One with the lot!

Many presenters, both new and experienced like to pack as much as they can into their presentations.

This is can be difficult for the audience; you may be overwhelming them with too much information and they end up with brain overload, or the speaker sets their rate of speech at a fast pace in order to cover everything, and the audience switches off as they don’t have time to digest what has been said.

So how much is too much?

I always recommend 3 to 5 main points depending on how long your presentation is.

If you’re speaking for 5 – 10 minutes, I would only have a maximum of 3 main points. If you are speaking for an hour, you may want to have 5 main points.

10 minute presentation

1. Introduction would be approx. 2 minutes long

2. Main content would be 6 minutes long – 3 points x 2 minutes per point

3. Conclusion would be approx. 2 minutes long

From here you can expand your presentation to 20 minutes or contract to 5 minutes.

One hour presentation.

1. Your introduction would be approx. 10 minutes long

2. Your main content would be 40 minutes long – 5 points x 8 minutes per point.

3. Your conclusion would be approx. 10 minutes long

From here you can expand your presentation to 90 minutes or contract to 40 minutes.

Rehearse your presentation to ensure you fit within the time allocated.

Remember not to overload your audience with too much information but make sure that the information that you pass on is relevant and informative.

Keep speaking – Carrol