’ll say to your boss while you’re driving in the car on your way to work. Don’t worry about acting looking weird—nobody will be able to hear you. Use verbal recitation to gather your thoughts, so you can repeat the key points you want to discuss in the meeting. Similarly, before a big speech, you may want to walk around your room and go over a speech script in your head or out loud. 

Both methods can work synergistically to improve your speaking skills drastically. But the most important thing to remember about self-talk is: Avoid talking to yourself negatively whenever possible , especially before a critical communication event like a meeting, presentation, or important lunch. 

Listen to your internal voice and avoid internal statements like:

• “You sound stupid.”
• “I am horrible at public speaking.”
• “Your voice sounds embarrassing.”
• “You idiot, get it out already.” 

Replacing negative self-talk takes practice. Replace critical self-talk with positive affirmations ( here are 120 great ones ) and learn more about silencing your inner critic so you can feel more confident in your speech.   

#5 Learn from the best (& mimic them)

Humans are psychologically programmed to mimic each other. Mirror neurons are primal “monkey see, monkey do” parts of our brain that imitate the actions we see in other people. They explain why babies naturally smile when you smile or why you can learn to swim by watching others move in the water. 

Recent research has also revealed how these neurons are critical for learning language and communicating with others. You can even “hack” your mirror neurons to help you become a better speaker. Think about the best speakers you know and try a few of these simple practices to pick up on their best qualities:

• Watch a video of your favorite speaker three times in a row. Notice their tone of voice, stature, and vocal quirks. Learn a few sentences from the speech and try to re-enact them in a mirror. For example, if you want to mimic the conversational yet profound tone of Denzel Washington, watch this video of his speech at a graduation:

• Pretend you’re an actor and recite lines from a movie character you like. You can find specific scenes from movies on YouTube. Analyze how the script structure impacts your feelings about that character’s confidence and self-expression.
• Listen to a podcast of someone you admire and repeat things they say out loud. Podcasters are great speakers because they only have their voice to capture your attention. For example, Rob Dial of The Mindset Mentor is authentic, empowering, and energizing podcaster who speaks directly to the audience’s needs. 

Pro Tip : Speech mimicry helps you learn to speak more confidently in public or on stage, but remember to stay true to your unique qualities. You don’t want to copy other people’s words, or you will be inauthentic. Instead, take note of the specific qualities you want to adopt—such as a deeper voice, a slower pace of speaking, or a particular type of vocabulary—and integrate these into your existing communication style. 

#6 Always remember your MVP

An MVP isn’t just the star of a sports team. It’s the Most Valuable Point you need to make in any communication setting. If everything else you say was forgotten, what is one sentence that gets your point across?

Before you go into a meeting with your team, give a speech, or check in with your boss, think about your MVP. For example,

• I’m going into this check-in with my boss to ask for a raise of X dollars. 
• I want to sit down with my significant other tonight and resolve our miscommunication about X. 
• My main goal for today’s work lunch is to get to know 3 new things about each of my colleagues. 
• The key purpose of this article is to help people improve their speaking skills in various settings.  

Regardless of the communication setting, an MVP gives purpose to your words. 

Bonus: If you want to sound really convincing, practice turning your MVP into a specific sentence or two. Something like:

• “My performance in the past 6 months has doubled the company’s revenue, and, as a result, I believe I deserve a higher raise.”
• “There was a miscommunication earlier, but after some deep thinking, I realize it was my fault, and I am truly sorry.”

Having a concrete sentence or two memorized can help deliver your speech powerfully and convincingly.

#7 Sound more confident by speaking louder and lower

Speaking isn’t only about what you say but how you say it. A 2017 Yale study found that the sound of your voice is what makes people:

• Believe what you’re saying
• Feel certain emotions 

Think about it: How do you feel when you hear someone using filler words like “um” or “like” in every sentence? What about someone who talks softly? Or someone who raises their voice at the end of a statement to make it sound like a question?

You probably won’t perceive them as confident in what they’re saying. You may even be less likely to do business with them, believe their story, or give them what they’re asking for. 

There are three keys to sounding more confident when you talk:

• Speak louder (but don’t yell) : When you feel nervous, you may naturally talk more softly. But this can create a negative feedback loop that makes you sound (and feel) less confident. Instead, make your voice sound stronger by speaking at a moderate volume that you adjust based on the room and audience size. 
• Speak lower : Research shows that people who speak louder and lower are perceived as more dominant and authoritative. This is particularly important for women who talk in soft, high tones. You don’t need to change your natural voice completely; instead, practice speaking in the lower end of your range. 
• Talk at a moderately fast pace : If you speak too slowly, you could sound boring. People who drone on in a monotone don’t tend to keep our attention for long. On the other hand, if you speak too fast, you could sound annoying or difficult to understand. Studies have found that people who talk at a moderately fast pace (about 195 words per minute) seem more intelligent, persuasive, and attractive. Measure your voice with a Metronome app for Android or iOS and try to land in the 110-160 word per minute range.

Remember that your optimal vocal volume and pitch may change depending on your audience. Learn more tips about How to Speak with Confidence and Sound Better .  

Watch our video below to learn how to sound confident on the phone with 5 simple steps:

#8 Prepare your voice

Have you noticed your voice sounds groggy in the morning or strained after singing too loud on the drive to work? It’s not the best vocal state for negotiating a business deal or asking for a raise. 

Vocal care isn’t just for singers or public speakers. Proper preparation ensures your voice doesn’t crack when it comes time to speak up in a meeting. To sound better when talking, remember to:

• Use deep breathing : Shallow chest breathing can make you sound more jittery or nervous when talking. Deep belly breathing exercises can help improve your oxygen levels while simultaneously calming your body. 
• Exhale first : When it comes time to speak, most people breathe and start their sentences with an inhale. Instead, remember to exhale first. Blow out a strong breath just before you start talking.
• Stay hydrated : Your voice is directly affected by your level of hydration. Research even finds that hydrated voices sound better . If you are about to speak for an extended period in a speech or meeting, drink plenty of water in the hours leading up to the event.
• Use our 5 vocal warm-ups in our article and video below:

5 Vocal Warm-Ups Before Meetings, Speeches and Presentations

#9 Start and end with the best points

The serial-position effect explains why people remember the first and last things you say the most clearly. Whether talking to your coworkers about a project or giving a big pitch to a client, you should emphasize the best points at the beginning and the end.  

This is particularly important for presentations, but you can apply it to daily conversations. When preparing to speak, the first thing to do is brainstorm all your key points and ideas. It helps to jot them down on flashcards or digital slides. Arrange them so that the juiciest or most essential points come first. Then, reiterate them at the end as well.

For example, if you’re selling your marketing services to a client, the very first lines of the presentation may emphasize why your agency’s package is the best one available. This is sort of like a thesis. You might start with: “Top Level Agency is a one-stop shop for your marketing needs because we do all web design and digital production in-house (no freelancers or contractors!), offer 24-hour emergency technical support, and monthly payment plans.” 

Then, you can introduce yourself, explain the package offerings, and dig into more details. At the end of the presentation, repeat the key benefits they’ll get from working with your company. 

People remember the beginning and the end ! Avoiding burying your important points in the middle! Many people tell stories chronologically and accidentally bore their audience with background stories and foundational info that leaves a bad first impression. 

Pro Tip: Practice your opening and closing line the most. If you have these, you know you will start and end on a high.

#10 Master the art of presentations with 4 quick tips

From job interviews to congratulatory speeches to workplace meeting presentations, speaking in front of a group of people is a life skill that we all must practice at some point. It’s how you sell yourself, your ideas, or your products and services. Yet over 30% of Americans list public speaking (glossophobia) as one of their biggest fears. Fortunately, overcoming glossophobia can be as simple as preparation and practice. 

Here are four quick tips to transform your presentation skills:  

• Start with a hook : First impressions are everything! A sparkling one-liner, a fascinating story, or an intriguing question are the easiest ways to capture your audience’s attention before you dig into the details. Notice how Vanessa Van Edwards’ Tedx Talk starts with a funny phrase about her awkwardness: 

• Cut out excess info : A short presentation packed with information is far better than a long, boring drone full of fluff. Cut down your speech to the basics so that everything supports your main point. Avoid irrelevant facts or boring anecdotes. 
• Don’t just talk : The most captivating presentations use multiple modalities. Instead of just standing and talking, an engaging presenter will layer on the graphics, charts, videos, and visual demonstrations. 
• Pretend you’re a performer : In his book, Steal the Show , actor, and coach Michael Port says the quickest way to boost your confidence is to simply act like you’re giving a performance and you don’t have any stage fright. Transform your negative inner talk to something positive by tricking your mind into thinking you’re capable and confident in your speaking skills. 

Pro Tip : If you are planning for a big presentation and fear losing the audience’s attention, consider making your presentation more interactive by inviting the audience to participate. You can use non-awkward icebreakers , “raise your hand” questions or a social media poll on a related topic. 

Some presenters even invite an audience member to the stage for role-playing or a mini-case study. For example, in a meeting presentation about how you plan to improve upselling techniques in your stores, you may invite a coworker to act out a customer-salesperson scenario. 

Want more tips? Take your presentations to the next level with these 10 Presentation Ideas That Will Radically Improve Your Presentation Skills . 

#11 Use meaningful hand gestures

People who “talk with their hands” are naturally more magnetic. Studies show that gestures increase the value of spoken words by up to 60%! But you don’t just want to flail your hands around without purpose. Our analysis of the top TED Talks of all time found that there are specific movements that portray confidence.

These 7 powerful hand gestures include:

• Show the number : Any time you mention a number, use your fingers to add a visual element of that amount. 
• Increase or decrease : Spread your hands closer or farther away to demonstrate the intensity of a conversation point. For example, if you say, “this is a small problem,” you may close your hands together to show a small space. 
• Feel it in the heart : When discussing something emotional, gesture toward your heart or chest region. You may naturally put your hand over your heart when you say, “this means so much to me.”
• Guide your explanations : Use your hands to give a visual guide to a complex explanation. For example, suppose you’re discussing two opposing viewpoints. In that case, you might gesture to the right for Point 1 and to the left for Point 2.
• Bring things together : When you discuss the convergence of points or groups, bring your palms together in the center to demonstrate these two things merging. 
• Emblems : Cultural hand motions like thumbs up, A-OK, or pointing with an open hand can be used to highlight specific talking points. 
• You-me-we : Bring people into what you’re saying by gesturing towards them, yourself, and then between you. 

Watch this video with Vanessa Van Edwards to see how each gesture works:

Here are another 60 Hand Gestures You Should Be Using and Their Meaning . 

#12 Learn to decode body language (and use it to your advantage)

Have you ever wished you could tell what people are thinking? Decoding body language is an underrated social superpower. If you understand how to tell if your boss is being confrontational or your colleague is withholding information from you, you can have a major communication advantage. 

You’ve probably heard the statistic that 65 to 90% of communication is nonverbal. Unspoken cues often give us more insights into people than what they say out loud. Some of the most notable body language cues to look for include: 

• Lip pursing : People may be subconsciously holding something back. If you accidentally purse your lips during a speech, it may make you seem to withhold something from the audience. 
• Raised eyebrows: When someone is guilty, they might subtly raise their eyebrows to show fear. On the other hand, eyebrow raises can also indicate amusement or surprise. Take notice of your eyebrows while talking in the mirror and use them to emphasize your points.
• Touch : A light touch on the arm can be a thoughtful way to get someone’s attention or help. Combined with speaking in a soft or friendly tone, this can help you appear more kind and more compassionate.
• Firm handshake : A nice firm handshake can portray you as confident but not domineering. Deliver your handshakes with a well-rehearsed introduction like “I’m Joe. It is a pleasure to meet you.” 
• Laughing : In awkward situations, subordinates might laugh to appease the person in power, while superiors may refrain from laughing to uphold their status. As you speak, notice when you awkwardly laugh out of nervousness versus when you laugh because something is actually funny.  
• Sitting versus standing : A sitting person is physically lower than a standing person, making them potentially seem inferior or easier to reprimand. You almost always want to be standing when you are giving a speech or a presentation. On the other hand, sitting while having a tough conversation with your significant other can help create a level playing field for open-hearted discussion. 

Note how you use body language as you talk to others daily. There are so many ways you can combine speaking skills with a specific position or nonverbal cue to portray more confidence, kindness, or influence. Learn more about understanding Body Language In the Workplace: 15 Cues You Must Know . 

#13 Work on pronunciation with this app

Whether you are a native English speaker or learning the English language, countless words in the dictionary aren’t pronounced the way they are spelled. But proper pronunciation can make you sound more knowledgeable and well-spoken. 

The most commonly mispronounced words include:

• Desert vs. Dessert 
• Comfortable

Do you think you’re guilty of mispronunciations? Use the free app, Say It ( Android ) ( iOS ) to check your speech. Oxford University Press developed it to help practice sounds, words, and sentence pronunciation. 

Pro Tip : If you accidentally mispronounce a word in conversation or a presentation, don’t be afraid to correct yourself. It happens to everybody, and there is no shame in saying “excuse me” and repeating it. If you have an accent, embrace it! As long as people understand your words, pronunciation shouldn’t be an argument of tomAYto versus tomAHto. 

#14 Improve your listening skills

Paradoxically, the best speakers tend to be the best listeners. After all, communication is a two-way street. Listening is one of the most valuable social skills because it helps you:

• Understand other people
• Make deeper connections
• Demonstrate that you’re interested in what others have to say 
• Avoid dominating a conversation
• Learn how to speak better

Listening is particularly important if you feel shy or socially awkward . Next time you’re having a conversation, practice active listening with:

• Loud listening : When someone else is speaking, strategically use sounds like “oh,” “ah,” or “wow” to show you are engaged.
• Eye contact : Avoid using your phone or diverting eye contact when someone is talking. Instead, casually hold their gaze for 3-5 seconds to show that you care. But don’t be overbearing with eye contact , or you might appear weird.
• Asking questions : Show that you were paying attention to another person’s story or presentation by asking questions about what was said. Just be sure you don’t interrupt them or cut anyone off while inquiring.
• Wait for your turn to talk : A great conversationalist’s most obvious skill is knowing when to talk. Your decision to speak while someone else is still talking could send the message that you think your opinion is more important than theirs. Politely wait your turn and even leave a few seconds of pause after someone else finishes their thoughts. 

Stuttering and Language Processing Resources:

Do you struggle with stuttering or other language processing issues? You definitely can get help! Here are some great resources to check out:

• The Stuttering Foundation
• Find a Speech Therapist

Key Takeaways: Speak Better with Planning and Practicing

Nobody is born a masterful speaker, but the most charismatic people have cracked some communication code. Fortunately, the secrets to their verbal success are accessible to everyone. Start speaking better with these simple practices:

• Talk louder, lower, and at a moderate pace : If you find yourself speaking soft and slow, it can help to increase the volume, lower the tone, and speed up the rate of your words. This will help you sound and feel more confident while talking. 
• Mimic speakers you admire : Find people you want to sound like and listen to them regularly. Identify the characteristics you want to mimic, like their cheeriness, articulation, or authority. Learn lines from their videos and recite them as you watch.  
• Read out loud : Written words tend to be more edited than spoken ones. Practice reading your favorite books out loud so you can 
• Master pronunciation and enunciation : Avoid mispronunciations and mumbling. Instead, use the internet to learn how to pronounce words you’re unsure about and train your mouth to enunciate specific words with tongue twister exercises. 
• Use hand gestures: Your hands are among the most underrated tools for speaking. Use them to your advantage by emphasizing essential points. 

Whether you’re talking to an audience of 2 or 2,000, public speaking can catapult you to higher levels of self-development and professional success. To take your speaking skills to the next level, learn these 15 Science-Based Public Speaking Tips to Be a Master Speaker . 

Popular Guides

How to deal with difficult people at work.

Do you have a difficult boss? Colleague? Client? Learn how to transform your difficult relationship. I’ll show you my science-based approach to building a strong, productive relationship with even the most difficult people.

Related Articles

Science of People offers over 1000+ articles on people skills and nonverbal behavior.

Get our latest insights and advice delivered to your inbox.

It’s a privilege to be in your inbox. We promise only to send the good stuff.

How to Make a Speech Longer? 6 Best Ways

We’ll go over six suggestions in this article that you can use to make a speech longer; some can be done beforehand as preparation, while others can be used in proceedings.

A speech can seem like a chore if you don’t know how to keep it interesting and thorough while covering everything and staying on topic.

There are many reasons to know how to extend a speech, whether you’re a lawyer trying to add more detail to your closing arguments, a history professor trying to lengthen your lesson, or someone making a strong argument. But it’s not always simple to know where to begin.

If you find that challenging, keep reading for some clever suggestions on how to extend your speech and make the minutes fly by!

Table of Contents

Including Helpful Stories

When used properly, stories can be a potent tool for lengthening a speech and engaging your audience. Invoking emotion and generating engagement are two things that stories can do for speakers.

You can emphasize your speech’s message and give it more weight by using real-world examples or pertinent anecdotes.

However, if they are used excessively, stories can divert the audience. Any story you include should be relevant to the argument you are attempting to make. Keep anecdotes out of speeches if they don’t add anything meaningful. Make sure your stories are succinct and only cover one or two main points.

You can add more information about your subject and help your audience better understand it by including helpful stories in your speech.

Remember to keep your story succinct and pertinent to your point in order to make it both effective and entertaining. After achieving this objective, it’s time to move on to a different strategy for understanding how to lengthen a speech: connecting with your audience.

Connect With Your Audience

One of the most crucial components of writing an effective speech is engaging your audience. An audience’s natural interest will usually keep them attentive when they can relate to the speaker.

If you want to connect with your audience and make a lasting impression, think about using stories, humor, and conversations.

Conversely, engaging your audience without prior experience can be difficult. Even if you have prepared some hilarious jokes or stories, you won’t be able to use them effectively if you don’t know how to read your audience and adapt your material.

The tone and energy you use during your presentation are also crucial; if you are too quiet, the audience may lose interest, and if you are too loud, you might come off as desperate.

By engaging with your audience, you may be able to extend your speech, but you should do so with care and consideration. While increasing the length of a speech by finding ways to engage the audience is possible, it should always feel natural and pertinent to the topic being discussed.

You can make a longer, more interesting speech that is sure to make an impact by learning how to connect with an audience. The importance of thoroughly outlining key points when writing a longer speech will be covered next.

Repeating Ideas

A presentation’s length and impact may be increased by choosing to repeat important concepts repeatedly. Repetition actually frequently fosters better memorization, comprehension, and thought coherence.

Additionally, a deeper understanding of the speech’s main points is promoted by using repetition as a tool for amplifying them.

In order to make complex subjects understandable for listeners who may not be experts in the field, it can be helpful to reiterate ideas. During the delivery of the speech, more concentrated emphasis is placed on those points by repeating specific terms and phrases.

In order to achieve understanding between speaker and listener, repetition serves as a catalyst for breaking down complex ideas.

Layout a Timed Schedule for Your Presentation

By estimating how long you will spend on each section of the presentation, you can schedule your speech. This includes the introduction, all key points, the closing remarks, and any engagements you have planned, such as a Q&A session with the audience.

This gives you a more accurate idea of how long your presentation will last and enables you to identify the sections of your speech where you can choose to add more information or stretch out your speech.

This action needs careful planning, so the presentation structure must be established in advance. You could also start by adding a presentation outline.

Using Effective Transitions

A speech’s length can be increased by using transitions that are effective. Figures of speech can be used to fill in the gaps between ideas when switching topics, forming an intriguing connection, and extending the length of your speech by a few crucial seconds.

Metaphors, similes, analogies, puns, and proverbs are a few examples. Not all stories will work for all speakers in all situations, so the use of transitions ultimately comes down to effective rhetoric and the speaker’s personal style.

Choosing a transition that complements their topic and audience is crucial. When you run out of ideas, it may be tempting to use transitions as time fillers and crutches, but this isn’t a long-term solution and isn’t very good at keeping the audience’s attention.

It’s crucial to keep in mind that transitions should be employed to join together related ideas rather than to cover up awkward pauses in the flow of a conversation.

Incorporate Fun Segments to Lengthen Your Speech

A speech or talk is more likely to be enjoyable if it is interesting rather than dry. A more difficult task is to deliver one after having to listen to some for a long period of time. It is therefore advisable to include collaborative segments in your speech to make it less difficult and more interactive and enjoyable.

• Polls: wherein you can put up a question and ask the audience to vote and choose a particular option. For example, “ Shares vs. Property,” which is a more risky investment? ” can be an example of a poll question.
• Games: This can be done in a more casual manner, such as by providing a picture, locating something, answering a riddle, etc. Word puzzles based on investment strategies, for instance, can be entertaining and light.
• Quizzes : A series of questions with more options and detail than polls may be included in this. One such question could be – “What is the most effective way to learn about investing—books, news, media, or none at all?”

Reasons You Might Need a Longer Presentation

Having a shaky appearance is undesirable. A presentation that is too brief, if done incorrectly, could convey that you lack knowledge of the subject matter or that you did not put enough effort into creating the presentation.

This is true even if you effectively conveyed your point and covered all the necessary ground. You can demonstrate your competence and subject knowledge by giving a lengthy and compelling presentation.

Talking just for the sake of talking is not a good idea; in that case, it would be wise to be upfront with your audience and end the presentation early. But in some other situations, this is not the case, and you need to use all the time that you have available for the presentation

You need them to be invested in your message. There is a balance you should strike when delivering a message to ensure your audience connects with you and understands your key points, according to studies from military training. Usually, a presentation that is too brief does not give the audience enough information or time to fully engage with the subject.

Your presentation time was changed at the last minute . In case of a schedule change when giving a presentation as a panelist, you must always be ready to shorten or lengthen your speech. If you have been asked to fill in for another presenter, you’ll have to find a way to stretch the presentation to make it longer .

What is the ideal presentation duration? It will depend if the presentation you are making is a speech (and not a workshop). It may be between 10 and 20 minutes in those circumstances. You might want to extend your presentations in some circumstances, though.

Summary: Make a Speech Longer

Long presentations are the way to go when you need to explain your topic in-depth and intensively. To avoid losing your audience’s attention, keep in mind that longer presentations must be interesting.

Finding ways to extend a speech’s length is helpful, but it can also be very important to create a speech that is captivating, memorable, and engaging. In order to accomplish this, speakers should concentrate their efforts on the overall caliber of their language and the information they convey.

How Long is a 3-Minute Speech?

On average there are 450 words in a 3-minute speech.

Is a 7-Minute Speech Too Long?

Speech and publication coach Daphne Gray-Grant found that, on average, people speak at a rate of 125 to 150 wpm so a 7-minute-long speech uses between 875 to 1,050 words . You can check the average speaking time of your text using our word counter tool.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Productivity
• My Bookmarks
• February 2024
• January 2024
• December 2023
• November 2023
• October 2023
• September 2023
• August 2023
• February 2023
• January 2023
• November 2022
• December 2021
• November 2021
• October 2021
• January 2021
• December 2020
• November 2020
• September 2020
• August 2020
• November 2019
• September 2019
• August 2019
• November 2018
• September 2018
• February 2018
• January 2018
• December 2017
• November 2017
• October 2017
• September 2017
• August 2017
• February 2011
• August 2010
• October 2009
• September 2009
• February 2009
• January 2009
• December 2008
• October 2008
• September 2008
• August 2008
• February 2008
• January 2008
• December 2007
• October 2007
• September 2007
• August 2007
• February 2007
• January 2007
• November 2006
• October 2006
• September 2006
• August 2006
• Blogging Tips
• Brainstorming
• Casual Friday Video
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Entrepreneur
• Environment
• Random facts
• Relationships
• Spirituality
• Entries feed
• Comments feed
• WordPress.org

GTD Cheatsheet: The Workflow

25 Firefox Extensions to Make You More Productive

Time Management Software

The World’s Shortest (and Probably Most Controversial) Guide to SEO

Creative Code: 14 Ways to Learn From Creative Programmers

7 Idea Dumping Tips (How To Manage Diarrhea of the Brain)

How To Make A Speech Longer: 6 Great Tips To Boost Charisma

How To Lose 10 Pounds In 3 Weeks [Quick, Easy and Healthy]

A potent blend of eloquence, charisma, and knowledge, a well-delivered long speech can sway minds, touch hearts, and stir action. The ability to capture an audience’s attention for an extended period and impart deep insights hinges on the speaker’s preparation, knowledge, and delivery. This comprehensive guide will further delve into the intricacies of giving a long speech, highlighting the importance of longer speeches, the traits of a skilled speaker, the situations best suited for long speeches, and detailed strategieshow to make a speech longer.

The Importance of Longer Speeches

• Comprehensive Coverage: Longer speeches enable a speaker to dive into the depths of a topic, exploring various facets that might otherwise be skipped in a shorter presentation. They allow for the inclusion of historical contexts, pertinent data, expert quotes, comparative analyses, and future projections, offering listeners a well-rounded understanding of the topic at hand.
• Narrative Development: A well-structured long speech can harness the power of storytelling, using anecdotes, allegories, or personal experiences to weave a compelling narrative. This narrative can build suspense, create an emotional arc, and make the speech more relatable, engaging, and memorable.
• Building Connection: Longer speeches provide more opportunities for audience engagement and interaction. These could be through real-time polling, question-and-answer segments, or simple rhetorical questions. Such interactions build rapport, make listeners feel involved, and facilitate a two-way flow of ideas.
• Persuasion: When trying to sway opinions or convince listeners, a longer speech can be more effective. This is because they allow for the methodical presentation of arguments, a comprehensive display of supporting evidence, and ample time to refute potential counterarguments.

Characteristics of a Good Speaker

• Knowledge of the Subject: Good speakers need a profound understanding of their topic. This depth of knowledge allows them to speak with authority, answer questions effectively, and instil confidence in their audience.
• Effective Communication: Good speakers articulate their thoughts clearly and succinctly, avoiding jargon when unnecessary and using relatable language and analogies to explain complex ideas. They can tailor their vocabulary, tone, and delivery style to suit their audience’s background and expectations.
• Audience Engagement: Engaging speakers know how to capture and hold their audience’s attention . They employ a mix of techniques – strategic pauses, variation in tone, eye contact, body language, humor, and rhetorical questions, among others – to keep listeners interested and involved.
• Confidence: A good speaker exudes confidence , not just in their subject matter, but also in their stage presence. This includes managing nervousness, handling unexpected disruptions gracefully, and commanding the stage with poise.
• Responsiveness: A key trait of good speakers is their ability to adapt their speech on the fly, in response to audience reactions. This could mean addressing questions, managing dissent, or simply modulating their tone based on audience responses.

How to Make a Speech Longer

• In-depth Research: Thorough research is the bedrock of a lengthy speech. It furnishes you with a wealth of information, providing more points to discuss and deeper insights to share. This could involve reading widely, interviewing experts, or conducting surveys, depending on the topic.
• Use Examples and Stories: People connect with stories and real-life examples. Incorporating these can make your speech more engaging and relatable, while also padding out the length. Stories and examples can help simplify complex ideas, reinforce points, and create emotional resonance.
• Involve the Audience: Interactive elements can extend your speech and engage listeners. This might be through quizzes, question-and-answer sessions, group discussions, or inviting audience members to share their experiences. Audience participation can also provide unexpected angles to explore, diversifying your speech content.
• Address Counterarguments: A balanced speech presents both sides of an argument. Detailing opposing viewpoints and then refuting them not only bolsters your credibility but also provides extra material to extend your speech length.
• Repeat for Emphasis: Recapitulation is a crucial tool in longer speeches. By revisiting key points, you reinforce your message, ensure better retention, and fill out your speech without introducing new content.
• Slow Down Your Pace: A slower delivery pace can make your speech longer without requiring additional content. It also allows listeners more time to absorb information and reduces the chance of you rushing through your points.

Situations Favoring Longer Speeches

• Academic and Professional Conferences: In these arenas, thoroughness and detail are prized. Lengthy, in-depth presentations allow for the unpacking of research findings, the debating of theories, and the detailed discussion of complex topics.
• Political Campaigns: Long speeches allow politicians to lay out their policies, respond to criticisms, and engage with voters on a more personal level. These speeches often involve persuading listeners, necessitating detailed arguments and a comprehensive presentation of evidence.
• Keynote Addresses: A keynote speech is often the highlight of an event. Given their importance, these speeches are typically longer, allowing speakers to entertain, educate, inspire, and motivate their audience.
• Public Lectures or Seminars: These platforms are meant for detailed presentations and in-depth exploration of topics. They cater to audiences seeking comprehensive knowledge, making them well-suited for long speeches.
• Motivational Talks: Such speeches often rely on personal stories, advice, and inspirational messages . A longer format allows for the gradual building of emotional resonance, creating a more profound impact on the audience.

A well-crafted long speech is a potent tool in the arsenal of any good speaker. It allows for detailed exploration of a topic, persuasive arguments, engaging narratives, and a deep connection with the audience. Cultivating the necessary skills of a good speaker and knowing how and when to utilize the long speech format can significantly enhance your public speaking prowess.

Remember, the objective should always be to provide value and make a lasting impression on your audience, regardless of speech length. With proper preparation and the right delivery techniques, a long speech can be not just an informative experience but a transformative one for the speaker and the listener.

How Do I Change: 4 Ideas For A Better Life With Less Stress

How To Become Famous: 6 Key Steps (With Real Life Examples)

How To Phrase Identity Work Goals

Balance Between the Demands of Management and the Demands of Leadership

Presentation Training Institute

A division of bold new directions training, how to lengthen a presentation.

Striking that perfect duration for your presentation can be tricky. You may feel as though you prepared a presentation that will last the appropriate length and then find out as you are speaking that you grossly miscalculated. Presentations can go by very quickly, especially when you are nervous and speeding through the material. For instance, you may have planned for a 60-minute presentation but soon realize that it will be over in just 30 minutes. When this happens, what can you do to cover the remaining time? Here we will take a look at a few tips and tricks for making your presentation longer. 

Over-Prepare Ahead of Time

If you have been asked to present for 30 minutes, make sure you have at least 35 minutes of material. You should always be prepared to speak for at least 25% longer than you were asked. Therefore, prepare extra content that can be used if you end up needing more time, but can also be easily discarded if things are going well. It’s always better to over-prepare with additional material than wind up looking unprepared with a short presentation. 

Speak Slowly and Deliberately

You don’t need to speak as though you have been turned on slo-mo, but you should pay attention to the speed at which you are speaking. When we get nervous, it is normal for people to talk faster. That’s why you need to be conscious of your pace and take control of your voice and slow down. You should also include short pauses when making important points. Not only will this buy you a little more time, but it will also make your points more dramatic. By slowing down your speech, you both effectively lengthen your speech and make your message clear. 

Add in a Reserved Story

If you did your preparation and overprepared, you should have a story or anecdote in your reserve, ready to pull out if needed. If you notice that you are ahead of your schedule, this is the time to include that extra story in your presentation. However, be sure that whatever story you are telling is still relevant to the topic. You don’t want to add a story simply for the sake of time. It should only be added if it serves a purpose.

Include a Relevant Video Clip

Adding videos to your presentation can be a great way to add a little extra time. It can also help give you a break and ease your nerves. Keep in mind that like the story, the video must be relevant to your topic and support your message. You also want to keep the video short and sweet. Anything longer than 3 minutes can actually detract from the presentation. 

Audience Participation

Finally, audience participation is a great strategy to use when you need to extend your presentation. Not only will this lengthen your presentation, but it will also engage your audience. There are several ways to do this such as having a question and answer session, conducting a live poll, breaking into small groups, or simply asking for a show of hands. This can help you lengthen your presentation while still giving the audience a speech that is interesting and dynamic.

How to Cut the Fat From Your Speech: 7 Tips

by Rob Biesenbach | Presentation/Speech Tips

The Incredible Shrinking Speech Slot

In the age of the 18-minute TED Talk, it’s become more important than ever to keep your presentation short. Few audiences these days expect or want you to hold the floor for an hour, or even 40 minutes.

Communications coach Carmine Gallo cites brain research suggesting that “cognitive backlog” occurs when too much information is piled on. That’s why he and many other experts recommend a 20-minute cap on presentations.

There are exceptions, of course, such as training sessions or major keynotes. But if you’re planning a new business presentation or pitching an idea to management, it’s best to err on the short side.

So what can you do to pare down your content to the essentials? Here are a few tips.

1. Understand That No Speech is an Island

One of the biggest mistakes speakers make is that they feel they have to pack every idea into their speech. But if you think of the presentation as just one piece of a larger conversation, you’ll take a lot of pressure off yourself.

Keep in mind that you can supplement your content before, during, and after the event with handouts, workbooks, visuals, leave-behinds, white papers, emails, links to web pages and videos, and many other things.

So your job is to figure out what exactly needs to be conveyed here that can’t be communicated just as well (or better) in any of those other ways.

2. Ask Yourself: Why Here? Why Now?

Think about what makes a speech special:

• People can watch you live, in person, and in three dimensions.
• You can more easily convey warmth, emotion, and passion.
• Audience interaction is more fluid and natural.
• You can harness and feed off the energy in the room.
• You can better gauge your audience’s response, making adjustments as you go.

All of that is vastly different from what you can accomplish in a memo, an online chat, or even a Skype session or Google Hangout.

So the question is, how can you put all those advantages to work for you? You can start by focusing less on information and more on inspiration. Less on lecture and more on conversation.

3. Don’t Settle for Sharing Information

A classic approach is to ask yourself what you want your audience to know, feel and do.

Unfortunately, most presentations emphasize just the “know” part of the formula. That’s the easy stuff—the information, the data.

Merely passing along information is the very least you can accomplish with a speech. If that’s all you’re doing, you might as well just send the audience a memo .

You’ve got these people in a room together—don’t squander that opportunity. Make your presentation about something more.

4. Appeal to Emotion

Countless studies have shown that you can throw all the facts you want at people, but you’re not going to change their minds unless you win their hearts.

Do you want them to feel:

• Challenged?
• Admonished?

Focusing on emotion helps you avoid the dreaded data dump and it provides the trigger that gets your audience to the next phase: the doing.

5. Drive Them to Act

Action is what it’s all about. Do you want them to:

• Hire your firm?
• Buy your product?
• Implement your idea?
• Approve your project or budget?
• Join your cause?
• Seek more information?

Whatever action you want them to take, make it clear, and let that serve as a filter for the information you choose to include and omit from your speech.

6. Stick to Your Point

Make the desired action your objective. And if you’re in the unfortunate position of writing by committee, or passing the draft around for approval, put the objective at the top of the document. That way, people at every stage of the review process are reminded of the speech’s purpose .

This helps reduce mission creep—the tendency for a presentation to expand and go off course because everyone has an idea for one more essential piece of information that absolutely, positively must be included.

If that starts to happen, point to the objective and remind people that the speech is not the one and only opportunity to get the message across.

7. Focus on Three Things

Steve Jobs was famous for focusing his presentation on just three points . It’s the way our brains work. We can grasp only a handful of ideas at a time—about three to five.

Plus, of course, if you’ve only got 20 minutes, you’re not going to have much time for more than three.

So take a look at your content and think about the three most important things for your audience to know. Make your speech about those three things and throw out the rest.

Leave Them Wanting More

With a short presentation especially, your goal should be to call your audience’s attention to an issue or problem, suggest a solution, hit a few key points, and get them intrigued enough to want to know more.

Remember, if you try to say everything, you’ll end up communicating nothing.

A version of this post originally ran in PR Tactics .

Photo Credit: Ivan Vojnic via Compfight cc

Let's Work Together

To find the right solution for you, Rob’s happy to talk through the options.

Recent Posts

How to use video to improve your presentation skills, presentation anxiety don’t forget to breathe.

• The Gladwell Method: The Route to Powerful Storytelling

6 Tips for Handling Negative Feedback

• How to Connect: A Tale of Two Sidneys
• Communication Skills
• Presentation/Speech Tips
• Storytelling
• Writing/Editing

Related Articles

Master Your Presentations

Join our mailing list to receive 5 Checklists to manage every detail of your next presentation.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

By signing up, you agree to join Rob's newsletter and receive emails. We respect your privacy and abide by strict privacy policies.

How To Make A Presentation Longer: Expert Tips & Tactics For Businesses

• By Herwin Jose
• April 10, 2024

Key Takeaways:

• Engage with your audience through audience participation and interaction on every slide.
• Extend your presentation by incorporating additional key points and expanding on main points.
• Add multimedia elements such as videos to enhance depth and engagement.
• Maximize audience participation through question and answer sessions and other interactive techniques.
• Master the art of delivery and timing to keep your audience engaged without rushing.

Have you ever wondered how to make your presentation more engaging and keep your audience captivated throughout?

Do you often find yourself needing a longer presentation to convey your key message effectively?

Look no further, as we delve into the best ways to extend the length of your presentation while keeping your audience engaged and informed. With these strategies at your disposal, you can confidently enhance your presentation, help your audience understand, and effectively convey your message. Let’s dive into each of these tactics in detail and explore how they can help you make a compelling and informative business presentation.

Understanding the Importance of Presentation Length

Before we dive into the techniques, it’s crucial to understand why the length of a presentation matters. The duration of your presentation can significantly impact its effectiveness and audience engagement. Finding the right balance between a concise delivery and providing sufficient information is key.

When a presentation is too short, it may leave your audience feeling unsatisfied or uninformed. On the other hand, an excessively long presentation can risk losing your audience’s attention and focus.

In general, the length of a presentation will depend on various factors, such as the purpose of your presentation, the complexity of the topic, and the preferences of your audience. Different types of presentations, whether it’s a pitch to potential investors or a training session for employees, may require different lengths to effectively convey the message.

Effectively lengthen a presentation doesn’t mean adding unnecessary content or filler material. It involves strategically expanding on key points, delivering the necessary information, and keeping your audience engaged throughout.

In the following sections, we will explore the best ways to make a powerpoint presentation longer without losing your audience’s interest. By employing these techniques, you’ll be able to enhance your presentation and deliver a memorable experience that keeps your audience fully engaged.

Make your presentation engaging by captivating your audience throughout

One of the key strategies to make a presentation longer is by continuously engaging your audience. It’s essential to keep them captivated and invested in your message. By incorporating techniques such as audience participation, effective use of every slide, and collaborating with a presentation design agency, you can create a more engaging and impactful presentation.

Audience participation is a powerful tool to keep your audience engaged. Encourage them to ask questions, share their thoughts, and actively participate in the discussion. This interaction not only enhances their understanding but also makes them feel involved in the presentation process.

Another way to make every slide count is to carefully craft your content. Each slide should have a clear purpose and contribute to the overall message. Use visuals, diagrams, and charts to convey information in a visually appealing and digestible manner.

Working with a presentation design agency can take your presentation to the next level. These professionals are experienced in creating visually stunning and engaging slides that will help you make a lasting impression on your audience. They can offer valuable insights and recommendations to make your presentation more engaging and effective.

Remember, the length of a presentation should not compromise its effectiveness. Creating an engaging presentation involves striking a balance between keeping your audience engaged and delivering your key points effectively. By incorporating these strategies within the presentation, you can lengthen your presentation without losing your audience’s attention.

Enhancing Your Presentation Structure

A well-structured presentation plays a crucial role in extending its duration without making it feel stretched. By incorporating additional key points and expanding on main points, you can effectively lengthen and enhance your presentation while maintaining a cohesive structure throughout.

Within the presentation, make sure to include key points that further support your main message. These key points not only provide more depth and clarity but also help extend your presentation by delving into relevant subtopics and providing additional insights.

Furthermore, throughout the presentation, consider expanding on your main points by providing examples, case studies, or real-world applications. This not only adds substance to your presentation but also reinforces your main ideas, keeping your audience engaged and interested.

Remember, an effective presentation is not just about increasing its length; it’s about delivering value and maintaining your audience’s attention. Therefore, ensure that each additional point or explanation you include is relevant to the overall topic and aligns with the purpose of your presentation.

By enhancing your presentation structure, you can create a cohesive and engaging experience that keeps your audience captivated from start to finish.

Using Multimedia to Add Depth and Engagement

Integrating multimedia elements into your presentation is one of the best ways to engage the audience and keep them engaged throughout. By adding videos, incorporating relevant visuals, and utilizing interactive elements, you can create a dynamic and captivating presentation experience.

Adding Videos

Videos are a powerful tool for engaging your audience. They can help you convey complex messages, provide real-life examples, and create an emotional connection with your viewers. When adding videos to your presentation, make sure they are relevant to your topic and enhance your main points. This will help your audience visualize concepts and ideas, making your presentation more memorable.

Incorporating Relevant Visuals

Visuals such as images, charts, and graphs can add depth and clarity to your presentation. They help your audience better understand and retain information by presenting data and concepts in a visually appealing way. Choose visuals that are directly related to your content and support your key messages. This will not only help your audience grasp the information more easily but also make your presentation visually engaging.

Utilizing Interactive Elements

Interactive elements can significantly enhance audience engagement in your presentation . Consider incorporating interactive quizzes or polls to encourage audience participation and make your presentation more interactive. This not only keeps your audience engaged but also allows them to actively contribute to the discussion and have a more personalized experience.

Overall, adding videos, incorporating relevant visuals, and utilizing interactive elements are some of the best ways to engage your audience and keep them engaged throughout your presentation. By using multimedia effectively, you can create a dynamic and memorable presentation that resonates with your audience.

Maximizing Audience Participation and Interaction

An engaged audience is essential for a successful presentation. By maximizing audience participation and interaction, you can keep your audience engaged and attentive throughout. Here are some techniques you can use to achieve this:

• Encourage Questions: Create an interactive environment by encouraging questions from the audience. This not only keeps them engaged but also allows for a deeper understanding of the topic.
• Q&A Sessions: Include dedicated question and answer sessions within your presentation. This gives the audience an opportunity to seek clarification and actively participate in the discussion.
• Interactive Activities: Incorporate interactive activities or exercises that require active participation from your audience. This could include group discussions, polls, or hands-on demonstrations.
• Engage with Visuals: Utilize visually engaging elements such as charts, graphs, and videos to capture and retain your audience’s attention. Visuals can help reinforce key points and make your presentation more memorable.
• Group Exercises: Divide your audience into smaller groups and assign them tasks or exercises related to your presentation. This fosters collaboration, stimulates discussion, and encourages active engagement.

Mastering the Art of Delivery and Timing

The way you deliver your presentation plays a crucial role in its length and audience engagement. To ensure a captivating delivery that keeps your audience engaged, consider the following tips and tricks:

• Take control of your voice: Your voice is a powerful tool for maintaining audience interest. Vary your tone, pitch, and volume to add depth and captivate your listeners.
• Include short pauses when making key points: Pauses not only give your audience time to absorb information but also create anticipation and emphasize important ideas.
• Shy away from repeating information: Repetition can be tedious for your audience and may contribute to a shorter presentation. Instead, focus on concise and impactful delivery, avoiding unnecessary repetition.
• Stay related to the topic: While it’s essential to provide comprehensive information, ensure that all your statements, examples, and anecdotes are directly related to your presentation topic. This will help you maintain focus and avoid unnecessary detours.

Expanding on Relevant Topics and Information

To effectively lengthen your presentation, it’s crucial to demonstrate your expertise and knowledge about the topic at hand. By fully embracing the subject matter, you can provide valuable and insightful information that helps your audience grasp complex concepts. Here are some techniques to enhance your presentation and make it more engaging:

Dive Deep into the Topic

• Conduct thorough research to become knowledgeable about the topic. This will allow you to provide in-depth information and answer audience questions confidently.
• Explore various angles and perspectives related to the topic. This will give your presentation depth and show your audience that you’ve considered different viewpoints.

Provide Relevant Examples and Case Studies

• Illustrate your points with real-life examples and case studies that demonstrate the practical application of the topic. This will make your presentation more relatable and help your audience connect with the information on a deeper level.
• Choose examples that are relevant to your audience’s industry or experiences. This will ensure that your presentation resonates with them and adds value to their understanding.

Use Visuals and Infographics

Incorporate visual elements, such as images, charts, and infographics, to enhance your presentation and make it visually appealing. Visuals can effectively convey complex information and help your audience grasp concepts more easily.

Pro Tip: When using visuals, ensure they are directly related to the topic and support your key messages. Avoid using irrelevant or distracting visuals that may confuse your audience.

Encourage Audience Interaction

• Include interactive elements in your presentation, such as polls, quizzes, or discussion points. This encourages audience participation and keeps them engaged throughout the presentation.
• Allocate time for questions and answers to address any queries or concerns your audience may have. This fosters a sense of involvement and demonstrates your expertise in the subject matter.

By expanding on the relevant topics and information in your presentation, you can effectively lengthen your speech without losing your audience’s attention. Remember to maintain a balance between depth and clarity, and cater to your audience’s level of knowledge and interest.

Leveraging Presentation Design and Templates

Utilizing professional presentation design and templates is a crucial element in enhancing the overall look and effectiveness of your business presentations. A well-designed and visually appealing presentation not only captures the attention of your audience but also helps keep them engaged throughout.

By partnering with a reputable presentation design agency, you can ensure that your presentations are created with a keen eye for detail and compelling visual aesthetics. These experts have the expertise to incorporate design choices that align with your brand identity and effectively convey your message.

When selecting templates for your presentations, opt for those that complement your content and enhance its impact. A carefully chosen template can make a significant difference in how your information is perceived, making it more engaging, memorable, and professional.

Visual elements such as high-quality images, charts, and graphs can also help convey complex data and information in a more digestible and visually appealing manner. When used strategically, these elements not only enhance the understanding of your audience but also prolong the duration of your presentation as they capture attention and encourage active participation.

“The right design and templates play a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness of a presentation. It’s like adding a touch of professionalism and visual allure to your content, making it more impactful and engaging.” – John Smith, Presentation Design Expert

Remember, an effective presentation is not just about the content but also about how it is visually presented. By leveraging presentation design and templates, you can elevate the overall quality of your presentations, capture and maintain your audience’s attention, and optimally optimize your presentation length without compromising engagement.

Some of the Benefits of Presentation Design and Templates includes,

• Increase audience engagement
• Creates a professional and polished look
• Elevate the overall impact of your message
• Enhance the understanding of complex information
• Optimize the length and flow of your presentation

In conclusion, implementing the strategies discussed in this article can effectively make your presentation longer without sacrificing audience engagement. By experimenting with different techniques and keeping your audience engaged, you can deliver a successful and impactful business presentation .

Engaging your audience throughout the presentation is key. Techniques such as incorporating audience participation, using every slide effectively, and working with a presentation design agency can help you make your presentation more engaging and lengthen its duration.

Furthermore, enhancing your presentation structure by expanding on key points and maintaining a cohesive flow will keep your audience captivated. Incorporating multimedia elements such as videos and interactive visuals can also add depth and engagement to your presentation.

Maximizing audience participation and interaction through Q&A sessions and creating an interactive environment will further extend your presentation. Mastering the art of delivery by taking control of your voice, including strategic pauses, and avoiding unnecessary repetition will help keep your audience engaged.

1. How can I make my presentation longer without losing audience engagement?

There are several techniques you can use to extend the length of your presentation while keeping your audience engaged. One strategy is to incorporate audience participation, such as asking questions or conducting interactive activities. Another approach is to ensure that every slide serves a purpose and effectively conveys key points. Additionally, you can consider adding multimedia elements like videos or relevant visuals to enhance audience involvement. By employing these strategies, you can lengthen your presentation without sacrificing audience engagement.

2. What is the ideal length for a presentation?

The ideal length for a presentation depends on various factors, such as the purpose of your presentation and the nature of your audience. Generally, shorter presentations of 10-20 minutes are suitable for delivering concise and focused messages. However, for more detailed or complex presentations, the duration can range from 30 minutes to an hour or longer. It’s essential to consider the attention span of your audience and ensure that your presentation is engaging and informative within the allotted time frame.

3. How can I engage my audience throughout the presentation?

Engaging your audience throughout the presentation is crucial to maintaining their attention and interest. One effective strategy is to encourage audience participation by asking questions or involving them in activities related to your topic. Another approach is to make each slide impactful by using visuals, graphs, or key points that capture their attention. Additionally, you can consider working with a presentation design agency to create visually appealing slides that enhance audience engagement. By employing these techniques, you can keep your audience engaged throughout your presentation.

4. How can I effectively lengthen my speech during a presentation?

To effectively lengthen your speech, you can incorporate various techniques. One approach is to take control of your voice by speaking slowly and emphasizing important points. You can also include short pauses strategically to allow your audience to reflect and absorb the information. Another technique is to expand on relevant topics and provide additional information that helps your audience fully embrace the topic. Additionally, you can utilize audience participation methods, such as question and answer sessions, to extend the duration of your speech. By implementing these strategies, you can effectively make a speech longer during a presentation.

5. How can I enhance my presentation by adding videos?

Adding videos to your presentation can be a powerful way to enhance audience engagement. You can incorporate relevant video clips that support your topic or provide additional information. Videos can help illustrate concepts, showcase product demonstrations, or share real-life examples. By integrating videos strategically, you can effectively convey your message, captivate your audience, and lengthen the overall duration of your presentation.

6. How can I make any presentation more engaging?

Making your presentation more engaging involves considering various factors. Firstly, ensure that your presentation design is visually appealing and complements the content. Utilize presentation templates and visual elements to enhance the overall look. Secondly, incorporate interactive elements such as audience participation, discussions, or activities that require their involvement. Thirdly, focus on the delivery by practicing your speech, using appropriate gestures and maintaining good eye contact with the audience. By implementing these strategies, you can increase audience engagement and make your presentation more impactful.

7. How long should a business presentation typically be?

The length of a business presentation can vary depending on the purpose and context. Generally, business presentations shouldn’t exceed 45-60 minutes, as that’s the average attention span of most audiences. However, it’s important to consider the complexity and depth of the information being presented. If you have a lot of detailed content to cover, it may be necessary to extend the duration up to 90 minutes. Regardless of the length, it’s crucial to ensure that your presentation is engaging, concise, and delivers your key message effectively.

8. How do you make a 10-minute presentation long?

Presenter, don’t be afraid to add some additional content to your presentation if you need to lengthen it. Whether you’re discussing more examples, going into further detail on certain points, or even adding in a personal anecdote, these can all help extend the time of your presentation. Instead of rushing through your many slides, take the opportunity to delve deeper into each point you’re making. This is a great strategy to use if you want your audience to walk away with a deeper understanding of the topic.

Why wait? Avail a complimentary 1-on-1 session with our presentation expert. See how other enterprise leaders are creating impactful presentations with us.

8 Tips to Ace Your Thesis Defense Presentation

12 elements of a killer branding presentation, a comprehensive guide to crafting a 30 60 90 day sales plan.

how to lengthen a speech

The Seven Best Ways to Make a Speech Longer

Giving a speech can seem like an ordeal, especially if you don’t know ways to keep it engaging and comprehensive, covering everything and not going off track. Whether it is a school or university speech, a corporate meeting speech, or an event-based speech – you might be required to speak for approx. 5-7 minutes. If …

The Seven Best Ways to Make a Speech Longer Read More »

• [email protected]
• +91 98203 57888

Get our latest tips and tricks in your inbox always

Copyright © 2023 Frantically Speaking All rights reserved

How to Prepare For a Speech: 7 Practical Tips

• Nathan Mixon
• June 12, 2024

Table of Contents

Introduction.

Glossophobia, other than being a very fun word to say, is an anxiety disorder that affects nearly a quarter of the world’s population. Glossophobia refers to the fear of public speaking . As much as 75% of the population feels some level of anxiety when faced with public speaking. Even those of us who have been speaking for decades still get nervous before getting onstage. But we also have learned the importance of preparing for a speech and how that preparation can turn anxiety into confidence.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the essential steps to prepare for a speech, ensuring you feel confident and ready to captivate your audience. From exercise and breathing techniques to diet, rest, and outfit choices to affirmations and mental preparation, there are many steps that go into preparing yourself to give a great talk. Let’s get into them!

Step 1: Exercise and Physical Preparation

Exercise and physical activity is a great way to reduce stress and improve performance, not only in speaking but in general. Keeping in good shape will help keep down anxiety in general, so try to get into a routine if you’re not already. Exercise releases endorphins and endorphins can help calm nerves. Let’s look at some examples of exercises you can do to help prepare yourself to deliver a speech.

Other than having a general exercise routine, there are a few exercises you can do just before a speech to reduce your feeling of nervousness. You could do some light cardio – maybe you’re speaking at a conference and the hotel you’re staying at has a gym with a treadmill. Take a walk, go for a run, swim laps, whatever feels right to you. Don’t overdo it though – you don’t want to be limping up the steps onto the stage!

If you don’t have the time, space, or desire to do cardio, then maybe some stretching or light yoga could do the trick. Both of these activities help to center the body physically and regulate your breathing. Breathing is a key point to focus on when preparing to go on stage. There are loads of great apps that have quick five- or ten-minute-long yoga routines and stretching circuits that you can try.

Find Out Exactly How Much You Could Make As a Paid Speaker

Use The Official Speaker Fee Calculator to tell you what you should charge for your first (or next) speaking gig — virtual or in-person! 

Step 2: Breathing Techniques

Just like physical exercise, getting your breath right is a great way to get ready to deliver a talk. Using different breathing techniques can help give you a sense of calm and help you arrive and stay in the present moment. Deep breathing increases oxygen flow and can help steady your voice. It’s pretty hard to nail a speech when your voice is shaky and you’re out of breath.

There are several different helpful breathing exercises that you can utilize to prepare to deliver a speech. Diaphragmatic breathing is one example.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

The diaphragm is your most efficient muscle when it comes to breathing. When first learning diaphragmatic breathing, start by lying on your back with your knees bent and head supported, placing one hand on your chest and the other below your rib cage to feel your diaphragm move. Breathe in through your nose, letting your stomach rise while keeping your chest still, then tighten your stomach muscles to exhale through pursed lips. Once you have this down, you can try this exercise while sitting in a chair. Just make sure that your knees are bent and your upper body is relaxed, with the same hand placements and breathing pattern.

Box Breathing

Another exercise you can try is “box breathing.” Box breathing is a simple technique that anyone can learn to help re-center themselves and improve concentration in stressful situations, such as giving a speech. Follow these four steps: breathe in for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, slowly exhale for four seconds, and repeat until you feel re-centered. Just thirty seconds of deep breathing can make you feel more relaxed and in control before sharing a message.

4-7-8 Technique

Finally, a third breathing exercise that might be worth trying out is the 4-7-8 technique. To use the 4-7-8 technique, follow this breathing pattern: empty your lungs, breathe in quietly through your nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds. You can repeat the cycle up to 4 times. Now, there isn’t a ton of strong data to support the benefits of this technique but a 2020 review found some evidence suggesting that it may improve heart and lung function and reduce blood pressure.

Step 3: Diet and Hydration

You may not think your diet would have a significant impact on your speaking performance, but diet and hydration can actually strongly influence your energy levels and voice. Many speakers fail to pay attention to what they are putting into their bodies before a speech and it can show. To properly prepare you need to know how what you eat and drink impacts your energy and voice.

In his book, The Successful Speaker , Grant Baldwin stresses that you should avoid eating a heavy meal before talking. Eating a heavy meal, such as meat and pasta, can make you sluggish and devoid of energy. Try to eat light, balanced meals that will give you energy without weighing you down too much. Salmon, eggs, or different fruits and vegetables could do this for you. Some speakers even avoid eating at all on the day of a speech! Figure out what works for you.

It’s not only what you eat, but also what you drink. Stay hydrated! You don’t want to show up to a talk with a dry throat and lips. However, if you’re literally about to step on stage, don’t drink too much. Take a couple of sips of water to tide you over for your talk but don’t overdo it – you don’t want to have a serious urge to use the toilet once you’re up there. Often, you can carry a bottle or cup of water on stage with you if you feel it’s necessary.

Step 4: Rest and Relaxation

It goes without saying that you don’t want to step on stage coming off of a night with no sleep. Adequate sleep and relaxation techniques help improve focus and reduce anxiety. In his book, Grant Baldwin says, “Don’t stay up late the night before. This seems obvious, but it’s very important to get a good night’s sleep before you speak. Sleep works wonders and can be the difference between you being kind of slow and groggy during your talk and being ‘on.'”

But sometimes you can’t really help it if you’re feeling anxious about a big speech. It may be those very nerves that keep you from sleeping. So how do you address that?

Strategies for Better Rest

There are a few strategies you can implement to help ensure being well-rested before gigs. It is worth pointing out that pretty much all of these methods won’t work as one-off practices – they need to become habits. Establishing a regular bedtime routine is key. Don’t stay up light, as Grant says, and try to go to bed at a similar time every night. This helps your body get accustomed to a consistent sleep schedule and develop strong circadian rhythms.

A comfortable sleeping environment is also important. A darker room and cooler temperatures has been shown to support better sleep, as well as minimizing sound disturbances. It’s pretty well-known that using screens right before going to bed affects your sleep. Try setting limits on your phone usage or Netflix time. Give yourself at least an hour before bed without screens.

How to fill that terrible, screen-less void? Read a book. Journal. Read through your speech once. Listen to some calming music. Do a crossword. Stare at a wall. Do whatever. Just try not to scroll if you can avoid it.

Another good way to fill your final hour before sleep is through meditation. There are several different forms of sleep meditation that you can try: breathing exercises, visualizations, mindful body scanning, even counting sheep (or just counting in general). Try a few methods and see what works for you.

Step 5: Choosing the Right Outfit

Dress for success. How you dress can really affect your confidence and comfort. Try picking out your outfit the night before your speech (or when you’re packing if your gig requires travel). You don’t want to be putting on your outfit the morning of your talk and find that a button is missing from your shirt or that you packed two right shoes. Plan ahead.

Wearing something comfortable and appropriate for your speech can really boost your confidence and increase your relatability or credibility with your audience. Don’t wear something too flashy or distracting. You want your audience’s attention to be on your words, not your Hawaiian shirt.

Step 6: Mental Preparation and Visualization

So far we’ve touched on a lot of ways to physically prepare for a speech ahead of time – exercise, meditate, sleep well, dress well, eat the right stuff, etc. But another equally important, if not more important, facet to your preparation is being mentally prepared. When it comes to overcoming fear, reducing anxiety, and boosting your own confidence, mental preparation and visualizing your own success can be a remarkable method.

Mentally walk yourself through your speech. Maybe stand in front of a mirror and observe yourself giving your main points. Analyze your body language so you can see just what your audience will observe. Even without a mirror, just picture yourself giving a great speech with confidence and poise. Imagine your audience responding positively and recognizing your public speaking skills.

If you can tell yourself that you will have a lasting impression on your audience, your message will come across with more confidence.

Positive Affirmations

Positive affirmations are another way to prepare your mind for a talk. Write some affirmations that remind yourself of your specific purpose and points and tell yourself that you’re going to do a great job. Remind yourself of your value – you were hired to give that presentation because you’ve got a big idea and your overall message is important.

Say something like this: “I am a magnet for positive energy when I speak. I am always focused and in control of my narrative. I am a voice of reason and wisdom. I am always prepared, rehearsed, and ready to deliver.” The first step is confidence and everything else will follow.

Free Download: 6 Proven Steps to Book More Paid Speaking Gigs in 2024​

Download our 18-page guide and start booking more paid speaking gigs today!

Step 7: Final Day Preparations

All the tips above can be done in the days and weeks leading up to a gig. They are all habits that you can establish and have as a part of your routine and structure all the time. But how do you handle the final hours before delivering your presentation and sharing your main ideas and message?

Create a day-of-speech checklist. Here’s what we recommend, but feel free to adjust it to your needs and practice:

• Eat a healthy, light meal. We talked about this earlier. Eat something light that will give you the energy you need. Avoid pastas and heavy carbohydrates that will make you sluggish.
• Review your talk one more time. Practice your speech at about 50 percent energy one last time to boost your confidence and increase your comfort level. Why only 50 percent? You want to save your full energy for the stage and avoid exhausting yourself right before the performance. Now that you’ve seen the room, visualize the stage and setup. Think through your pauses, movements, and gestures to build muscle memory, so your delivery feels natural. If you’re driving, practice by speaking out loud to yourself on the way.
• Run a tech rehearsal (if time and venue allows). Some larger venues might schedule a sound check or tech run-through, but regardless, you should always check your sound before all of your speeches. Don’t take their word for it – check it yourself to be sure. It doesn’t matter how great your message is if your audience can’t hear your words and ideas.
• See how the stage is lit. During a mic check, the house lights will likely be up. However, if special stage lighting will be used, ask the tech crew to show you what it will be like. Getting a feel for the actual lighting is helpful to avoid being unexpectedly blinded, which can seem unprofessional to an audience. You want to know if you’ll be able to keep eye contact or not.
• Review slides if you’re using them. Slides can be a great way to organize and outline your speech and provide images and visual aids that give greater detail than just your words. But if you’re using slides and therefore a ‘clicker,’ you’d better check on that before speaking. Make sure your transitions and slides are well-timed.
• Walk the stage. Get a good feel for the size of the stage you’ll be sharing your ideas from. Maybe there will be cameras – know where they are and where you should stand and walk.
• Arrive early! No need to add unnecessary stress to your day by showing up last-minute, or worse, late. That won’t make for a good story to tell future event planners.
• Drink some water – but just a little bit of water. Will an audience remember if you have to take a bathroom break mid-speech. Uh, yeah, you bet they will. That would make for a good story, though.
• Check your teeth – and your fly. Does this really need an explanation? Just don’t embarrass yourself like that. A toothpick and a quick fly-check should solve this potential disaster.

Step 8: Backstage Preparations

You’re about to step on stage. The audience is waiting for you to deliver your speech and it’s main ideas. You have a key message and strong opening to deliver. What can you do in these last few moments to prepare for public speaking?

Basically, all of these habits that we’ve discussed and that you have hopefully taken up in your daily routine are also great immediate pre-speech techniques. Breathing exercises to center yourself; power poses and affirmations to boost confidence and remind yourself of your capabilities and past successes; a quick mental rehearsal and visualization; and some light stretches or some quick pacing to release tension.

All of these practices will help you engage your audience, tell your stories, and deliver your big ideas effectively. Now it’s your time to actually get on stage and make your points to your audience.

Preparing for a speech goes beyond mastering your content – it combines physical and mental preparation to ensure you’re at your best when you take the stage.

By incorporating strategies such as diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing, and the 4-7-8 technique, you can manage anxiety and stay calm. Paying attention to your diet, getting adequate rest, and choosing a confident outfit can further enhance your readiness. Taking time to practice your speech with a focus on energy conservation and familiarizing yourself with the stage setup and lighting will boost your confidence and make your delivery smooth.

What works for some people may not work for you. Use the methods we’ve gone over and create some of your own. Remember, thorough preparation is key to delivering a compelling and memorable speech.

• Last Updated: June 4, 2024

Explore Related Resources

Learn How You Could Get Your First (Or Next) Paid Speaking Gig In 90 Days or Less

We receive thousands of applications every day, but we only work with the top 5% of speakers .

Book a call with our team to get started — you’ll learn why the vast majority of our students get a paid speaking gig within 90 days of finishing our program .

If you’re ready to control your schedule, grow your income, and make an impact in the world – it’s time to take the first step. Book a FREE consulting call and let’s get you Booked and Paid to Speak ® .

About The Speaker Lab

We teach speakers how to consistently get booked and paid to speak.  Since 2015, we’ve helped thousands of speakers find clarity, confidence, and a clear path to make an impact.

Get Started

Let's connect.

[email protected]

Copyright ©2023 The Speaker Lab. All rights reserved.

How to Make a Presentation Longer

“Keep it short and sweet.” Many hear this common piece of advice when planning a speech or presentation . Because short attention spans are fairly common in the age of TikTok, text messaging, and an endless supply of stimulation at our fingertips, it’s often wise to compress a presentation if your goal is to  keep an audience interested .

However, there are instances in which a presentation might be too short to serve its purpose. Potential reasons you may be wondering how to make a presentation longer include:

• Meeting time requirements:  In some settings, a presenter may be expected to deliver a speech of a certain length.
• Covering additional material:  This is among the most common reasons to extend the length of a presentation. Depending on the topic you’re covering, a short presentation may not be enough to thoroughly address the idea.
• Engaging the audience:  Public speaking involves striking a balance. Yes, if a presentation is longer than necessary, you might lose the attention of your audience. However, if it’s not long enough, you might never captivate them, to begin with.
• Addressing a question:  It’s often wise to include time for some Q&A in a speech. Allowing audience members to ask questions results in an interactive presentation that is more likely to keep them engaged. Of course, including time for questions at the end could be a simple way to make a presentation longer. That said, there may be some questions or concerns you want to address within the presentation itself so that audience members never feel the need to ask these questions in the first place. This might be necessary if the topic of your presentation is somewhat controversial. In this scenario, you might need to lengthen your speech to address all potential objections before anyone raises them.

Those are just a few examples. Your reasons for wishing to add content to a presentation may be different. Regardless, as the following points will demonstrate, there are many ways to achieve this goal without adding unnecessary “fluff.”

How to Make a Presentation Longer: Ideas to Consider

Include an anecdote.

Including a relevant anecdote to illustrate one of the main points in your speech can transform a boring presentation into one that hooks an audience. As  experts point out , storytelling offers a powerful way to engage viewers and listeners because it allows you to share large amounts of information while also tapping into the emotions of audience members. Naturally, including a story can also add at least a few minutes to your presentation.

Learn to Pause

One of the best ways to prepare for a speech is to, well, practice your speaking skills. Fear of public speaking is a  common anxiety , and many a nervous presenter will rush through a speech without realizing they’re doing so.

This can prevent an audience from absorbing their key points. If public speaking makes you nervous, focus on learning to pause throughout a speech. Slowing down will help you get your message across more effectively while also resulting in a long speech.

Design Slides Properly

Does your presentation involve a slideshow? If so, it’s important to design slides so that you don’t bombard your audience with excessive visual information.

Tips to keep in mind include:

• Use only two to three fonts to maintain a degree of visual consistency.
• Consider working with a presentation maker that offers presentation templates you can customize to ensure your slideshow is organized.
• Try not to include too many images in a single slide. Typically, one image per slide is a good rule of thumb.
• Stick to a consistent color scheme.

The main reason to keep these presentation design tips in mind is to ensure members of the audience can absorb the information on your slides. However, breaking up the content across multiple slides can also help you naturally lengthen a presentation by forcing you to focus on small pieces of information at a time, instead of rushing through your points.

Using video in strategic spots throughout a speech can help you engage an audience, illustrate a complex topic, and provide clear examples that you may not be able to provide merely by speaking about them. Adding videos can also help you extend a presentation’s length.

( Tip:  Consider using  animation  instead of live-action video to illustrate certain ideas. This may be a cost-effective solution when you don’t have the resources to film the necessary footage.)

Make it More Interactive

This is yet another way to add to a presentation’s length and make it more engaging for those in attendance at the same time. Ways to make a presentation more interactive include:

• Skits and role-playing
• Audience member interviews

Delivering an effective presentation that’s long enough to suit your needs and enjoyable enough to please an audience is often much easier when you remember that the audience doesn’t need to be passive. On the contrary, it’s often very smart to make the audience members active participants.

How to Make a Presentation Longer: When a Few Minutes Aren’t Enough

Again, you may have no shortage of reasons to feel a presentation you need to give isn’t long enough just yet. Luckily, as the examples here show, there is also no shortage of ways to make a presentation longer. Best of all, the ideas here can help you add additional value to the content, instead of lengthening a speech for no its own sake.

Powtoon Offers the Right Presentation Maker for Your Needs

Adding to the length of a presentation isn’t enough to impress an audience if the presentation’s quality leaves much to be desired. You need to use the right presentation maker to ensure the visual elements enhance the word you speak to an audience.

Powtoon offers exactly that. This easy-to-use video maker tool also allows users to create the types of dynamic presentations that can’t be made with PowerPoint. Whether you’re delivering an online presentation or a traditional in-person speech, it will unlock your creativity. Learn more about what Powtoon can do for you by  signing up  today!

• Latest Posts

Hanna Abitbul

Latest posts by hanna abitbul ( see all ).

• The best 13+ AI video editors of the year - February 22, 2024
• 10+ best AI video generators of 2024 - February 22, 2024
• Boosting L&D ROI with Associative Learning: 5 Effective Strategies and Best Practices - November 14, 2023
• How AI-Infused Personalized Learning Content Can Enhance Employee Knowledge Retention  - November 12, 2023

7 Steps to Creating Better Animated Video Presentations in 2022

Features to Look for in an Animation Maker

Why Presentation Skills Are Vital on Your Resume and How to Include Them

Tips for Giving a Powerful Interview Presentation

Choosing the Right Presentation Style: 5 Types and How to Decide

The Ultimate Guide to Make an Animated Video for Your Brand

Thank you for your interest in Powtoon Enterprise!

A solution expert will be in touch with you soon via phone or email.

Request a demo

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Good timing – 3 steps to speaking to time

• 22 March 2019
• Lyn Roseaman
• How to , Presentations , Public speaking

We’ve all been on the receiving end of speeches that overrun. Timing it right means producing and delivering speeches and presentations that stay within the time you’ve been allocated. This shows respect for yourself, your audience and the event organisers, as well as demonstrating that you are well prepared.

Speeches can overrun for many reasons, including starting late, unexpected disruptions, eg fire alarms, last-minute tech failures, etc. While you can do all the sensible checks, ultimately, these reasons tend to sit beyond your control as the speaker.

In contrast, the most common reasons for overrunning lie squarely within the speaker’s control and usually reflect a neglect to rehearse and time a speech before going live or simply a bad case of ‘ infobesity ‘ or trying to cram in too much. It is, of course, hard to leave things out when it’s a subject you care about and are eager to share ‘everything you know’ with your audience.

However, less is more in terms of sticking to time and less is definitely more for the audience. So, here are three steps to timing it right for speeches that keep everyone happy, timewise at least.

Timing counts – minutes and words

First, you need to decide how long you will speak for. You will have received a time allocation from the ‘event’ organiser.  But you don’t want to fill every minute. As a guide, reduce your time allocation by 15-20%. If you have a 10-minute slot, then aim to produce a speech that lasts about eight minutes.

This flexibility is essential for your audience that hasn’t heard your material before. They need time to absorb and reflect on what you are saying, time for unanticipated explanations or questions, as well as time to laugh when you make humorous remarks. In addition, it allows you time to adjust your speaking pace and gestures to reinforce your words. If you finish early, you can always take questions or simply stop. How often do you hear people complain about a speech being too short?

Second, convert the planned length in minutes into the approximate number of words you will need to fill that time. I typically aim for 80-100 words per minute when speaking in public. With this in mind, I know that if I have a 10-minute slot, I need to write approximately 800-1,000 words.

Speaking rate is highly individual. English conversational speed is about 120-150 words per minute (wpm); presentations about 100-150 wpm. Some of the most-viewed TED Talks have speaking rates between 154 wpm ( Brené Brown, The Power of Vulnerability ) and 201 wpm ( Tony Robbins, Why we do what we do ). The faster you speak, the greater the need for easy-to-understand language, very clearly articulated.

Record and time yourself giving a speech or presentation and calculate the wpm, try out an app or website, such as WordCounter , or invite friends or colleagues to give you feedback on your pace. This input will give you a fairly reliable guide for subsequent speeches.

Time to write – crafting your content

Getting the timing right begins when you’re drafting your speech or presentation. You know how long you have to speak and roughly how many words you need. This gives you a good indication of the appropriate breadth and depth of your material.

Purpose & message

Next you need to determine the purpose and message of your speech. What is the single main point you want to make? I find it helpful to write this down, in large letters, and keep the page in view while you are compiling your content. You then work backwards to outline of the essential information required to support your message – stories, data, quotes, etc. Don’t worry about any material being wasted; it might simply belong in a different speech or article.

Scrutinise all your material and evidence against your message. Anything you try to add that does not directly support your message does not make the cut.

Now, consider the structure of your speech. What is the most efficient route from your opening remarks to your core message? What is the optimum number of sections and sub-sections? How many examples? The more layers you introduce, the harder it is for your audience to follow what you’re saying and for you to keep to time. And, as we know, three works well, so wherever practicable, aim for three key points, sections or examples.

Signposting also helps you ensure your speech flows easily and affords clarity to your audience. What will the next few minutes or ‘chunk’ of your speech cover and, at the end of that chunk, a few words summarising its main point … all building towards your core message.

If you tend to write out your speech in full, this is when you may find it useful to convert your script into ‘chunks’, with a keyword to remind you what you want to say. Chunks give you greater flexibility than a script to shorten your speech in real time if you find yourself overrunning.

Rehearse your timing

The process of presenting often takes longer than you expect, so it’s important to practise. Run through your speech  with a stopwatch, speaking (not reading) aloud. Make it as realistic as possible, using any visual aids, building in gestures, pauses and changes of pace. This rehearsal time will also help you iron out any wrinkles in your speech, such as awkward words or phrases, over-complex sentences, non-sequiturs and so on.

If you are using slides, factor in time for your audience to read any words that they contain. People read in preference to listening  so allow them time to do this before you start talking. This is a good reason for keeping text on slides to a minimum.

The more you rehearse, the more fluent and comfortable your delivery will become as you internalise what you want to say and finesse your word choice.

We tend to be poor judges of time. On the day, ask someone to flag key timing milestones or use your phone stopwatch to keep you on track.

3 steps to good timing

Three steps to good timing – determine the word count, craft message-driven content and rehearse – will leave a positive impression and earn you the heartfelt appreciation of your audience and your host.

Change matters in our talks and presentations

Change matters to speakers. Our job when we give talks and presentations is to create…

Would customers please note … A rant can be a speech too!

We are born with just two fears – fear of falling and fear of LOUD…

Me, Myself and I – Pride, the seventh deadly sin

The deadly sins of public speaking can completely wreck your best efforts to give a…

• previous post: Perfectionism – the curse of speakers
• next post: Pause with purpose for meaning, clarity and impact

Deadline looming?

Need a sounding board?

Too often, we’re up against the clock and our talk isn’t ready.

A fresh pair of eyes and the knowledge of how to give talks and presentations that you’ll be proud of will make all the difference.

Designed for you

Based on your needs, your content and your timing

Collaborative approach to optimise the impact of tour talk while remaining authentically yours

Ideal for working on a specific talk/presentation or specific concerns, eg confidence building

Package of sessions, available as an ‘on-demand’ service – dates/times to be agreed (aim for at least two days’ notice)

Each one-hour session is one to one

Usually online

Quick turnaround

In their own words

“ We met on the train on Tuesday, and you helped me with my speech. It went down a storm!! I got so much positive feedback all day about it. I really went big. Thank you for your wisdom and encouragement – you’re an amazing lady ❤️”

Riffat Tufail, Head of Customer Vulnerability, Standard Life

The business solution when deadlines are looming or you need a sounding board

Designed for you, based on your needs, your content and your timing

Quick turnaround for greater impact

Ideal for working on an upcoming talk/presentation or specific concerns, eg confidence building

A package of one-to-one sessions that are always available as an ‘on-demand’ service

Online or in person

Always collaborative, offering fun, friendship, flexibility and two-way feedback for mutual growth and development

L yn came to run a session on speaking with confidence at our WiRe Exec Summit 2021. She was amazing. Her style was warm, highly engaging and she had clearly listened to the needs of the women around the table. Lyn teaches from the heart and makes anyone feel totally comfortable in opening up with their challenges so that they can find their voice. I would highly recommend Lyn as a coach for a group or on a 1-to-1 basis ~ Babita Earle, EVP Global Enterprise Partnerships, Zappi

As CEO of a fast-growing, award-winning PR agency, my role increasingly involves panels, interviews, and industry discussions – tricky tasks for someone used to actively listening rather than talking. Lyn gave fantastic support with these public speaking duties, helping me to connect quickly and easily with audiences and speak off the cuff, confidently handling tricky or unexpected questions. She taught me to identify the key messages I want to get across, while ensuring they remain authentically mine, and also helped me talk about my own personal journey, articulating how diverse experiences have positively influenced my career path ~ Victoria Usher, Founder and CEO, GingerMay

You can book a chat or call me on 07789 622 500

My gift to you this Christmas so that all your talks and presentations stand out and make a difference.

•  A 45-minute, one-to-one session

•  Public speaking skills topic of your choosing

•  Via a video platform

To give this Christmas gift that keeps on giving, please complete the contact form below.

Happy Christmas! 

Do you shy away from being an industry panellist because you just don’t know what people might ask you ?

Event organisers struggle to deliver diversity of age, gender and ethnicity on their industry panels. Audiences miss out on diverse perspectives. And you miss out on the opportunity to put forward your thoughts and business ideas.

This two-hour Digital Surgery on industry panels offers you a quick solution to becoming an in-demand panellist or moderator.

Harnessing the communication essentials of Confidence, Connection and a message that drives Change, you will know how to…

•  Introduce yourself in a way that creates curiosity and establishes your credentials

•  Confidently manage tricky questions and questioners

•  Speak off the cuff like a pro, with thought-provoking and valuable messages to share

•  Connect and engage powerfully with relevant and memorable stories and experiences

•  Present yourself as a thought leader with whom people want to continue the conversation

Industry panels are a fantastic opportunity to share your ideas, knowledge and experience, enhance your professional reputation and reach out to potential clients.

Building your storytelling treasure trove so that you’re never without a relevant story will take your talks and presentations to a whole new level.

You can’t go wrong telling a story in your talks and presentations, but you can tell the wrong story.

This two-hour Digital Surgery offers you a quick solution to becoming an engaging and effective business storyteller who can…

•  Select and develop impactful storylines aligned with business objectives

•  Understand the role of structure and delivery in creating a clear and memorable message

•  Transform complex information into powerful narratives that deliver maximum relevance and impact to today’s key target audiences

•  Inspire fresh thinking and behaviour

Compelling business stories impart new and valuable insights, deliver a relevant message and inspire action. Do yours ?

Whether you’re looking for business opportunities or a new job, networking done well is your fast track to success. You have just seconds to grab someone’s attention and pique their curiosity, so you need to stand out.

This two-hour Digital Surgery offers you a quick solution to effective networking online, on social and physically in the room so you can…

•  Allay any fears and confidently strike up a conversation with your ‘ideal client’

•  Build rapport and look for mutually beneficial opportunities

•  Develop and deliver a pitch that sparks instant interest in who you are and what you offer

•  Share valuable ideas so people are curious to know more

•  Convert interest into real potential and next steps

Networking for positive results is a learnable skill that you won’t regret developing and finessing.

Is lack of confidence holding you back ?

Confidence is crucial and when it comes to giving a talk or presentation, it’s one of the three communication must-haves, especially online where confident energy is even more important in making us stand out.

This two-hour Digital Surgery offers you a quick solution to becoming a confident and in-demand speaker.

Using the Now You’re Talking PRO apPROach in a way that works for you, you will be able to…

•  Understand what creates feelings of nervousness and lack of confidence

•   Bring PROportion and a sense of perspective to your speaking and other fears

•  Harness positive energy to PROgram your brain into accepting that by speaking you have so much more to gain than to lose

•  Make incremental improvements through the PROcess of building skills and the confidence that accompanies them

•  Connect and engage confidently and become the person with whom people want to continue the conversation

Building your confidence will help you realise your dreams as a speaker, businessperson and in your personal life.

Now You’re Talking Privacy Policy

This website is owned by Now You’re Talking and Lyn Roseaman. We are committed to preserving the privacy of all visitors to this site and all those who may submit information to us from this site or by any other means.

As visitors and enquirers, we will not provide any of this information to anyone without your express consent. As clients we will only provide information to others as defined by the services that we are providing for you. Except – where we are required to by law.

We may use your information to contact you by email with updates or news relating to our business or your wishes. You may opt out of any of this at any time.

Any information we hold about you will be deleted at your request at any time.

All comments, queries and requests relating to our use of your information are welcomed.

What is it? As speakers, we have a responsibility to communicate clearly in a way that is erudite, engaging and connecting

Why is it important? Language used correctly reinforces your expertise and credibility as a speaker, enriches your words and helps to make your message more memorable

How do you deliver it? A conversational style that feels natural and relaxed makes your speech accessible and easy to absorb. However, public speaking is so much more than just having a chat with your friends. Erudite choice of words, enriched with rhetorical devices and dialogue need to be carefully crafted

What is it? The main speech at a meeting or conference delivered to all attendees in a general session. It is usually delivered by a renowned speaker who will attract attendance

Why is it important? A keynote sets the tone for the event. It is designed to share ideas, illustrated with plenty of examples to bring those ideas to life. It is not simply to inform or entertain an audience. Rather, as the keynote speaker, your goal is to put some of your ideas and experiences into your audience’s minds to come out in their lives

How do you deliver it? With all the speaking skills from how you discovered the ideas, an attention-grabbing opening, storytelling, conversational delivery style, memorable close, leaving your audience with new skills and capabilities

What is it? The specialised or technical language of a trade, profession or other interest group. It usually serves as a form of ‘shorthand’ only understood by the members of the group to convey hidden meanings and shortcuts that they accept and understand

Why is it important? Jargon is polarising. Used with an audience whose members are all party to the jargon, it can be highly engaging and connecting, even humorous, creating a strong sense of cohesion and belonging. Equally, it can be excluding of anyone who is not part of the ‘in’ group

How do you deliver it? Use jargon with great care to ensure you never exclude any member of your audience. Your goal is clarity at all times, so use jargon sparingly to avoid sounding unnatural and contrived or causing confusion

What are they? Ideas are the reason you are giving your speech, the message you want to share with an audience

Why are they important? When we speak, we have a responsibility to share our ideas in a way that is relevant to our audience. If we effect some kind of change in them, so much the better

How do you deliver them? Ideas can come from anywhere, at any time. The beauty of today is that we usually have a smartphone with us. Create a special place in your phone where you can capture pictures and notes that may be useful in a speech. Don’t edit at this stage, just capture. Editing comes when you build your ideas into a speech

What is it? The link between you and your audience that makes you relatable and them wanting to engage

Why is it important? Without connection, you might as well be talking to yourself! It makes your audience engage and feel. Without a strong connection, your audience is very unlikely to remember your message. It also helps you feel calmer!

How do you deliver it? First and foremost, it involves knowing your audience. Crucially, it’s about you sharing something of value that you care about and your audience wants to hear.  It takes authenticity, personal stories, asking questions … You must know your audience if you are to create strong connections

What is it? The fear of public speaking, a fear we learn. It’s not innate and we can learn to make our fear work for us

Why is it important? Nerves are adrenalin that can manifest as fear that can be crippling and limit our efficacy or as positive energy that enhances our speech and our presence on stage

How do you overcome it? Think about your excuses, the reasons you’re afraid. Deconstruct these excuses and disarm them Think about how to connect with your audience (‘C’ in this AtoZ) Familiarise yourself with the space in which you’ll be speaking. Arrive early and introduce yourself to people so that they become friendly and familiar faces in your audience Give yourself the pre-match pep talk about just how good your speech is and its value to your audience Remember, your audience wants you to be good, so that they also have an interesting and enjoyable experience

What is it? A word or a sound such as er, um, like …

Why is it important? These little monsters can be the enemy of the public speaker. The odd one here and there might well go unnoticed. However, when your speech is littered with these little critters, they become a distraction. Your audience’s concentration shifts away from what you want to say to focusing on these irritating insertions. Worse still, these fillers belie nerves and fear of your public

How do you overcome it? Practise swapping the er/um/like sound for silence. Take a breath, pause. What seems like a long time to you, will be barely perceptible to your audience and certainly won’t distract them. Pause. Breathe. Speak

What is it? The invisible link that brings a confident and sincere connection to your audience. We trust people who look us in the eye when they are talking to us

Why is it important? Without that engagement, your audience is unlikely to absorb your message

How do you deliver it? Start with a friendly face. Look them in the eye for a phrase or a sentence, then work through the audience, perhaps following a ‘Z’ shape. Avoid the nervy panning & scanning and ensure you make focused eye contact

What is it? The standout that makes people listen and remember what you have to share with them

Why is it important? It helps your audience differentiate your message from competing demands for their attention. It adds contrast and colour to your speech

How do you deliver it? Look for opportunities in all aspects of your speech from the clothes you choose to wear, to your speech opening, content, words you use, your delivery – body language, vocal variety, use of stage

What is it? Deep breaths are your key to feeling calm(er) and controlling your voice

Why is it important? Shallow breathing, high in the chest, makes your voice go high, squeaky and wobbly, so you sound nervous

How do you deliver it? Deep breaths into the abdomen, hold for a few seconds and slowly release will help you calm yourself, modulate your voice and project outwards to your whole audience

What is it? The ‘real’ you made visible to your audience through sincerity, honesty

Why is it important? It is the basis for connecting with your audience and, thereby, being heard and remembered

How do you deliver it? Be yourself, prepared to show your vulnerable side, to be open.  Breathe deeply to appear calm, while adopting a stable and confident stance.  Ensure your body language is congruent with your words and that you maintain eye contact throughout

What is it? Our sense of humour is what we find funny or amusing. Something that makes us laugh

Why is it important? According to Victor Borge, “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people”.   It is the basis for connecting with your audience and, thereby, being heard and remembered

How do you deliver it? Be yourself, prepared to show your vulnerable side, to be open.  Breathe deeply to appear calm, while adopting a stable and confident stance. Ensure your body language is congruent with your words and that you maintain eye contact throughout

~ Original painting of Mona Lisa by Fernando Botero

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Education and Communications
• Communication Skills
• Speaking Skills

How to Talk Slower

Last Updated: March 19, 2024 Approved

This article was co-authored by Amy Chapman, MA . Amy Chapman MA, CCC-SLP is a vocal therapist and singing voice specialist. Amy is a licensed and board certified speech & language pathologist who has dedicated her career to helping professionals improve and optimize their voice. Amy has lectured on voice optimization, speech, vocal health, and voice rehabilitation at universities across California, including UCLA, USC, Chapman University, Cal Poly Pomona, CSUF, CSULA. Amy is trained in Lee Silverman Voice Therapy, Estill, LMRVT, and is a part of the American Speech and Hearing Association. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 183,991 times.

Speaking too quickly can be problematic for your audience. Often, this can be the result of a nervous tick that makes you stumble over your words a bit while speaking. If you have trouble with talking too fast, there are some things you can do. Try some vocal exercises that will help you slow down by adding pauses, and practice enunciating each word individually. You can also record yourself speaking. This will help you identify places you should slow down, or allow you to add pause/breath marks on typed speeches to remind yourself to slow down.

Quick Steps

• Enunciate your words clearly and stretch out the vowel sounds in words.
• Pause more while speaking, like after a sentence or when you change topics.
• Take time to breathe while you’re speaking.
• Record yourself speaking out loud and listen to your speed.
• Do calming exercises to relax, like counting your breathing.
• Make eye contact with your listeners to stay on pace.

Speaking More Clearly

• Don't skip over any words, not even the small ones. Enunciate each syllable of every word.

• Try saying, “The lips, the teeth, the tip of the tongue” over and over. Exaggerate each syllable.
• Repeat the words “rubber baby buggy bumpers.” Say each word clearly. Repeat the phrase again and again.

• Exaggerate it at first and add a short pause between each word. Over time, this will help you learn to not link your words together so intensely while still enunciating each word clearly.

Using Pauses and Speed Controls

• You may need to pause between each word, or add extra-long pauses after important information.

• These include things like “um,” “uh,” “I mean,” “you know,” and “like.”
• Keep in mind that using too many filler words can make it look like you are struggling to find the right words, or don't know the answer. Use these sparingly, and only as a means to help you slow down your speech.

• If you have a typed speech, you should consider adding notes for yourself to remember when to breathe and to do it more frequently than you normally would.

• Speaking more slowly and engaging with your audience with eye contact will help them keep up with you and understand what you're talking about.

• Try counting your breaths slowly. Inhale deeply and exhale slowly. Count each breath and continue this practice for one to five minutes.
• Try clenching and releasing your muscles. Start with the muscles at the top and work your way down. Clench the muscles in your forehead and face while you breathe in. Hold the breath for a moment and then slowly release it, unclenching the muscles as you go. Repeat this process as you work your way down your body, clenching and releasing all of your muscles.

Practicing Your Speech Out Loud

• With practice, this kind of speed alteration will help you learn how to control the tempo of your voice.

• Try to inhale deeply and then expel all of the air while you complete a single phrase. Pause between phrases.

• Play the recording when you are alone and have some time to analyze what you hear. Try practicing the same speech again, but make a conscious effort to alter some of the issues you noticed in the recording.
• Think about places in which your speech seemed especially fast, and practice slowing down especially in those moments.

• Try to take their criticism in a good natured manner. Remember that you asked them to do this for you.

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://ethos3.com/how-to-slow-down-nervous-speedy-speech/
• ↑ http://www.lisabmarshall.com/2015/07/23/pronounce-words-clearly-stop-mumbling/
• ↑ https://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/5_ways_to_slow_down_your_speech_46775.aspx
• ↑ https://www.fastcompany.com/3035634/6-simple-ways-to-improve-the-way-you-speak
• ↑ https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/eye_contact_dont_make_these_mistakes
• ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/27/calming-techniques-stress-anxiety_n_2736457.html
• ↑ http://www.memory-improvement-tips.com/how-to-reduce-my-speed-in-speaking.html
• ↑ https://www.inc.com/sims-wyeth/how-to-slow-down-if-you-talk-too-fast.html
• ↑ http://changingminds.org/techniques/speaking/speaking_tips/lower_slower.htm
• ↑ http://www.write-out-loud.com/quick-and-easy-effective-tips-for-speaking-rate.html

About This Article

Medical Disclaimer

The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing, or stopping any kind of health treatment.

Read More...

If you want to talk slower, try enunciating words and practicing reading aloud. If you speak too fast, you’re probably blurring words together, so try to enunciate each syllable of every word when you speak. This might sound unnatural at first, but practicing on your own can help build your confidence. Try reading a text aloud and make an effort to slow your pace down and enunciate each syllable. Make sure you pause between each sentence and topic, which will help your audience follow your flow. You can also record yourself speaking and listen back to it so you understand how other people hear your voice. It might be strange at first, but you’ll soon get used to your new speed and it’ll be second nature to you. For more tips from our Speech co-author, including how to learn how to breathe properly while speaking, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Alexia Jackson

May 24, 2018

Did this article help you?

Mar 18, 2020

Aug 2, 2019

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

Don’t miss out! Sign up for

wikiHow’s newsletter

5 Tips How To Make A Speech Longer

How to make a speech longer can be a tricky task, especially when you need to fill a specific time without losing quality or audience interest. Whether for academic, professional, or casual occasions, extending your speech is more than just adding words; it’s about enriching your presentation. This article offers strategies to lengthen your speech effectively, ensuring it remains engaging and impactful for your audience.

Understanding Your Topic: A Key to How to Make a Speech Longer

Expand your research.

The first step to lengthening your speech is to ensure you have a thorough understanding of your topic. This means going beyond the surface and digging deeper into your subject matter. Look for studies, articles, and books that can provide additional insights. The more you know, the more you can talk about.

Include Examples and Anecdotes

People love stories and examples because they can relate to them. Incorporate relevant anecdotes, case studies, or personal experiences to illustrate your points. This not only makes your speech longer but also more engaging and relatable to your audience.

Enhancing Delivery: Techniques for How to Make a Speech Longer

Use Rhetorical Questions

Rhetorical questions serve as a key technique in how to make a speech longer and more engaging. By asking thought-provoking questions, you not only prompt your audience to reflect deeply on the topic, but you also create natural pauses within your speech. These pauses are critical for allowing you to gather your thoughts and smoothly transition to your next point, thereby extending the overall duration of your presentation. This method not only enhances the interactive experience for your listeners but also improves the flow and impact of your speech. Furthermore, incorporating these strategic questions helps maintain audience interest, making your presentation both memorable and more effective in conveying your message.

Incorporate Quotes and Citations

Quoting experts or citing studies can add credibility to your speech and lengthen it. Make sure to explain the relevance of each quote or citation to your topic, which will also help in stretching out your speech.

Structuring Your Speech

Add supporting points.

To address how to make a speech longer , introduce additional supporting points that back up your main arguments. This not only elongates your speech but also strengthens your case, providing a more persuasive and comprehensive presentation.

Use Repetition Wisely

Thoughtful repetition of key points can emphasize their importance and ensure they resonate with the audience. This technique, when used sparingly, can be a powerful tool in how to make a speech longer while reinforcing your message.

Audience Engagement

Ask for audience participation.

Engaging your audience directly is a powerful strategy to how to make a speech longer and enhance its impact. By involving your listeners, you transform your presentation from a monologue into an interactive dialogue, which not only adds length but also significantly boosts engagement and retention. For those looking to further refine their presentation skills, exploring these tips can provide valuable insights and techniques. Here are several methods to achieve this:

Ask Thought-Provoking Questions: Pose open-ended questions to your audience to stimulate thinking and encourage them to reflect on the topic. This approach not only adds depth to your speech but also invites participation, making your presentation more dynamic and interactive. This technique is a key answer to how to make a speech longer , as it naturally extends the conversation and engages the audience more deeply.

Encourage Audience Sharing: Invite your listeners to share their experiences or opinions related to your speech topic. This can be particularly effective after presenting a challenging idea or a relatable anecdote. By fostering an environment where audience members feel valued and heard, you naturally extend the duration of your speech while deepening the connection with your audience.

Incorporate Simple Activities: Integrate activities that relate to your topic to keep your audience engaged and involved. For example, a quick poll, a show of hands on a specific question, or a brief group discussion can significantly enhance participation. These activities not only serve to lengthen your speech but also provide valuable insights into your audience’s perspectives, further enriching the dialogue.

Utilize Interactive Tools: In today’s digital age, interactive tools such as live polls or Q&A sessions through mobile apps can add an innovative layer to your speech. These tools allow for real-time engagement, making it easier to gather audience input and extend the conversation beyond your prepared content. Leveraging these digital platforms is another effective strategy for how to make a speech longer while maintaining audience interest.

By implementing these strategies, you not only achieve the goal of extending your speech but also create a more memorable and engaging experience for your audience. The key lies in viewing your speech not just as an opportunity to inform but as a platform for interaction, dialogue, and shared learning. This approach not only enriches the content of your speech but also strengthens the connection with your audience, ensuring that your message is not only longer but significantly more impactful.

Use Visual Aids

Visual aids like slides, charts, or videos can not only make your speech more interesting but also longer. Take the time to explain each visual aid thoroughly, ensuring it complements your speech and adds value.

Concluding Your Speech

Summarize with impact.

A strong conclusion revisits your key points and reinforces your message, an essential step in how to make a speech longer . Take the time to thoughtfully summarize the main elements of your speech, ensuring you leave a lasting impression.

End with a Call to Action

A call to action encourages your audience to do something with the information you’ve provided. This can be a powerful way to conclude your speech, extending its impact beyond the immediate presentation.

Practice and Feedback

Before delivering your extended speech, practice it several times, a crucial part of how to make a speech longer . Seek feedback from friends, colleagues, or mentors who can offer insights on pacing, clarity, and the effectiveness of your added content. Adjustments based on feedback can help ensure your speech is engaging and appropriately timed.

Wrapping It Up

Making a speech longer is not just about adding words; it’s about enriching the content and engaging your audience throughout. By deepening your research, incorporating stories, mastering the art of pausing, structuring your speech with additional points, engaging your audience, and concluding powerfully, you can extend your speech while keeping it interesting and impactful.

You may also like

Top 20 Most Famous Motivational Speakers

How to Develop Quiet Confidence: Practical Tips and Strategies

What is an Encore Presentation: 5 Key Benefits and Strategies

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

How to Make an Informative Speech Longer

Dave stanley.

Audiences for informative speeches hold the speakers' clarity and brevity in high regard. However, there are times when the speech does need to be longer. You don't want to leave out key information just to beat the clock. Or you may have to fill a preset amount of time that's longer than expected. In both instances, there are several ways to further develop your message while keeping it pertinent and clear.

Study all the details pertaining to your subject. The more you know, the more information you will be able to include in your presentation. If you don't possess extensive knowledge about your topic, you may be forced to employ useless filler that could cloud your message.

Use the traditional "introduction/body/solution" format for your informative speech. The more carefully structured your speech is, the easier it will be to modify the length if need be. If you decide to eschew organization and wing it, you run the risk of expounding too long on one topic while neglecting another. When you have to make your speech longer, remember to add to each each subtopic equally in order to maintain balance.

Employ visual aids. Powerpoint, projection slides and videos allow you to both lengthen and enhance your presentation without going off on tangents and losing your audience. Visual aids should add to your message, not distract from it.

Repeat all the main points of your message and reinforce it by employing an anecdotal technique, giving plenty of personal stories and examples. Not only will this lengthen the duration of your speech, but it will also enable your audience to relate to you, providing you with an additional way to drive your message home.

End with a question and answer session. This is useful for both the audience and you because it takes the guesswork out of what you need to address again. Plus, if you have exhausted all the other means of extending your informative speech, audience participation will help you avoid resorting to extraneous filler.

About the Author

Dave Stanley has covered sports, music and hard news since 2000. He has been published on CBSSports.com and various other websites. Stanley is also a feature writer for "WhatsUp!" magazine in Bellingham, Wash. He studied journalism at the University of Memphis.

Related Articles

How to Give a Good 8th-Grade Speech

How to Do a Good English Oral Presentation

Tips for High School Students on Creating Introductions...

How to Write a 4 Minute Speech Correctly

How to Answer a Reading Prompt on Standardized Test

Oral Presentation Checklist for Middle School

How to Write an Impromptu Speech

Postures During an Oral Presentation

Importance of Using APA Format in Research Papers

How to Make an Opening Statement in a Debate

How to Deliver a Beautiful Eulogy for a Loved One

How to Write a Summary of a Speech

How to Write Constructive Essays

How to Make a Roman Numeral Outline

How to Create a Positive Tone of Voice

How to Give Good Speech Presentations in College

Radio Communication Protocol and Etiquette

How to Turn Off Email Notifications on My Droid

How to Blouse BDU Pants

How to Write an Essay Abstract

Regardless of how old we are, we never stop learning. Classroom is the educational resource for people of all ages. Whether you’re studying times tables or applying to college, Classroom has the answers.

• Accessibility
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Copyright Policy
• Manage Preferences

© 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Based on the Word Net lexical database for the English Language. See disclaimer .

12 effective impromptu speech tips you should use

• Filed under: Featured articles , Public speaking articles , Public speaking tips and tricks , Speaking tips , Speech delivery , Speech preparation

An impromptu speech is something most people are afraid of even more than public speaking . There’s hardly any time to prepare, and, sometimes, this speech must be longer than just a few minutes.

So, what is an impromptu speech? An impromptu speech is a speech which is given without any thorough preparation. It is five- to eight-minute speech with a characteristically short preparation time of a couple of minutes.

This can be frightening, but it’s not the hardest of things. Today, I’ll give you 12 good tips you can use in the future. That said if you want even more information about impromptu speech and public speaking then definitely check out this list of the best public speaking books I have compiled for you.

Table of Contents

12 impromptu speech tips (short version)

Video: 12 effective impromptu speech tips you should use

Why give an impromptu speech? Here are the reasons:

• The actual speaker is running late or you have to give a speech totally last moment instead of the actual speaker.
• At a meeting , you are unexpectedly asked to give a longer overview of what’s happening.
• You are forced (or decide for yourself) to take part in a discussion (e.g., parents’ meeting).
• A cheering speech at a birthday party or other similar event (e.g., colleague’s birthday).
• An unexpected (or even agreed beforehand) interview .
• You must unexpectedly introduce yourself at an event or talk about your area of activity .
• Unexpected questions during a Q&A session following your presentation.

Remember that the better public speaker you are, the more people will be pointing in your direction, because no-one wants to go out there. So, get ready to be teased, „James, we all know you can do it so well…“

12 impromptu speech tips that will make you shine

1. a good speech has a structure.

There are several speech structures, but I use the one called the FAT system.

• F = Feeling . Express how you feel about the subject of your speech
• A = Anecdote . Tell a story related to it. If it’s funny, even better.
• T = Tie back . Link the story to the subject.

F = Feeling

Share your feelings about the subject. If it makes you sad, show it. If it makes you happy, express it with all your nature.

A = Anecdote

The anecdote doesn’t necessarily mean making a joke. Indeed, if your story is funny and related to the subject, that’s just great. Keep in mind that the make-a-point-tell-a-story approach usually works well.

T = Tieback

When you’re done with your story, keep in mind that now is the time to link it to the subject. For example: if your topic is „Your Favourite Car Brand“ and you told a good story about which bad (or good) cars you’ve come across, now is the time, to sum up, the topic pointing out why you chose a particular car brand.

2. Practice giving a speech

Mark Twain once said, „It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech“. In other words, it can be practiced. The more you practice and the more topics you go through, the easier it will be .

You can practice alone or with your friends. One of the ways to do it with your friends is to play a game. Scroll down for instructions!

As a side note, I wrote an article (with 10 effective tips) about how to practice a speech. You can read it here.

3. Go on stage and give speeches whenever you get an opportunity

The more experience you gain, the better you will be able to handle unexpected situations. You’ll also learn how to deal with tricky questions and smarty pants.

Recommended books

How to Deliver a TED Talk: Secrets of the World's Most Inspiring Presentations

Jeremy Donovan

Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences

Nancy Duarte

Confessions of a Public Speaker

Scott Berkun

Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds

Carmine Gallo

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right

Atul Gawande

The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything... Fast!

Josh Kaufman

By the way, I did my MA thesis on the fear of public speaking, in which I also studied the way in which the level of the fear of public speaking and the frequency of its occurrence is related. It revealed that the people who do public speaking more often suffer from the fear of public speaking significantly less than those who do it rarely.

Have a look at the figure below:

4. Believe you can do it

If you only focus on the idea of potentially failing, you focus on the wrong thing . You’re not the most important person at the moment of giving a presentation. Your listeners are. Anyway, if you don’t believe in yourself, why should I as a listener? Oftentimes, the audience is your allie , and you should keep that in mind at all times.

Why is the audience your Allie ? Because the better you do, the more they will benefit from your presentation.

5. You could mention it’s an impromptu speech

An impromptu speech is just like any other speech, that is, it’s not a good idea to start your speech with an excuse. If the listeners are aware of the situation anyway, it might be worth mentioning. Do it in a brief and professional manner and avoid futile apologies.

Briefly explain why the speech is improvisation and get to the subject. If you use the above-mentioned FAT structure, it’ll be much easier for you to give a good speech.

6. Don’t forget about humor

For example: if you mention that it’s an impromptu speech, make a joke about the situation . Already today, it would be a good idea to think of a funny story or two about yourself for such occasions.

At the same time, keep in mind that if you’re not particularly good at making jokes , don’t try to overdo it . Equally important, never say „I’m going to tell you a funny story“ because you set the expectations high. Just say that you’re going to tell a story, and if the audience finds it funny, great success!

7. Think of universal introductions or stories to use in the future

Getting started with a story is always a good idea, especially, if it’s a personal one. For example, you can start with a story of how you had to give a speech once and what went wrong.

Sometimes, it may happen that you have to give a speech so unexpectedly that there’s no time whatsoever to think of a story introducing the subject. In this case, after making an introduction, you can make a transition in the form of a joke about yourself.

For example, you could say, „Some of you will wonder how this story is related to my presentation. It’s not, really… I just had to give a speech so unexpectedly that this story was the first thing that sprang to mind. Speaking of the subject… (and you go on with the actual subject)“.

But there’s a lot more to it so I wrote a complete guide on how to make a speech introduction that grabs the attention which you can read here.

8. If you get stuck, pretend it’s a meaningful pause

Remember that one speaker from Ancient Greece once summed up the fundamental truths about public speaking tips:

• Speak clearly to be heard.
• Stand straight to be seen.
• Be quiet to be enjoyable.

Take your time and try to avoid unnecessary voiced sounds during the pause – most people won’t even realize there’s something going on.

9. Customize the topic and make it your statement

Sometimes, it’s the only solution. For example: if I’m unexpectedly asked to talk about maths for 15 minutes, I have to admit this is a subject I don’t know anything about.

So I have a couple of stories about how I wasn’t very good at maths at school and that there’s one thing I’m very good at when it comes to maths. Calculating percentages by cross-multiplying. Then, I’ll be talking about how it really helped me in practice and how the audience could use it.

To sum it up, if the subject is something you don’t know much about, you will adjust it a little and change the focus , talking about it from a perspective you feel more confident about.

10. In relation to your speech, find answers to the following five questions:

• What (or about what)?

For example: if you have to talk about the fact that you’re afraid to speak publicly, your speech could answer the following questions:

• Who are you?
• What have you done to cope with it and what could others learn from it?
• When did you succeed (or fail) in relation to the subject (add a short story here)?
• Where could your tips be used?
• Why is it important at all?

It’s essentially the same as the FAT structure but explained from another angle.

11. Turn your presentation into a Q&A session

If you have no idea what to say in the beginning, go for a Q&A session. For example, your topic is „How to Give a Speech“, but you don’t have any good idea. So you start with something like „Dear all, today, we’ll be talking about how to give a speech. How many of you have given an impromptu speech or done public performances unexpectedly? Yes, Paul, what were the circumstances?“

This way, you’ll get hints from the listeners about what you could talk about, and you can smoothly go over to your speech.

But if you say „Today, we’ll be talking about how to give a speech. First of all, you’ll be able to ask a few questions about what you find most important when it comes to our topic“, the questions asked by the listeners will give you an idea of what you should talk about.

Keep in mind that you have to encourage your listeners as they may be too shy to ask questions. If no-one asks a question, go back to one of the tips above.

12. Don’t blab all the time

To be brief is always a good thing . The longer you talk, the greater the likelihood that your speech becomes somewhat boring , and, as a result, the listeners lose interest.

An impromptu speech developing game you can play with your friends

It’s quite common to play different games in larger or smaller groups. The game I recommend is suitable for groups of all shapes and sizes.

• Beginner : On a piece of paper, each participant puts down a topic they are able to talk about for a minute or two, without preparation.
• Advanced : On a piece of paper, each participant puts down a completely random topic.
• Put all the topics together. Now, in turns, you pick one topic and start talking about it for about a minute or two, without preparation. If you pick the topic written by you, you put it back and pick a new one.

When one participant is finished, the next participant picks a new topic and starts with their speech.

• Other listeners shouldn’t interrupt the speaker during their speech.
• It is advisable to give feedback, especially by the person who has come up with the topic.

How does this game improve giving an impromptu speech?

First, you get used to talking about topics you don’t know anything about at a first glance.

Second, you get a wealth of experience in terms of how to customize a topic. For example: if you pick a topic entitled „My Trip to Spain“, but you’ve never been to Spain, you’ll be talking about „What I Could Do on my Next Trip to Spain“.

Third, you get feedback from other people about how you did. Pretty soon, you’ll discover that you’re actually much better than you think.

Finally, the more you play this game, the more comfortable you will feel in different situations . You will learn from experience, right?

An impromptu speech can be frightening, but it’s not the hardest of things. It’s all in your head, and you can start fixing it now.

Have a look at my 12 impromptu speech tips and think of the situations where you can use one or the other. And then… go on stage. First thing. The more you practice public speaking , the better you get.

Related questions

What is a persuasive speech? The main objective of a persuasive speech is to make your listeners do what you want them to do. For example, „buy my product“, „vote for me“, „believe what I’m talking about“, and so on. ( full article here)

What is the elevator pitch? An elevator pitch is a well-thought, meaningful, and repeatedly practiced brief (about 30-60 seconds long) overview of who you are, what you offer, and how your partner can benefit from it ( full article here ).

What is audience analysis? Audience analysis gives you the opportunity to get as much information about the background of your listeners as possible. Using this information, you can prepare your message so that it builds on the interests, needs, and expectations of your listeners. ( full article here )

Posts about public speaking you may also like

How to memorize a speech in less than an hour?

It’s the big day! Time is running out and you have yet to work on memorizing your speech. The only problem is, you’re due to

The 5Ps of Public Speaking

Hey there, let’s talk about public speaking! As someone who has given countless presentations and speeches, I know firsthand how nerve-wracking it can be. But

13 Powerful Ways How to End a Presentation

In my experience, a lot of my public speaking students give much more attention to how they start their speech rather than how to end

• Tags: Art of public speaking , Effective speaking , Good speech , Impromptu presentation , Impromptu speaking , Impromptu talk , Making a speech , Prepare a speech , Presentation skills tips , Presentation techniques , Speech skills , Speech tips , Writing a speech

Recommended gear

Best Portable Speakers For The Presentations

Best Video Cameras for Public Speakers

Best rresenter remotes for public speakers

Best Portable Thumb Drives And Hard Drives for the Presentations

Who is janek tuttar.

My name is Janek Tuttar , and I am the founder and author of Speak and Conquer website.

I have been teaching public speaking at Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences

Here, I am sharing the wisdom of how to cope in different public speaking situations.

More information about Janek »

Share this post

Hi! My name is Janek Tuttar, and I am the founder and author of SpeakAndConquer.com.

I have been teaching and blogging about public speaking since spring 2007. Here, I am sharing the wisdom of how to cope in different public speaking situations.

Send me an e-mail: [email protected]

LEGAL INFORMATION

This site is owned and operated by Janek Tuttar. SpeakAndConquer.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies.

Best teleprompters

Best Computer Mice for the Presentations

Best Laptop Backpacks for Public Speakers

8 Tips You Can Use to Make Your Presentation Longer

Last updated on May 31st, 2023

Striking that perfect duration for your presentation can be tricky. Your presentation should be brief so as not to bore your audience and to take advantage of the attention span , but it should also be thorough so you can fully deliver your message. There will be times when you’ll need to have a longer presentation than what you had planned, and it can be daunting to prolong the session on the spot if you don’t know what to do. Remember, a long presentation doesn’t mean a wordy presentation.

Let’s say you were forced to use a specific time frame for your presentation. As an example, let’s assume this is a 60-minute presentation. But when you realize you’ve prepared a presentation that you can deliver in 30 minutes, what would you do to cover the timing requirements and time constraints? While we already covered how many slides for a 30 minute presentation , in this article, we’ll share eight tips you can apply to make a presentation longer, some you can do before in preparation, and others you can use during the presentation. But first, let’s talk about why you might need a longer presentation.

What are some reasons you might need a longer presentation?

You don’t want to look unprepared. When not done properly, a presentation that is too short may give off the impression that you do not know a lot about the topic you are presenting, or that you did not exert enough effort in creating the presentation. This, even if you have delivered a message effectively and already said everything you needed to say. By having a long and effective presentation, you can show that you are capable and knowledgeable about the topic. It is not the idea to talk for the sake of talking, because if that is the case a wise decision would be to be honest with your audience and cut the presentation beforehand. But in some other situations, this is not the case, and you need to use all the time that you have available for the presentation.

Recommended reading: 75+ actionable topic ideas for your presentations in PowerPoint or Google Slides

You want your audience to feel engaged. Studies from military training have shown that there is a certain balance you should strike when delivering a message to make sure your audience connects with you and understands your key points. Too short a presentation usually does not give the audience enough time or information to fully embrace the topic.

Your presentation time was changed at the last minute . When you’re presenting as part of a panel, you always have to be prepared to adjust the duration of your speech in case you have to accommodate a change in schedule. If you have been asked to fill in for another presenter, you’ll have to find a way to stretch the presentation to make it longer .

What is the ideal length for a presentation? It will depend. Is the presentation you are creating a speech (not a workshop)? In those cases, ideal length may vary between 10 and 20 minutes. However, in some situations you may want to make your presentations longer in time.

How to make a presentation longer (8 Actionable Tips)

Before the presentation.

It is best to design your presentation to already be substantive beforehand so that you can take up as much time as needed to present your topic. Here are 4 tips and strategies to use when making your presentation:

Over-prepare

If you have been asked to present for 20 minutes, make sure to prepare enough content for at least 25 minutes. A common standard is that you should always be ready to speak 25% more than you were asked to do. It is much easier to be over-prepared and just cut the less important points from the presentation than to add points that you weren’t prepared for.

Layout a timed schedule for your presentation.

Plan out your speech by knowing how long you take for specific portions of the presentation. This includes your introduction, all the key points, your closing remarks, and any engagements you have prepared like a Q&A portion from the audience. This allows you to have a more detailed estimation of the duration of your presentation, and you can see which parts of your speech you can choose to stretch or insert additional information. This action requires a proper planning, and define the presentation structure beforehand. Alternatively, you can work in a presentation outline first.

Design your PowerPoint presentation purposefully.

Having a visual aid like a PowerPoint presentation is a must in any professional setting, and you can harness it to lengthen your presentation and make it more substantive. By including a graph or a data set to your slides, you are giving yourself a short break from constant speaking.

To help you in designing effective presentations, check out our roster of the best free PowerPoint templates , as chosen by the editor.

Present facts and quotes

A million dollar tip to make your presentation longer is to include new facts and why not, quote slides. Adding facts to your presentations not only will help to transmit the Logos part of the Rhetoric triangle (Logos is an appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason), but also help to lengthen your presentation a few seconds.

Similarly, presenting quotes from famous characters (they can be from different areas, such as politics, sports, public speaking, etc.), you can motivate your audience and keep then engaged. The audience will dedicate a few seconds to reasoning about the quote, what it means, what it tries to say and also about the personality or character who said it, remembering different stories. This will of course help to stretch your presentation a few seconds more. Using a free quote slide for PowerPoint can help you to achieve this with no hassle.

Vary the elements of your presentation.

When appropriate, you can add more types of media into your presentation. A short video clip or an impactful image is a great thing to incorporate. Not only do they lengthen your presentation, but they also spice up your speech and make it more engaging.

If your presentation is too short, you can apply the 10/20/30 rule for presentations, in which there should be no more than 10 slides, the presentation should last no more than 20 minutes, and there should be no text smaller than 30 points. This way, you can extend your presentation to a 20-minute length.

During the presentation

Making a presentation longer while you’re already at the podium is all about adapting and taking control of the time. Here are 4 tips that you can employ to make your presentation longer, during the presentation:

1. Speak slowly yet deliberately

Your nerves when public speaking can cause you to speak in a rush or in a panic. Take control of your voice and speak more slowly and include short pauses when making a point. By speaking slowly yet deliberately, you effectively lengthen your speech, and you also help your audience grasp your message much easier.

2. Stress out and repeat key concepts

When presenting, do not shy away from repeating the main points of your message throughout the presentation. By repeating key concepts, you hammer them down so that your audience remembers them and takes them away after the presentation. Stressing out main points is also one of the tips in making a brain-friendly presentation.

3. Add in your reserved examples, stories, and anecdotes

If you’ve done your over-preparation, this is the time when you can include the extra information you have exceedingly prepared and incorporate them into the speech. However, make sure that what you add is still related to the topic and adds substance to the speech. Remember, a long presentation does not mean a wordy presentation.

4. Enrich your presentations with videos

Adding videos to your presentations or embedding a video into your slides and playing it during the slide show can help you to make your presentation longer. However, this technique must be combined with other ones. If you embed a video in your PowerPoint presentations, make sure that it resonates with the topic and speech, and try to keep the attention span in mind. Videos longer than 3 minutes may make your presentation too boring unless the video is engaging enough. Please be sure to use this technique with caution. Additionally, consider that when using videos, the estimated number of slides may vary because each video is generally presented in a slide. So, for instance, if you rely on a specific number of slides for a 10-minute presentation , understand that using videos would require fewer number of slides.

Engage with your audience

Audience participation is a great strategy to use when you’re playing for time and need a longer presentation. There are many ways you can engage your audience throughout the presentation. You can say that you are open to questions during the speech rather than afterward in the Q&A session (Questions and Answers). You can also ask a question, and ask for simple input from the audience like a show of hands.

Final Thoughts

When you need to explain your topic thoroughly and intensively, long presentations are the way to go. However, keep in mind that longer presentations have to be engaging so as not to lose the interest of your audience You can use the 8 tips and techniques that we have mentioned above to help you deliver longer presentations that remain effective and dynamic, so you can nail your presentations every time.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Sign up to our newsletter

We will send you our curated collections to your email weekly. No spam, promise!

How to Shorten Your Presentation without Losing Impact

Imagine, you’ve done all the work to prepare and rehearse a major presentation and at the last minute you’re told, “I’m so sorry, but we’re short on time. Can you give us the five-minute version?”

Is it possible to shorten a presentation without losing all of your impact? Yes. Don’t panic. After all, a sound bite is often more powerful than a lengthy dissertation. Here’s how to condense your speech without losing impact:

1. Don’t apologize or mention that you usually have much more time. Find confidence in the fact you’ve prepared. You can still get your central message across in five minutes. 2. Begin quickly. Start with an attention-getting statement such as, “Your job won’t exist five years from now,” or “I will convince you the best action to take is…”

3. Use a strongly visual story. A very brief story can illustrate your point – how it is now, how it will or could be. Choose a story so vivid that the audience can “see” it.

4. Divide your five minutes into three parts. For example, you might present a problem, your solution, and the payoff.  For example: “The best advice I can give you in facing this challenge today is…” Then, let your story illustrate and support your point. In closing, your words should emphasize the positive outcome your audience can expect when they go with your solution or approach to the challenge.

“I wanted a super bowl-quality coach, and I was lucky to be introduced to Patricia Fripp. Her help in coaching and scripting was world class. With Patricia Fripp on your team, you can go places.” – Don Yaeger, Long-Time Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated magazine, Award-Winning Keynote Speaker, New York Times Best-Selling Author

Join FrippVT today!

Maximize Your Impact

Just a few more of the many resources on Fripp.com to help you deliver a presentation with impact:

• What to Do Just Before You Take The Stage
• Public Speaking – Delivery Strategy
• The Critical Moments Just Before You Speak: Conquering the Jitters
• Are You Speaking Too Quickly? Expert Advice
• Make Sure Your Movement Supports Your Message
• Physical Preparation for Successful Public Speaking
• What You Can Do When Your Audience Tunes Out

Executive Speech Coach and Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker Patricia Fripp works with individuals and companies who realize that powerful, persuasive presentation skills give them a competitive edge.

Share Your Thoughts Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

How to Present and Teach in the Virtual World…and More

Receive free, on-going Fripp webinar invitations, sales and presentation skills information, and special discounts from Executive Speech Coach, Sales Presentation Trainer, and Professional Keynote Speaker, Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE. As an added bonus, sign up now and receive a free copy of Patricia Fripp’s How to Present and Teach in the Virtual World.

Subscribe to Fripp's Expert Advice!

Receive invitations to on-going Fripp webinars, sales & presentation skills advice, and special discounts!

• Speech Writing
• Delivery Techniques
• PowerPoint & Visuals
• Speaker Habits
• Speaker Resources

Speech Critiques

• Book Reviews
• Browse Articles
• ALL Articles
• Learn About Us
• About Six Minutes
• Meet Our Authors
• Write for Us
• Advertise With Us

Presentation Timing: 5 Tips to Stay On Time and Avoid Audience Wrath

Were you happy about it? Or were you mad that they now put you behind for your next appointment? Or did you leave before they wrapped up?

In this article, we examine the importance of finishing on time and give 5 tips for staying within your time constraints.

Is finishing your presentation on time important?

In most situations, yes!

Always assume that your audience is busy (because they are).

Always assume that could have chosen other places to be (because they could have).

Always assume that they have something planned immediately after you finish (because they usually do).

Audiences get uneasy if you are approaching your time limit and you aren’t wrapping up.

• They start to consider walking out .
• They start to get nervous thinking about their next appointment , and how they may be late.
• They start wishing you’d wrap it up already.
• Most importantly, they stop listening to you!

Not only do you lose credibility with your audience and risk offending them, but you also lose the opportunity to make a strong conclusion because they either aren’t listening or they aren’t in the room!

Is it better to end early, or right on time?

If it’s really bad to finish over time, then one might assume that you should always try to end well under your allowed time. However, that’s not always good either.

If you finish your presentation considerably under time (e.g. 20 minutes early in a presentation scheduled for one hour), your audience may feel cheated, particularly if they paid to listen to you speak. They may feel that you promised 60 minutes of value, but only delivered 40.

For this reason, one safe rule of thumb is to speak for between 90-100% of your allowed time . So, if your presentation is planned for 60 minutes, you should speak at least 54 (or 55 for a nice round number). This ensures that your audience doesn’t “feel cheated”, but also ensures that you don’t go over time.

There are all sorts of exceptions to the above rule of thumb, so use your judgement and do what makes sense in your situation.

5 Steps To Keep Your Presentation Within Time

It’s really not that hard to finish your presentation on time. Just follow these five simple steps:

#1 — Know Your Allowed Time

Have you ever heard a speaker walking away from a venue muttering: “I thought I had longer”?

This is the result of poor communication between the speaker and the event organizer. Both the speaker and the event organizer end up looking bad in this scenario.

Make sure you are always aware of how long you have to speak. Verify with the event organizer before the event.

#2 — Plan Your Content and Edit as Necessary

For many speakers, the problem is not knowing how much time the audience is giving them. The problem is being unreasonable with how much they can say within that allotted time.

Most people overestimate how much material they can adequately cover within a given time. They want to “share everything” and “leave nothing back”. On the other hand, the wise presenter develops strong self-awareness about how long it takes to effectively deliver their message.

When you are planning, also consider:

• Q&A : Allow time for audience questions, either within your presentation or at the end.
• Activities : Allow adequate time for any planning audience activities or exercises. One of my challenges is that I tend to underestimate how long it takes to explain an activity and “break into groups” before the exercise even starts.
• Breaks : For longer presentations, budget time for breaks for stretching, bathroom visits, coffee, or meals. This all comes out of your allotted time. In a typical full-day (8-hour) training course, for example, you might only have 6 hours of instruction once you subtract out all of the breaks.

Cut mercilessly to make sure the material you intend to deliver can be delivered within your time constraints. It’s better to present the appropriate amount at a pace which the audience can absorb rather than whizzing through too much material so the audience grasps nothing.

#3 — Rehearse Effectively

Until you gain experience as a speaker, you may not be able to accurately gauge how much content fits within a given time. For example, how many pages would you write if delivering a 30 minute commencement address? How many case studies can you cover in a lunch-time seminar?

“ If you go over time while rehearsing, you’ve got to cut material. ”

The best way to measure how long it will take is to time yourself while you rehearse effectively:

• Rehearse standing up and speaking out loud . Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you can just “whisper” your way through your slides while sitting in front of your computer. Your pace will be different while standing.
• Speak to a test audience , even if all you can arrange is one person. This eliminates the tendency to “practice within yourself” as some speakers do while rehearsing. Just one audience member forces you to make eye contact and look for audience feedback. It also simulates a bit of the pressure you may feel with a real audience. You can also get valuable feedback by asking “How was my pace? Did I go too fast?”
• Make it as close to the real thing as possible . If you’ll be using a presentation remote to advance your slides, then rehearse with one. If you’ll be moving around in the “real presentation”, then do so as you rehearse. If you can rehearse in the room where you’ll be presenting, do so. The more closely you can mimic the real thing, the better your time estimate will be.
• Make it a dress rehearsal . If I’m planning to wear a suit when presenting, I like to rehearse in one. For me, the act of dressing up creates the same nervous energy and tends to give me more accurate timing.

Rehearsing in this way allows you to accurately time your presentation under close-to-real circumstances. If you go over time while rehearsing, you’ve got to cut material.

#4 — Start on Time

How many times have you seen a presenter ask for “just 5 more minutes” at the end of a one-hour presentation, despite having started ten minutes late?

Do everything in your power to start on time. Arrive early, sort out your technology, and make sure everything is set to go when your time starts. Don’t waste a moment.

Your exact start time isn’t always within your control. For example, I know of one company where “lunch-time seminars” always start at 12:15. If you are invited to speak in this forum, you’ve got to know that. A thorough discussion with the event organizer should reveal this.

#5 — Measure Your Progress and Adjust

For short speeches (say, under 15 minutes), you can probably just launch into it and hit your end time target within reason (assuming you have rehearsed it).

For longer presentations, however, you can use a more strategic approach:

• As you rehearse your content, note how long it takes for each “block” of your presentation. (Get someone to time you if necessary.)
• 12:05 – Start presentation
• 12:15 – Introduction and case study introduced
• 12:30 – Case study and lessons learned complete
• 12:50 – Live demonstration complete
• 12:58 – Q&A complete. Applause.
• Write down these targets and have them with you as you present, perhaps on a small notepad by your water. (I do it with red pen and big letters.)
• As you reach the end of each “block”, check the clock . If you are running behind, you can adjust your pace. For example, if you are starting the live demonstration at 12:35, then you know you are 5 minutes behind, and you’ll have to cut planned material to “catch up.”
• If necessary, recruit an assistant with a watch to help you monitor your intermediate targets.

Speaking over your allowed time is disrespectful and will annoy at least some people in your audience. It’s a privilege to have their attention, whether it’s for 5 minutes or 5 hours. Don’t abuse it! End on time — every time.

Share Your Stories

Do you have presentation timing anecdotes to share? Either when you were speaking, or when you were in the audience?

Please share in the comments . We love to hear from readers.

Please share this...

This is one of many public speaking articles featured on Six Minutes . Subscribe to Six Minutes for free to receive future articles.

Image credit: Retro Clock by FreeImages.com/zbyszek80 ( license )

Add a Comment Cancel reply

E-Mail (hidden)

Subscribe - It's Free!

Similar Articles You May Like...

• The 7 Deadly Sins of Public Speaking
• How to Use Notes in a Speech: A Guide for Speakers
• How to be a Confident Speaker with a Speech Disorder
• What is an Ignite presentation, and why should you try it?
• 10 Presentation Bad Habits My College Students – And You – Must UN-Learn (Part 2)
• 10 Presentation Bad Habits My College Students – And You – Must UN-Learn

Find More Articles Tagged:

We’ve all been there. The speaker speaks for far longer than anyone expects and as an audience member you just sit there thinking “when will this end?” I’ve seen it time after time at public speaking clubs in particular.

It’s worth reinforcing that when you are speaking in front of an audience, it will always take longer to cover the same material adequately. That extra time is necessary to let the message sink in with a real, live audience. Rehearsal time can be misleading, so don’t get caught out!

I would love to share this with clients. Your 5 minutes is not the same as mine, just make sure you finish on time. Great read!

this is great advise ur really smart dude keep doing you

Recent Tweets

5 Tips to Stay On Time and Avoid Audience Wrath http://t.co/6es9Vmug — Presenting Away Dec 19th, 2012

Presentation timing: 5 tips to avoid audience wrath http://t.co/Dw4Je0rz — Diane Dec 21st, 2012

recommend reading for presenters at conferences http://t.co/LfnlikwXp6 — @tweetsimon Jul 7th, 2014

@VMart speaks the truth! 5 tips to keep yourself on time and your audience happy. http://t.co/SWeQFQEcDE #AFS145 https://t.co/bxbn7wDSjQ — @pseanmc Aug 19th, 2015

.@6minutes Andrew! I just read your article on speech timing, so great! Also giving it to my students to read ~ https://t.co/JzheERLxNz — @JacksonHoleRose Oct 25th, 2015

Presentation Timing: 5 Tips to Stay On Time and Avoid Audience Wrath https://t.co/qjXmwcjwZ4 by @6minutes — Sleiman Skaf (@SleimanSkaf) Apr 20th, 2016

#TuesdayTips Good tips by @6minutes about keeping your presentation within the allotted time. https://t.co/Rk2GtzReRv — PitchVantage (@pitchvantage) Jul 26th, 2016

There is nothing worse than when speakers go on and on and on . . . https://t.co/XZVnTmNvHO — @speakers4change Oct 5th, 2016

#DMCIT Might be of interest for the upcoming presentations. https://t.co/oeGhqqc5F8 — @Zeet66 Nov 1st, 2016

Of course, you don’t want to go way under time, but, in my opinion, it’s much better than going over time. I like… https://t.co/4FPFvPxB6R — @justineldees Oct 28th, 2018

Featured Articles

• Majora Carter (TED, 2006) Energy, Passion, Speaking Rate
• Hans Rosling (TED, 2006) 6 Techniques to Present Data
• J.A. Gamache (Toastmasters, 2007) Gestures, Prop, Writing
• Steve Jobs (Stanford, 2005) Figures of speech, rule of three
• Al Gore (TED, 2006) Humor, audience interaction
• Dick Hardt (OSCON, 2005) Lessig Method of Presentation

Books We Recommend

Six Minutes Copyright © 2007-2022 All Rights Reserved.

Read our permissions policy , privacy policy , or disclosure policy .

Comments? Questions? Contact us .

Get the Reddit app

/r/Debate is a subreddit dedicated to discussing formal styles of speech debate as practiced in high school and college. These include Lincoln Douglas, Policy, Public Forum, Parliamentary, and Congressional Debates, as well as speech events like Original Oratory, Interpretation, and Extemporaneous Speaking.

PF tips for making speeches longer?

Hi everyone. Can I please have some tips on how to make my speeches last longer? Very often I will write out a rebuttal or final focus or something and it will only take like half the time for me to read.

• Nevada Politics
• National Politics
• Mason Valley News
• Lyon County News Leader

Live coverage: Sam Brown gets Trump endorsement in GOP primary race for U.S. Senate

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is holding an outdoor rally Sunday at Sunset Park in Las Vegas, where the forecast is for 100 degrees at noon when the former president is scheduled to go on stage. It's Trump's first Nevada rally since his conviction on 34 felony charges last month , coming at the end of a three-day fundraising push that included stops in San Francisco and Beverly Hills, where he raised millions of dollars from technology executives and other donors.

After rally, Trump endorses Sam Brown for U.S. Senate

Hours after the Las Vegas rally, Donald Trump posted an endorsement for U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown on his social media site, Truth Social.

"Sam Brown is a FEARLESS AMERICAN PATRIOT, a Purple Heart Recipient, who has proven he has the "PURE GRIT" and COURAGE to take on our Enemies, both Foreign and Domestic," Trump wrote.

"Sam Brown has my Complete and Total Endorsement - HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN," he wrote.

Brown responded to the endorsement in a news release Sunday night:

"I am honored to have President Trump’s endorsement of our grassroots Duty First movement for U.S. Senate. Together, we will work towards delivering a better future for every Nevadan!

"I look forward to helping President Trump pass the America First agenda in the U.S. Senate after we both win in November. Our message to every American is clear: relief from the Biden-Rosen American Nightmare will soon be here and the hope of the American Dream will be restored!"

Brown is facing 11 other Republicans in the primary. The winner will face presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Jacky Rosen in November in an election that could decide control of the U.S. Senate.

Brown is considered the favorite, and has received an endorsement from the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Gov. Joe Lombardo.

But his opponent, former Trump ambassador to Iceland Jeff Gunter, shared internal polling last week showing him neck and neck with Brown, each with about 30% support from participants in the Kaplan Strategies poll. It also showed 21% of voters still undecided in the survey of about 800 Nevada Republican voters conducted May 30.

Early voting ended Friday, and nearly 68,000 Republicans have already cast ballots. The primary is Tuesday, June 11.

According to the Cook Political Report , only three Senate races are considered toss-ups: Nevada, Montana and Ohio.

In Montana, Trump endorsed Tim Sheehy, who won that state’s Republican primary. In Ohio, Trump backed Bernie Moreno, who won Ohio’s primary.

Trump appeals to service workers with pledge to make tips tax-free

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told a rally in Las Vegas on Sunday that he would seek to end taxation of income from tips, a direct appeal to service workers in the swing state of Nevada, which polls suggest is leaning his way ahead of the Nov. 5 election .

The pledge, revealed at a sweltering outdoor rally in Las Vegas, adds one more detail to a Trump tax plan that has included vague pledges of tax relief to middle-income workers and small businesses.

"So this is the first time I've said this, and for those hotel workers and people that get tips you're going to be very happy because when I get to office, we are going to not charge taxes on tips people (are) making," Trump told a crowd of several thousand people.

Trump said he would "do that right away, first thing in office," and noted in prepared remarks that he would seek legislation in Congress to make the change. "You do a great job of service, you take care of people and I think it's going to be something that really is deserved."

Trump has previously pledged to make permanent the Republican-passed individual tax cuts that he signed into law in 2017 but which expire at the end of 2025. Tax experts estimate that doing so would raise U.S. deficits by some $4 trillion over a decade compared to current forecasts.

As current law requires, tipped employees must report their tips as income. Eliminating this would add further to deficits without new revenues elsewhere.

Trump's Democratic opponent, President Joe Biden , has pledged to maintain Trump's tax cuts for households earning under $400,000 a year, but wants to substantially raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans and on large corporations.

-- Nathan Layne/Reuters

Trump floats plan to make tips nontaxable

Former president Donald Trump has finished speaking at his Las Vegas rally, where he did not endorse a Nevada U.S. Senate candidate during the hour-long speech.

The teleprompter went out, leaving Trump to freestyle it with familiar stump-speech talking points. One new bit was promoting a plan to make tips tax-free, an idea sure to resonate in the service-industry-dependent city.

Problems with the teleprompter provided Trump an opening to needle President Biden about some of his gaffes using a teleprompter and pretend to be a doddering old man wandering around the stage.Trump said he would not pay the teleprompter company, and that the media would take his comment out of context to criticize him for not paying people.“I don’t pay contractors who do s----- work," he said.

Trump has taken the stage at Las Vegas rally

Donald Trump has begun addressing the crowd at his rally.

This story will be updated.

Trump campaign mixes up musical playlist with 'Imagine,' 'Illegal Alien'

The musical soundtrack at Trump's Las Vegas rally has some interesting new selections that differed from previous Nevada events.

The Trump rally staple by the Village People had the crowd making spelling out "YMCA" with their arms, and a live version of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" was a natural.

But another song played on the big screens was "Illegal Alien" by '80s pop band Genesis. This may have seemed to some like an odd choice because of its sympathetic chorus, "It's no fun being an illegal alien," with images of Hispanic people in a barrio.

The song was followed was John Lennon's "Imagine," with its lyrics about imaging a world with no religion and no national borders.

U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown, still seeking endorsement, attends Trump rally

Army veteran and U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown was among the crowd as Sunday's rally.

"I'm just here to serve, whether it's to be a U.S. senator or hand out water," he said.

Unlike in the two other states where the Senate seat is considered a toss-up, the former president has not weighed in on Nevada’s race .

Twelve Republicans are competing to face Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen in November in an election that could decide control of the U.S. Senate.

At a January rally in Las Vegas, Trump name-checked three of the candidates — Brown, former ambassador to Iceland Jeff Gunter and former Nevada Assemblyman Jim Marchant.

GOP political consultant: Latinos in Nevada favor Trump

At 11:30, a half-hour before the former president is scheduled to go on stage, hundreds of people are still waiting to get into the rally at Sunset Park in Las Vegas.

One rally-goer, Jesus Marquez, a Las Vegas political consultant, pointed out that 20% of Nevadans are Latino and he thinks their increasing support for Trump will help the former president win Nevada for the first time.

"They see that life has gotten more expensive since Trump left office," he said. "They see the chaos at the border with hundreds of thousands of people crossing."

Even though many of the border crossers are Latino, he said, that doesn't sit well with the Latinos already here legally.

"They see the new people coming in and getting social service and moving to the front of the line and they don't like any of that," Marquez said. "Latinos are supporting Trump, and you see it in the polls."

A poll conducted April 28-May 9 by the New York Times, Siena College and the Philadelphia Inquirer showed Hispanic voters in Nevada favor Trump by 9 percentage points, and Trump holds a 6-point lead among “other” racial or ethnic minorities.

Asked about President Joe Biden's recent executive order to stem the flow of migrants at the border, he said, "Why did Biden all of a sudden start coming up with an executive order to fix a problem that he caused, which is open border polices? It's just too close to the election."

Marjorie Taylor Greene takes the stage at Trump rally

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made a brief appearance at the Trump rally Sunday, downplaying the former president's legal woes.

"The person I worship was a convicted felon and he was crucified on a Roman cross," Greene said.

Her appearance was interrupted frequently with chants of "Bull----" as she described President Joe Biden's policies.

Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald followed Greene, saying, "We are here today to worship this man."

McDonald is one of six Nevada "fake electors" charged with submitting certificates to Congress falsely claiming Trump won the 2020 election against Joe Biden. He has pleaded not guilty.

His comments were interrupted by chants of "USA."

Before Greene spoke, a handful of naturalized citizens from Central American countries including Guatemala and Honduras spoke of their support for Trump.

Asian-Americans benefit under Trump administration, supporter at rally says

Julie Hereford said she first started supporting Trump in 2016, and she’s advocating for him again while also seeking signatures to get a voter ID initiative on Nevada’s November ballot.

“Prosperity is the biggest thing for Asians,” she said. “Everything Trump does – education, energy – is good not just for Asian-Americans but all of us.”

Hereford bases her optimism about Trump on the record he established in office.

“We’re very luck to have had him for four years,” she said. “Right now, the country is not going to survive with the Biden administration’s policies.”

First medical event at Trump's Las Vegas rally

About 8:45 a.m. Saturday at former President Donald Trump’s Sunset Park outdoor rally in Las Vegas, a secret service agent ran toward the security line shouting “Medic.”

It was the first call for medical help on a day that could see many of them. According to the National Weather Service, it was 86 degrees but temperatures are expected to top 100 degrees with no shade for attendees.

A person was wheeled to a closed, air-conditioned tent just off the open field where the rally is being staged.

At Friday's event in Phoenix, 11 people were taken to area hospitals from heat-related incidents, authorities said. That event was held indoors but people waited in line outside for hours.

Gates opened at 9 a.m. at Sunday’s event.

Trump’s campaign prepared for the heat with the following steps:

• Water bottles will be available to attendees both inside the event and in line.
• Plastic water bottles and small umbrellas will be permitted to enter the event through security.
• Limited tent space with shade and air conditioning will be available on a first come first served basis.
• Misting and cooling stations will be available both inside the event and in line.
• Ample medical staff will be present at the event in case of emergencies.

Nevada among swing states getting major ad push by Trump backers

A major spending group backing Republican Donald Trump brought in nearly $70 million in donations last month and plans to spend $100 million in advertising over the summer across U.S. election battleground states, according to a memo sent to donors and seen by Reuters.

The June 4 memo, written by MAGA Inc. CEO Taylor Budowich, detailed the super PAC's plans in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada and Arizona - all states Trump lost in 2020 to U.S. President Joe Biden , a Democrat, but where some polls show Trump leading before the Nov. 5 election .

A Fox News survey conducted after the guilty verdict in the hush-money trial showed Trump ahead of Biden in Nevada by five percentage points, an advantage roughly in line with an average of polls over time compiled by poll tracking website FiveThirtyEight.

Here’s how your voice changes as you age

Some voices mellow with age, while others may struggle to speak. As our physical bodies change, our vocal cords are impacted, too.

Do you sound… old ? If you’ve noticed your voice changing as you age, you’re not alone. Vocal changes are common in aging adults—but while some voices ripen and mellow with age, others are dismayed to find themselves warbling, whispering, or struggling to speak. Here’s why our voices change as we get older, and when it may be time to check with your doctor.

Physical changes

As we age, reductions in muscle mass and changes in posture can make it harder to produce the same sounds that came easily in the past. Singers report deepening or tremulous voices; speaking volume can also decline, especially in people suffering from swallowing disorders or neurological issues like Parkinson’s disease. The vocal folds or cords, the complex structure that vibrates to produce the voice, can lose tone and elasticity—bowing, shrinking, or forming gaps that will change your speaking tone.  

“The cellular makeup on the vocal folds actually also changes,” says James Curtis , a speech-language pathologist at Weill Cornell Medicine. Combined with the weakening of breath capacity, along with changes in muscle tone and posture, this “is a recipe for disaster in terms of a smooth voice quality and a voice that isn't breathy, rough, strained, or gravelly.”

Though the vocal folds are essential in voice production, however, they’re not always the main culprit in an “old” voice. In fact, many of the inconveniences that accompany aging can damage the voice, too. So it’s no wonder that up to   one in three older adults reportedly experiences dysphonia , or an alteration in “normal voice quality.” Though symptoms vary widely, the most common voice issues in older adults are a decrease in loudness; a hoarse, raspy, or gravelly vocal quality; and vocal fatigue.

A matter of perception

These changes usually come on slowly, with presbyphonia, or “aging voice,” striking some as early as their fifties. Not everyone experiences voice changes with age, but those that do notice . So do their friends, children, and acquaintances.

While recent research suggests that people identify older voices with wisdom and good storytelling skills, study participants consistently assign negative connotations to older voices. Some view older voices as proof an individual is less flexible or cogent, playing into worn stereotypes about the abilities and worth of elderly people.

Sex and the aging voice  

Women are especially prone to such stereotyping, and the vagaries of biological sex don’t help. Voice experts have long attributed vocal changes in women to the hormonal fluctuations of the female reproductive cycle. In the 19th century, female opera stars were regularly put on vocal rest during their periods, and opera singers still complain of premenstrual vocal changes; in Ukraine, some opera companies even offer their female singers paid leave during menses.

So it might not come as a surprise that menopause is also blamed for some vocal changes— particularly differences in pitch and vocal power. Dryer mucous membranes due to falling estrogen could be to blame, as could increased androgens , the same hormones that deepen the male voice. As a result, some patients use hormone replacement therapy to delay or prevent voice changes in menopause.

You May Also Like

What is ‘inflammaging’? Here's how inflammation affects you differently as you age.

Walking is the sixth vital sign. Here’s how to do it right.

Lifting heavy weights can help you mitigate osteoporosis. Here’s how to get started.

But research on sex differences in the aging voice is still in its infancy, and researchers lament the dearth of studies devoted to maintaining the voice in menopausal women. “There’s a growing interest in this area,” says Curtis. “But it shouldn’t be a growing interest. It should be well established.”

Treating voice disorders in aging adults  

Nonetheless, the vast spectrum of factors that contribute to age-related voice changes is still being plumbed by researchers eager to understand the effects of everything from genetics to career on the aging voice. And because of the sheer number of factors that go into producing words, says Curtis, that research can be slow going. “These changes are multifactorial,” he explains. “Our voice is a whole-body behavior.”

As a result, treatments that preserve or improve vocal function for aging adults vary widely. There’s medication like hormone replacement therapy or thyroid medication targeted at reducing an enlarged thyroid, which can cause vocal changes. But the front-line treatment is usually non-invasive voice therapy, a personalized physical therapy prescribed and facilitated by speech-language pathologists. Usually, such training includes a regimen of vocal, breathing, and even postural exercises designed to maintain vocal range, preserve volume, and tackle individual issues.

Overall, write geriatric voice specialists Robert T. Sataloff and Karen M. Kost, “Surgery is unnecessary for the vast majority of patients with age-induced dysphonia.” But there are a variety of procedures designed to pinpoint more severe vocal problems. Vocal fold injections, an outpatient procedure in which a filler is injected into one or both vocal folds, can shore up deteriorating or paralyzed vocal cords, strengthening the voice and helping them function better. In thyroplasty, the vocal cords are repositioned with the help of a mesh implant that’s inserted via a small hole in the neck, improving the voice and restoring function to weak or paralyzed vocal folds. Chronic hoarseness can sometimes be treated with surgeries that pinpoint the laryngeal nerves. And the list goes on.

That said, many voice problems can be avoided. “We need to be thinking about our voice just like any other part of our body and trying to take care of it,” says Curtis. And surprisingly, some of the most effective voice preservers have little to do with the mouth or throat.

Keeping active and fit as you age can help preserve muscle mass, strength, and stamina and benefit the respiratory system, while good oral health can forestall issues with saliva and mucous membranes. Voice experts also stress the importance of nutrition and hydration, suggesting older adults drink plenty of water, eat healthy foods that can help maintain cellular function, and consider using a humidifier at home. And while researchers may disagree on the role various factors play in voice preservation, they’re unanimous on one point: Smoking not only irritates the voice, but can cause sometimes-fatal cancer in the very organs that produce your speech.

The psychological ramifications of unwelcome voice changes can also lead to other health problems, says Curtis, who says some older adults fall into a “vicious cycle” after losing confidence in their voice. “If an individual is feeling like their voice is changing, and it's impacting their ability to participate in personal, professional, or social endeavors, [they] can start to withdraw socially and become depressed,” he says. That leads to reduced physical activity and increases isolation and frailty, reducing quality of life and even endangering the health of older adults.  

Is self-acceptance part of the solution? Possibly. Older adults who fear stigma or who have trouble coming to terms with their age-related voice changes can miss out on effective interventions, recent research suggests . Add ageism to the mix—consider, for example, the plethora of demeaning “old lady voice” filters available to video producers—and the picture gets even more complicated.

But researchers are increasingly trying to reframe many “disorders” of the aging voice as neutral realities that simply reflect the passage of time. And, it turns out, older adults may be following suit: Up to 80 percent of older adults with dysphonia actually decide to skip treatment, studies have found.

Nonetheless, says Curtis, there’s no shame in seeking out help. He advises that individuals who have experienced drastic or sudden changes and those who notice impacts to their ability to participate in their personal, social, or professional endeavors to talk to a doctor. “Our voice is very personal,” he says. At any age, he emphasizes, “It’s really about the patient.”

Related Topics

When you go sober for even a month, your body will change. Here’s how.

Pickleball is everywhere. Here's why the fast-growing sport is good for your health

Got a cold? Here’s how your immune system is fighting it.

Want to keep your memory sharp? Here’s what science recommends.

Prostate problems are incredibly common. Here’s why—and how to treat them.

• Perpetual Planet
• Environment

History & Culture

• History Magazine
• History & Culture
• Race in America
• Mind, Body, Wonder
• Paid Content
• Adventures Everywhere
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your US State Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Nat Geo Home
• Attend a Live Event
• Book a Trip
• Inspire Your Kids
• Shop Nat Geo
• Visit the D.C. Museum
• Learn About Our Impact
• Support Our Mission
• Advertise With Us
• Customer Service
• Renew Subscription
• Manage Your Subscription
• Work at Nat Geo
• Sign Up for Our Newsletters
• Contribute to Protect the Planet

Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society Copyright © 2015-2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved

Biden immigration rule will protect undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation

WASHINGTON – Thousands of immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens but are in the country illegally would be protected from deportation and allowed to work while they seek permanent legal status under a sweeping new government program announced Tuesday.

The program, which President Joe Biden unveiled during an immigration event at the White House, would allow undocumented spouses and their children to apply for permanent resident status without leaving the country − but only if they meet certain criteria.

To be eligible, immigrants must have resided in the United States for 10 years or more as of June 17, 2024, and be legally married to a U.S. citizen by that date. They cannot have been paroled and cannot pose a threat to public safety and national security. On average, those who are eligible for the program have resided in the United States for 23 years, officials said.

Under current law, many migrants seeking legal status must first depart the United States and wait to be processed abroad, which can take years.

The new rule will allow them to stay in the United States and work for up to three years while they seek permanent legal status.

The new rule doesn't require any fundamental change in immigration law and "embraces the American principle that we should keep families together," Biden said.

“I refuse to believe that to secure our border we have to walk away from being an American," he said. Generations "have been renewed, revitalized and refreshed by the talent, the skill, the hard work, the courage and determination of immigrants coming to our country.”

Related: Immigrants who missed hearing lose deportation battle at Supreme Court

The White House said the program would shield about 500,000 spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation and provide them with authorization to work for up to three years. The program also would provide protections for about 50,000 people under age 21 who are the children of a migrant who is married to a U.S. citizen. Those chosen for the program will have three years to apply for permanent residency.

The government believes the new rule will strengthen the economy and promote family unity by allowing families to stay together while waiting for their legal status to be approved.

Biden’s decision comes as he runs for reelection against former President Donald Trump, who has taken a hard line against illegal immigration.

Biden has faced record numbers of migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S. border with Mexico under his watch. This month, he signed an executive order authorizing the U.S. to turn away migrants who enter the country without legal permission when the number of crossings is high. The conditions for closure will be automatically triggered when more than 2,500 migrants enter the country between legal ports of entry.

Two immigrants rights groups sued the administration over the new restrictions last week. The groups seek to block the restrictions on the grounds that Biden’s order violates the nation's immigration laws by effectively barring migrants' access to the asylum system.

Biden has also faced pressure to provide protections for long-term U.S. residents who lack legal status, including the spouses of U.S. citizens.

Biden announced the protections for spouses at a White House event marking the 12 th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. That program was implemented under President Barack Obama with the goal of protecting young adults from deportation who were brought to the United States as children and who want temporary work authorization.

The new rules Biden announced Tuesday also will make it easier to obtain work visas for DACA recipients and other "Dreamers" who have earned a college degree in the United States and have a high-skilled job offer from a U.S. employer.

The change will make it easier for employers to hire the talent they need and make sure people educated in the United States are able to put their skills and education to use in the U.S., officials said.

Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on X @mcollinsNEWS.