make your speech last longer

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How to Add Length to a Speech

Last Updated: April 22, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Lynn Kirkham and by wikiHow staff writer, Aly Rusciano . Lynn Kirkham is a Professional Public Speaker and Founder of Yes You Can Speak, a San Francisco Bay Area-based public speaking educational business empowering thousands of professionals to take command of whatever stage they've been given - from job interviews, boardroom talks to TEDx and large conference platforms. Lynn was chosen as the official TEDx Berkeley speaker coach for the last four years and has worked with executives at Google, Facebook, Intuit, Genentech, Intel, VMware, and others. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 16,887 times.

When you’re giving a speech, it often feels like it happened in a flash—so what do you do if you need to slow things down? Adding length to a speech is something many speakers and presenters have to do, and, thankfully, they’ve provided quite a few tips. In this article, we’ll share with you the best tricks to make any presentation longer.

Things You Should Know

• Prioritize speaking slowly and clearly, and state your key points multiple times throughout your speech.
• Add length by including stories, examples, facts, and quotes in your speech to back up your main points.
• Use a visual aid like a powerpoint or a handout to add time and audience engagement.

Speak slowly and clearly.

• Try not to sacrifice enthusiasm for speed. [1] X Trustworthy Source American Psychological Association Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists Go to source You can still be ecstatic and passionate while speaking clearly.

Repeat your important points.

• Although repetition is good, try to avoid repeating things back to back. This could tire out your audience.
• Key ideas and themes are great words and phrases to recap throughout.
• An excellent example of repetition is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s I Have a Dream , where he reiterates the famous lines, “ I have a dream that my four little children will… I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia… I have a dream today!”

Pause for dramatic effect.

• Think of your speech as a performance. If it were a play or movie, where would you see a dramatic pause?
• Count out your pause in your head or tap your finger at your side.
• Emphasize your pause by saying something like, “Now, think about that.”
• Mark in your speech where you’d like to pause dramatically. This will help you while practicing and can be a physical reminder during your speech if you're using cue cards.

Add an extra story or example to your speech.

• Write your story out on paper outside of your speech to flesh it out. [4] X Research source
• The story or example doesn’t have to be personal. It could be a metaphor, allegory, or even a reiteration of a well-known tale.
• Make your story extra dynamic by tapping into the feelings and senses of the moment. What was the weather like? Was there air blowing into the open window? Make your story as descriptive as you can so it sounds rich and interesting.

Use facts and quotes in your speech.

• If you’re directly quoting someone else, say “quote” before stating the quote and “unquote” after the quote’s final word.

Connect with the audience during your speech.

• Ask members of the audience to raise their hands if they’ve done X, Y, or Z.
• Toss in an energizing stretch break or audience-participation activity during the middle of your speech (this is great for a younger audience).
• Practice audience connection techniques in front of friends or family to test what works best for your speech.

Sync a slide presentation to your speech.

• Make sure to practice with your slideshow before presenting your speech, noting when you need to click over to another slide.
• Try to avoid reading directly from the slides. Your speech should already explain what’s on the screen. [7] X Research source

Play a video during your speech.

• Pick a video that has something to do with your speech. You want the video to add to your speech, not take away from it.
• Place your video at a point in your presentation where it’s natural. For example, don’t stop in the middle of a story to show the video version of what you’re describing. Play the video before or after you’ve said something important.

Walk around while giving your speech.

Time your speech while you practice and present.

• Practice your speech using different rhythms and pauses, and note what helps you stretch the time without awkward pauses.

Give the audience a handout during your speech.

• Try to walk and talk while you do this, so there isn’t an awkward silence drawing out the time.
• Hand out your resource during a lull in your speech or towards the end before a Q&A.

Take questions from the audience.

• Aim for leaving about 15 minutes at the end of your presentation for questions.
• Try bringing up your key points again if no one has any questions right away.

How Do You Change The Pace Of Your Speech?

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You might also like.

• ↑ https://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/02/tips-speaking
• ↑ https://mannerofspeaking.org/2019/11/12/pauses-in-a-speech-why-when-and-how/
• ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/316145
• ↑ https://www.fau.edu/honors/undergraduate-research/documents/general-guidelines.pdf
• ↑ https://hbr.org/2013/06/how-to-give-a-killer-presentation
• ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/07/26/12-public-speaking-tips-to-make-your-speech-more-impactful/

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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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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How to Make a Speech Longer

• Armani Talks
• March 10, 2024
• public-speaking

Where making a speech shorter requires the heart, making a speech longer requires the head.

It requires emotional intelligence to get rid of your lines.

It’s hard to destroy the lines that you created.

Making your speech longer is a different ball game.

Now you need to think of more content.

I will teach you a few ways to make your speech longer if you are falling short.

You’re only a few tweaks away from giving the audience what they want.

Start Strong From the Very Beginning

I have a simple rule for content creation:

• If I can’t ramble on it, then I won’t create content on it.

When I can ramble about a topic, it shows that I know enough about it.

When I know enough about it, now it’s just a game of trimming away.

On the flip side, when I don’t know enough about it, then I know I’ll be shooting blanks midway into the talk.

If someone came to me and said:

‘Create a talk about dolphins.’

I know for a fact that I can’t ramble on it.

Therefore, I won’t create a talk on it.

If someone told me to write a talk about my life story , I would accept.

Because that’s a topic I can ramble about.

This is a filter you want to use from the very beginning.

Plenty of people accept speeches that they have no business accepting.

Ask yourself:

‘Can I ramble on it?’

If the answer is yes, green light it.

If the answer is no, red light it.

Add an Anecdote

Let’s say you already started the speech.

Your speech is supposed to be 12 minutes, but you keep hitting 7 minutes…

Don’t fear!

This is where stories and anecdotes come in clutch.

For a lot of public speakers, they talk too much about the raw details and facts.

They’ll choose a topic, then they:

• Share the history.
• Talk about the important time frames.
• Mention the major figures.

The audience is bored out of their mind!

They can’t relate to the talk.

Turn the ambiguous concepts into something real for them.

Talk about the concepts in story format.

I can do something like that with this post.

Do you see how I’m talking about how to make a speech longer?

If I’m running out of content, then I’ll share a story about a time when I ran out of things to say.

The timer didn’t lie.

I’ll talk about the painful emotions associated with coming up short.

Then I’ll talk about how I fixed the short speech.

This anecdote can easily add 3-5 minutes to the speech.

Now the audience is entertained because they can relate to the talk.

Take Pauses, Smile, and Slow Down

Reading a 1000-word blog out loud takes me 10 ish minutes.

One time, I was in a rush, and I recorded it super-fast.

I think I hit the 7-minute mark.

When I listened back to it later, it sounded so bad.

I was repeating the words too fast.

Rushing caused me to turn a 10-minute talk into a way shorter one.

This is why I recommend recording your talks during practice sessions.

It gives you a chance to watch it back later.

When you watch it back, you’ll think:

• I should have paused when I made that point.
• I just told a joke. Why didn’t I let the audience laugh for a while before immediately moving onto the next point?
• If I ask the audience a question, it takes a few seconds for one of them to raise their hand.

Just like that, you are adding in more time with strategic uses of silence.

Watch your talks back and look for these phantom opportunities to add time to your talk.

Include the Audience

Another way to make the speech longer is to involve the audience.

• Ask them a question every now and then.
• Ask if anyone wants to volunteer.
• Or make them laugh and give them time to laugh.

These pockets of moments add up.

30 seconds soon turns into 2.5 minutes of extra time.

Engaging the audience is part of your speech as well.

Plus, the audience likes to be engaged.

They feel like they are a part of your speech.

So, factor them in if you keep coming up short.

What Else Did you Miss?

The final tip I can give you for making your speech longer is to ask:

• What else did I miss?

You don’t immediately need to respond to this question.

Just ask it and proceed with your talk.

When you ask this question and let it marinate, you will often be presented a great answer overtime.

When I was writing my book, Prolific Writer, I first outlined it.

I thought the overall structure was great, but it was missing some content.

I was too technical with the tips, tricks, and exercises.

I was missing something.

So, I asked, what am I missing?

One day, I was given the answer.

The history of writing!!

How cool would it be for me to introduce how writing evolved throughout human history ?

When we learn the history of a skillset, we are much more likely to be consistent with the skillset.

By adding the question of what I was missing, I met my quota.

How did the line above make you feel?

The subheader that writes, “bonus tip.”

You felt some emotions, right?

That’s the same feeling the audience feels when you say, “bonus tip.”

When you are running short, give them a bonus tip regarding your topic like I am giving you right now.

If you gave a presentation on conflict resolution…

As you’re about to wrap up, hit them with:

‘Since y’all made it this far, let me give you a bonus tip!’

Then talk about why you should never tell someone to “calm down” when they are angry.

The audience feels like they got more than they were expecting.

They will leave satisfied with your talk.

For more insights into public speaking, check out the Speaking Wizard:

– ArmaniTalks 

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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!

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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.

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Mitch Carson

Speech pauses: 12 techniques to speak volumes with your silence.

• Written by Mitch Carson
• on January 26, 2023
• Public Speaking

An expert technique is the effective use of speech pauses. If you execute it correctly, no one will notice your pauses and your ideas will get across more effectively. If you get it wrong, your credibility is damaged, and your audience finds it difficult to understand what you are saying.

In this piece, we look at:

• Benefits of good speech pauses; strategies for naturally employing pauses (there are more than you think); and communications research that sheds light on the reasons why pauses are important for effective communication.
• Strategies for naturally employing pauses (there are more than you think); and communications research that sheds light on the reasons why pauses are important for effective communication.
• Communications research that sheds light on the reasons why pauses are important for effective communication.

Benefits of Speaking Pauses That Work

One of the most underutilized delivery strategies is pausing but doing so has many advantages.

Pausing increases audience comprehension.

You can punctuate your spoken words with pauses, which will help your listeners understand when one phrase, sentence, or paragraph ends and the next one begins.

You Must Feel Comfortable with the Pause.

Pauses are beneficial.

Long pauses are beneficial because they give you time to breathe deeply, chew your food, or drink some water. In addition to helping your brain (by giving it more oxygen), doing this will improve the quality of your voice by keeping your lips and throat moist.

Pauses encourage audience participation.

Speaking continuously means that your listeners must work extremely hard to keep up with you. Contrarily, using pauses offers your audience a chance to think about what you have said and begin establishing connections with their own experiences or knowledge in the present. The foundation of audience engagement is these personal connections that people make with your material.

Action Item

Ensure to create a better flow by separating your talk into bite-size chunks.

Pausing instead of using filler words.

The excessive use of filler words (uh, er, ah) damages your credibility and suggests that you are unprepared, unknowledgeable, or unauthentic. How to stop using filler words like um, uh, and other similar expressions is covered in a previous Six Minute article. One of the easiest ways to achieve this while still giving yourself time to consider your next few words is by using pauses.

Allow your mouth to "catch up" with your mind.

A speaker juggles two responsibilities at once:

• Thinking about what to say (and do) next is the initial internal task.
• The second task, which is external, entails voicing the words aloud and interacting with an audience through body language and other means.

For a speaker to give, the internal activities should ideally create a queue of words and actions so that they are constantly available. Pauses allow the internal work to gain the upper hand and let your thinking to “catch up” to your lips.

“Utilizing speech pauses effectively is a master technique.”

Pause Methods

After looking at the advantages of speech pauses, let us analyze the different sorts of pauses and when they should be employed.

A. Clause Pausing (or the Comma Pause)

When you want to clearly distinguish between two clauses or the items in a list, utilize brief pauses in your voice instead of commas. For instance:

• I want to make my wife feel special on our anniversary [pause] I made pancakes, bacon, and eggs for breakfast [pause].

James C. Humes recommends breaking up your speech material into a sequence of brief clauses, one per line, in Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln. Short pauses are added during practice whenever a line ends, including at the end of each clause.

B. The Pause in a Sentence

Where a period (or question mark, or exclamation point) would be used in written language to divide two sentences, use medium pauses in your voice instead. For instance:

• Ten years ago, we got married, and I can still clearly recall my initial impression of her as she walked down the aisle.

Just as a period is a stronger punctuation mark than a comma, a sentence pause should often be longer than a clause pauses. Be wary of the propensity to endlessly connect sentences with “and.” Your readers will lose this crucial semantic gap if you do this.

Let the audience answer the question in their minds by pausing for a moment after asking the question.

“Using pauses allows your listeners to process what you’ve said and begin instantly creating connections with their own experiences or expertise. The foundation of audience engagement is these personal connections that people make with your material.

C. The Break in the Text

To transition from one thought to the next, employ larger pauses in your voice, much as paragraphs are used in written language.

There are a couple of applications for this kind of pause:

• Put a space between two "pointers." e.g. The second advantage of this strategy is... [pause] The third advantage of this strategy is...
• Use a paragraph stop before and after the story to distinguish it from the "regular" speaking.

D. The Pause for Emphasis

Try pausing right before and right after an important word (or phrase) when you want to emphasize it (or phrase). These pauses, along with changes in pitch, loudness, or intonation, emphasize the keyword. The delay before it says to “listen up,” and the pause after it says to “store that in your mind.”

Prior to/following a word of transition or contrast:

• According to conventional knowledge, you should imagine your audience naked. This is bad advice.

After/before a vital word:

• Olivia Mitchell suggests chunking as a treatment for getting rid of uhs and ums.

According to research, “um” can occasionally aid in the auditory word recognition process. (More specifically, the word that comes after the utterance of “um” is more usually recognized.) 

However, Corley and Hartsuiker (PDF publication) point out that a silent delay before the target word can achieve the same benefit. According to the temporal delay hypothesis, any form of delay that comes right before a critical word aid with recall.

E. Pause for a rhetorical question

Pause briefly after posing a rhetorical query to your audience. This motivates your audience to participate and reflect on their response to your question. The same is true for various methods in which you ask your audience to remain silent, such as “Think for a moment about how you would feel if…”

On the other hand, if you do not pause following a rhetorical question, your listener gets frustrated. After asking them a question, you are moving on before giving them a chance to consider it.

F. New Visual Pause

It is an innovative idea to pause when changing to a new slide while delivering a speech with slide visuals so that your audience has a chance to contemplate the image quietly. You indicate that the attention should return to you as you continue to speak. More complex pictures demand a longer delay before moving on, whereas simple images only need a brief pause. (Of course, it is best to keep images as straightforward as possible.)

G. "I'm Thinking" Pause

Despite your best efforts to slow down and prepare your speech, you may occasionally find that you speak before you are ready, locking your lips as your mind hunts for the next word. It is best to simply pause until you have collected yourself than to use a filler word, such as “ah,” “er,” or “uh.”

Even if you already know what you are going to say next, you can still utilize this method to intentionally stop for dramatic effect. However, that makes it a…

Make sure to use a pause to give your listeners a moment for the vital information you just delivered to sink in.

“Pause right before and right after a critical word” (or phrase). The first pause instructs the audience to “listen up,” and the second instructs the audience to “remember that.

H. Intensive Pause

A dramatic pause is utilized whenever you want to create some drama or tension. It serves both rhetorical and theatrical purposes. 

Before continuing your spoken discourse, use a dramatic pause. You can also do this right before displaying a slide or a prop.

I. Punctuation Break

According to studies, pauses should be employed right before a funny punch line, as professional comedians contend. According to Archakis, et al. (PDF publication), pauses are also employed before and after punch lines in jokes, along with variations in speech rate and intensity.

Pause right before your punch line to heighten interest and indicate a payout. After your punchline, pause briefly to give your audience a chance to chuckle. 

If there is laughter, keep the pause going. Otherwise, your remarks will be lost in the conversation’s competition for attention. In a similar vein, avoid speaking during applause.

J. Power Pause

In Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma by Pause Nick Morgan advises influential people to take longer breaks.

James C. Humes recommends beginning your presentation with a thoughtful pause in the first chapter of Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln:

Try to fix your gaze on each of your upcoming listeners before you speak. Before you start your presentation, make a point of mentally repeating the entire first sentence. The more you wait, the more powerful your opening remarks will be. Make Power Yours Before making any presentations, pause to complete your silent preparation.

In my own presentations, I frequently employ the Power Pause, and it has two amazing impacts. It first catches my audience’s attention. Second, it gives me a few seconds to gather my thoughts, take a deep breath, and boldly begin.

K. Take a Drink Break

You might need a drink of water every now and then during lengthy talks. Do not hold back but be sure you time it right. The best moment to get a drink is when you are already in a lengthier break, such when you are moving on to a new segment of the presentation or after you have just displayed a slide presentation for your audience to review.

On occasion, you can mask your desire for a moment to gather your thoughts and recover using this strategy. Max Atkinson adds in Lend Me Your Ears: All you Need to Know about Making Speeches and Presentations that audiences are “unlikely to notice that anything is wrong” because they are “familiar with the sight of presenters pausing to have a drink or to check their notes.”

L. Note-Checking Interval

According to research, pauses “participate in rendering human communication more understandable,” according to Brigitte Zellner’s article in PDF format. Furthermore, according to study by Grosjean and Deschamps from 1975, “the more difficult the communicative job, the larger the frequency of pauses.” is another thing Zellner brings out. She says:

Alternatively stated, pauses “stand out like sore fingers” and may therefore accept “beacon” positions in speech, helping to frame the entire utterance for the speaker and the listener. Pauses have a significant role in the development of speech comprehension by breaking up speech into smaller chunks.

Pause immediately before and after your punch line to create heightened anticipation and let them release their laughter.

The most important lesson here is that unlike with written content, your viewers will not profit from punctuation, bolding, italics, bullets, and other formatting. Pauses are a key component of providing that, which is something you must accomplish.

2. Pauses aid in expressing emotion.

According to research, pauses aid in expressing emotion along with other linguistic elements, as demonstrated by Janet Cahn’s (PDF article). That is, depending on whether you are expressing grief, rage, joy, or another emotion, the placement and length of pauses should change. To take advantage of this, utilize pauses to genuinely express emotion, just like you would when speaking to a friend or member of your family.

3. Pauses regulate the speed of your speech.

Because of cognitive constraints, your audience can only process information at a specific rate. Pauses give you the chance to slow down so they can hear you better. According to research, speech has small (0.15 seconds), medium (0.50 seconds), and long (1.50 seconds) pauses. 

Estelle Campione and Jean Véronis noted this in their study (PDF). Additionally, they point out that while spontaneous speech (saying without reading) frequently employs medium and long pauses, read speech (speaking from written text) tends to only produce short and medium pauses.

Therefore, if you must read any of your speech, make sure to purposefully prolong your pauses to imitate a more naturally spontaneous speaking style. Otherwise, it will be tough for your audience to follow along. How long should a “short/medium/long pause” be in seconds? 

Regarding the duration of your pauses, there is no set guideline. Depending on your speaking style, the nature of your message, the length of your talk, your audience, and cultural conventions, the right length for pauses can range from a fraction of a second to several seconds or more.

Think about the following suggestions:

• Although the length of your pauses may vary from that of another speaker's, you should do so consistently. For instance, your paragraph pauses should be shorter than your comma pauses (whatever long they may be). The advantages of using pauses will be lost if you do not do this, and your audience will become perplexed.
• If there are lengthy gaps, pause for a longer period than you believe is required or even comfortable for you.
• Ask for feedback on the pauses you utilize. Ask for open-minded opinions by posing questions like: Did my pauses appear natural? Any awkward pauses occurred? Was I moving too quickly or slowly overall?
• To evaluate your performance during pauses, use video recordings.

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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.

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• Presentation

What is the best way to make a presentation longer?

• February 11, 2023

Whether addressing a large audience or discussing a complex topic, making a presentation longer without compromising its quality is a common challenge. In this article, we’ll talk about how to extend the duration of your presentation while still preserving its effectiveness, and you will learn how to make a presentation longer what to add, how to manage presentation time, and what you should avoid. With a longer presentation, you can delve more deeply into your Presentation design services , engage the audience, and provide insightful information.

Table of Contents

 How to extend presentation time

Giving a presentation that is too short can be detrimental to conveying your message to the audience, so learning how to make your presentation longer can help you ensure that you stay on point and capture the attention of the attendees.

Fortunately, there are several strategies for making a presentation longer which involve using more visuals, increasing your speaking time, and considering other elements such as storytelling. With these simple steps and recommendations, you can extend your presentation in order to make sure that it does not come across as rushed or incomplete.

Keeping an audience engaged in a presentation can be a challenging task as you have to keep them engaged for longer than a few minutes. This is why it’s important to make your successful presentation last longer. There are several tips and tricks that you can use to make your presentation last longer without compromising on the quality of the overall experience.

From using visual aids such as slides, videos, and infographics to adding interactive elements such as polls, quizzes, and simulations, there are many ways to help make the presentation more engaging and interesting. With these tips, you can easily make your presentation keep the audience captivated for longer periods of time.

What to add to make your Presentation Longer?

Here are some factors about what to add to a presentation to make it longer:

• In-Depth Examples : Incorporate detailed case studies, real-life examples, or anecdotes related to your topic. These stories provide context and help illustrate your key points vividly.
• Additional Research and Data : Include more comprehensive research findings, statistics, and data to support your arguments. This strengthens your credibility and allows you to discuss findings in greater detail.
• Extended Explanations : Take the time to elaborate on complex concepts, theories, or processes. Break down intricate information into easily understandable segments, making it more accessible to your audience.
• Comparative Analysis : If relevant, compare and contrast different approaches, products, or solutions. This provides a comprehensive view and stimulates thoughtful discussions.
• Audience Interaction : Incorporate interactive elements, such as polls, surveys, or audience questions. This engagement not only extends the presentation but also enhances audience participation.

Reasons why you might require a longer presentation?

Don’t look unprepared..

A presentation that is too brief may make it appear that you don’t know enough about the topic or that you didn’t put in enough effort to create the presentation. Even if you’ve delivered your message clearly and said all you need to, this can happen. A well-structured presentation will show your knowledge and ability to present the topic. Talking for the sake of others is not a good idea. If that happens, it is wise to tell your audience upfront and cut the presentation. In other cases, however, it is not necessary to cut the presentation.

Engage your audience.

Military training has shown that there’s a balance to strike when you deliver a message. This will ensure your audience feels connected with you and fully understands your key points. A presentation that is too short often doesn’t give enough information or time to the audience and will not allow them to fully grasp the topic.

Your presentation time was modified at the last moment.

If you are presenting to a panel, it is important to know that you can adjust the length of your presentation to fit any changes in your schedule. You will need to extend the presentation if you are asked to do so.

How long is the best length for a presentation? It depends. It will depend on what presentation you are making. These cases may call for a presentation that is between 10 and 20 minutes in length. In some cases, however, you might want to extend the time for your presentations.

How to make the presentation longer?

1-layout an outline of your presentation.

You can plan your speech by planning how long each section will take. This includes your introduction, key points and closing remarks. This will allow you to estimate the length of your presentation and can also help you decide which parts of your speech to shorten or added. This requires planning and defining the presentation structure in advance.

2-Slowly but deliberately

Public speaking can be stressful if you are nervous. You can take control of your voice by speaking slowly and allowing for a few pauses between points. Slowly speaking but deliberately will help you lengthen your speech and make it more memorable. It will also make your message easier to understand by helping your audience better grasp your message.

3-Create your PowerPoint presentation with the purpose

A PowerPoint presentation is an essential tool in any professional setting. You can use it to enhance your presentation and make it more meaningful. You can give yourself a break from the monotony of constant talking by adding a graph to your slides.

4-Add your logo and company information

The logo should be displayed at the beginning and throughout the presentation.

If applicable, show a company logo and contact information on a slide prior to or after each section in your presentation. If applicable, show a company’s mission statement on one or more slides prior to or after each section in your presentation.

If possible, share some background information about the origins of your business. If applicable, share some values that will guide your decision-making in your company

5-Repeat your important points

One of the key paths to making a presentation longer and keeping your audience interested is emphasizing your key points. When giving a presentation, repetition is okay. There are important points to make, so it’s okay to repeat, summarize, or recap them. Try reciting the sentence with a different tone of emphasis if you feel that something you have said is particularly important.

• While repetition is great, it’s best to not repeat the same thing twice. This could cause your audience to tire.
• It is a great idea to use key ideas and themes as words and phrases throughout the recap.

6-Reiterate key concepts

Don’t be afraid to repeat the key points throughout your presentation when you present. Repeating key concepts throughout the presentation will help you to make sure your audience retains them. Another tip for making a presentation that is brain-friendly is to stress the main points.

7-Tell a Story

Stories can help you convey a point to your audience and keep them engaged for longer. Telling stories is another way to use stories. Although it may seem obvious, storytelling is a great way to keep people interested in presentations. They are more entertaining than facts alone and are much more engaging than just facts. Share anything that is interesting, funny or relevant about you or someone else. Your audience will enjoy every minute of your story.

8-Enhance your presentations with videos

You can make your slides longer by adding videos to them or embedding video in your slides. This technique should be used in conjunction with others. When embedding a video into your PowerPoint presentations, ensure that it is relevant to the topic and speech. Also, keep in mind the attention span. If the video is too long, it can make your presentation boring. This technique should be used with caution. Also, remember that videos can have a different number of slides than expected. Each video is usually presented on a slide. For example, if you have a 10-minute presentation and need to use a certain number of slides, videos will require fewer slides.

9-Be an expert!

To make a more engaging PowerPoint presentation, you can also draw on your personal experience and knowledge. Confidence is key to what you say. Use stories to illustrate your points. You should be passionate about your message. This will keep your audience interested and engaged in the subject. If possible, you can add tips from experts to your presentation. This will increase credibility and help with credibility.

How to Extend Presentation Time Effectively

• Expand on Subtopics : Divide your content into subtopics and allocate more time. This enables you to provide comprehensive coverage of each aspect without rushing through them.
• Q&A Sessions : Reserve time for a thorough question-and-answer session at the end. This allows you to address audience queries, clarify doubts, and add valuable content.
• Engaging Visuals : Integrate more visuals like diagrams, charts, and images. These aid comprehension and allow you to elaborate on each visual’s significance.
• Case Studies and Examples : Go into depth with case studies or examples by discussing the background, challenges, solutions, and outcomes. This provides a more complete understanding of the topic.
• Analogies and Analogous Stories : Use analogies to explain complex ideas and expand on these analogies with stories or scenarios that resonate with your audience.

Shouldn’t about how to make a presentation longer

• Filling with Filler : Avoid padding your presentation with irrelevant information or excessive filler content. Audience’s value concise and relevant information.
• Reading Slides Aloud : Reading each slide word-for-word can be monotonous. Instead, elaborate on the key points, providing context and insights beyond what’s on the slide.
• Repetition : While a certain level of repetition can reinforce key concepts, avoid being redundant. Repeating the same information excessively can disengage your audience.
• Rushing : Don’t speed through the presentation to fit a specific time frame. Rushing compromises, the quality of your delivery and hinders audience comprehension.
• Lack of Engagement : Pay attention to your audience’s engagement level. Monitor their reactions and adjust your pace accordingly.

Extending the length of a presentation while maintaining its quality requires thoughtful planning and strategic execution. Incorporate additional content, engage your audience effectively, and explore topics in greater detail. However, remember that quality should always take precedence over quantity. You can create a longer presentation that captures your audience’s attention and delivers meaningful insights by striking the right balance.

How do you lengthen a presentation time?

Things you need to consider:

•       Prioritize speaking slowly and clearly, and state your key points multiple times throughout your speech.
•       Add length by including stories, examples, facts, and quotes in your speech to back up your main points.
•       Use a visual aid like a PowerPoint or a handout to add time and audience engagement.

How do you make a 20-minute presentation long?

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

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How Long should a Speech be?

Hrideep barot.

• Presentation , Public Speaking , Speech Writing

Speeches are of different kinds, consequently, their lengths differ as well. For instance, 1 – 2 minutes for an impromptu speech, while giving a toast at a birthday party or a wedding. On the other hand, speeches in TED talks usually make people lose interest if they go beyond 15 – 18 minutes. And speeches for political or motivational purposes might as well go up to 20 minutes. The length of a speech should be such that delivers the message to the audience but conversely, keeps them engaged and entertained as well.

Before giving a speech, you should always question yourself about what should be the length of your speech. If you ever get perplexed about how many words should be there in your speech or how quickly you should wind it up, you need not worry. Because this article will help you in bidding farewell to this confusion and making you an effective orator. So, READ ON.

Lengths of different speeches

A speech is delivered to influence and persuade the audience. Moreover, an effective speaker has quality content and is not at all dependent on the quantity of the speech. 

“A good speech should be like a woman’s skirt; long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest.” Winston Churchill

It is quite significant to understand the disparate types of speeches and the appropriate amount of words or time to be consumed in each one of them. For you to comprehend easily, the speeches have been categorised as per their reasonable lengths.

1. Impromptu speeches

Imagine sitting in your office or at a party, minding your own business, and suddenly someone comes up to you and inform you that you will have to say a few words as a replacement for someone else, what would be your reaction? It would surely be frightening and it would put you in an awkward place. 

However, these kinds of situations should not make you panic. Because impromptu speeches should not be more than 1 – 2 minutes i.e. approximately 150 – 350 words . These are very short speeches for maybe giving an update about a project at the office, expressing your feelings about your friend at his wedding, addressing the audience as a politician or talking about a general topic at school in a JAM (Just A Minute) session.

For example, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was only 2 minutes with 272 words . 

Read the full speech here: Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

Another greatest example of an impromptu speech is given by Bernie Sanders at Town Hall hosted by CNN.

“It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” Mark Twain

Go through this article for more insights: 1-minute speech

2. Extemporaneous speeches

There might be some times when you get the time to prepare and practice your speech, these are known as extemporaneous speeches. These speeches are not memorised or read from the manuscripts. Hence, they ought to be of no more than 5 – 8 minutes i.e. approximately 600 – 1000 words .

Furthermore, this type is usually used in politics, business, education, religious sermons or preachings etc. For instance, an introductory speech for the guest of honour, a speech for a special occasion, a tributary speech etc. The speaker gets enough time to research, outline, prepare and practice the speech. Therefore, it could prove to be a success for a person as an orator because it delivers the message and amazes the audience in just a time range of 5 to 8 minutes. 

Kayla Kearney is one such example. She is a 17-year-old student who came out as a lesbian and delivered a speech at her high school assembly on the theme, “Time to break the silence” . She spoke for 8 minutes quite confidently without reading or referring to her notes because her words were in control of her. Moreover, she spoke about her personal opinions as it was her own story.

Another example is Winston Churchill ‘s speech, “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat” , which comprised 688 words and was completed in only 5 minutes . 

3. Manuscripts 

These speeches are not memorised or impromptu but conversely, they are read by the speaker or orator. This kind is mostly used in political settings by politicians as their main motive is only to grab their audience’s attention and influence them. Moreover, it is also practised by motivational speakers or activists for campaigns. 

One of the greatest examples of a motivational speaker in this category is Martin Luther King Jr. , whose speech, “I have a dream” is still acknowledged and is an inspiration for the people. 

In addition, these speeches are pre-planned and are practised thoroughly. For instance, the speaker would already know how and when the audience will react and he would pause at that point for their applause. This kind of speech is prepared quite meticulously as it is only a matter of words. As a result, these speeches are usually long, about 10 – 15 minutes or at the most 20 minutes , i.e. approximately 1200 – 2400 words .

Another example is John F. Kennedy who delivered a speech, “Why go to the Moon?” at Rice University, the USA in 1962. It was a 15 minutes speech that influenced the audience on the need for exploration.

4. TED talk

It is the biggest and greatest platform for public speaking. It is quite impactful because some orators share their personal stories or viewpoints, and some share factual matters with the audience. Moreover, one of the major reasons for its success is the time limit they have set for their presenters. TED believes that a short talk requires the attention of the audience for a short period of time, therefore, the TED presenters can only speak for up to 18 minutes . 

“18 minutes is long enough to be serious and short enough to hold people’s attention. By forcing speakers who are used to going on for 45 minutes to bring it down to 18, you get them to really think about what they want to say. It has a clarifying effect. It brings discipline.” Chris Anderson (TED curator )

For example, Sheryl Sandberg , Facebook COO, delivered a 15 minutes speech on “Why we have too few women leaders” . This speech inspired a considerable number of women to lean in and step up as leaders. 

Another great example is Simon Sinek , who delivered his 18 minutes speech on “How great leaders inspire action” . Through this speech, many leaders acquired his “Start with why” movement, which was transformational. 

How to be productive with time constraints in a speech

“A tight five is better than a sloppy fifteen” A famous saying in standup comedy

1. Prepare and practice

A good input always produces good output. Therefore, to be an effective speaker, it is important to make a plan and outline for your speech. Moreover, practising it, again and again, would make you comfortable with the words and make your speech delivery look effortless. 

Especially, the lesser time you have to speak, the more practice and preparation it requires. Once a cabinet member asked Woodrow Wilson about the time it took to prepare his speeches. He replied, “It depends. If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; for fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now.”

2. Keep improvising

“Brevity is levity” William Shakespeare

It is important to have a concise speech. Keep practising and refining the speech until it only includes the best and most impactful points and personal stories. The speech ought to be of a reasonable time duration that keeps the audience engaged till the end. Also, modern-day audiences always have other matters to attend to.

The speech ought to be humorous, informative, short and engaging. You should be able to deliver the message to the audience within a short period because as time goes by, listeners tend to forget the sloppy details. As per research, after a speech, only 50 per cent is remembered by the listeners. However, only 25 per cent are remembered by the next day. And after a week later, only 10 per cent is remembered by the listeners. 

3. Always set a time limit even if there isn’t one

It is always a good idea to have a time limit for your speech before you start preparing for it. Because as you start writing the speech, you would have in mind to only include the significant points and examples in it. Moreover, you would not waste both your and the audience’s time.

In addition, if you feel that your speech is too short, it is not a problem. In other words, if the audience wants to hear more from you, it is never a bad thing. It means that you have proven to be an effective orator. 

4. Try to give your best shot

It is always better to speak only what you have prepared. Do not try to make on the spot changes to your speech, whether adding something new or deleting something from the script. 

In addition, speak only for the time for which you have prepared. For example, if you prepared a speech of 10 minutes and the organisers or audience asks you to exceed the time, then do not try to do the same but conversely, deny them politely. Only give your best performance and it is not always a bad idea to make the audience want more.

Read this article for more useful information: 11 steps to help you keep time during your presentation

Words in different lengths of speeches

Types of speeches and their lengths, differences between speeches of disparate lengths.

Final words

The length of the speech depends on the type of speech one intends to deliver. However, an orator should keep his speech as short as possible which would both deliver the message and engage the audience. It is completely wrong to contemplate that public speaking is not related to time. On the contrary, time is the most valuable asset of public speaking. Hence, to become an effective speaker, one should plan and prepare to deliver a speech within 20 minutes . 

Furthermore, always think about your audience first before writing your speech. Because it would not prove to be outstanding on your part if you keep holding the audience or in simple words, outstay your presence. It should be your only motive to be memorable and sound confident in front of the audience, instead of being lousy and mundane.

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How To End A Speech

Putting together and delivering an effective speech takes time and the right strategy. One of the most challenging aspects is figuring out how to end a speech effectively. You might have prepared a fantastic opening and delivered a compelling message, but if you fail to wrap up your speech in a powerful and memorable way, your audience may leave feeling unsatisfied or even forget what you said altogether.

Many speakers struggle with their closing words, whether it’s because they run out of time, they lose their train of thought, or they simply don’t know how to bring everything together in a cohesive and impactful way. This can lead to a lack of confidence, anxiety, and even embarrassment, all of which can significantly hinder your ability to communicate your message effectively.

In this article we’ll explore some proven tips and strategies, show you three simple techniques that summarize your message and key ideas, and explain how to get your audience members to take action. You’ll start delivering the final words of your speeches with confidence and know you’re leaving a lasting impression on your audience. Whether you’re a seasoned speaker looking to polish your skills or a newcomer to public speaking , this article will help you overcome the hurdles of ending a great speech so you can deliver a powerful and memorable message every time. Your last words will be your most impactful words.

Why is a Conclusion Important?

“Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of the ending.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The conclusion of your speech is arguably the most critical part. It’s the pinnacle of your persuasion, the culmination of everything you’ve talked about so far, and it’s the moment when you state your final call to action. This is why it’s crucial to devote sufficient time and attention to crafting your last inspiring words and final point.

Your conclusion is where you’ll leave your audience with the most significant take away from your speech. These closing words are the last impression they’ll have of you and your key message, and it’s where you can reinforce the key message points you’ve made throughout your presentation. By reiterating your main message and summarizing your key arguments, you can ensure that your audience remembers your message long after your speech is over in such a way that inspires them to take action.

The conclusion is also where you summarize your entire speech and make your final call to action. Whether it’s encouraging your audience to remember and take specific actions, supporting a particular cause, or adopting a new way of thinking, your conclusion is the time to motivate your audience to act. This is where you can challenge them to make a difference, do something, or think differently about a particular issue.

Most importantly, your conclusion can make or break your speech. A weak or ineffective ending can leave your audience feeling unimpressed or even confused, undermining the impact of your entire presentation up to that point. Conversely, a strong and impactful conclusion can leave a lasting impression on your audience, motivating them to take action and inspiring them to share your message with others. It even has the potential to turn an average persuasive speech into an unforgettable speech.

Because the conclusion of your speech is so important, it’s worth taking the time to ensure that your final words are as effective as possible. By crafting a strong and impactful conclusion, you can leave your audience with a lasting impression, and ensure that your message is remembered long after your closing statement.

BE AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR Suasive Presentation Coaching

What is a good closing message?

A good closing is a bookend to your opening, but is much more concise. It should resolve the entire presentation. In the beginning you grab your audience’s attention. Next you navigate them through all the parts. Finally you introduce your call to action so the audience knows what to expect. Your speech’s closing message should fulfill the classical requirements of any story: a strong beginning, a solid middle, and a decisive end.

To fully understand how your closing message connects with your opening you’ll need to first understand the three parts of your opening and how to think about them: Opening Gambit, USP, and Point B.

Opening Gambit

The Opening Gambit is a series of short sentences to get the audience engaged and establish a need for your idea, concept, or solution. Suasive recommends the following seven Opening Gambits .

• Rhetorical question Get your audience thinking about your message by posing a meaningful question that is relevant to them. Scott Cook, the founding CEO of Intuit, used a rhetorical phrase when making a presentation at the Robertson, Stephens, and Company Technology Investment Conference in San Francisco. He began with: “Let me begin today’s presentation with a question. How many of you balance your checkbooks? May I see a show of hands?” Almost everyone’s hand went up. “Okay. Now how many of you like doing it?”  Everyone’s hand went down. He had their focus because he got them moving their body and used an easy question that would resonate with everyone. If he had launched into his presentation with a detailed description of Quicken accounting software, he likely would have lost them. Instead, he engaged the audience with a personal question and got them focused on thinking about their checkbooks.
• Factoid You can convert any question to a simple, striking statistic or factual statement to capture your audience’s attention. For instance, instead of asking, “How many iPhones are sold each year?” (which cedes control of the floor), turn it into a Factoid: “185 million iPhones are sold every year.” The Factoid you choose should be related to the main theme of your presentation and not just dropped in for shock value. We’ve all heard off-the-wall statements that only serve to throw the audience off track all the while never coming back to the main point thread or thesis.
• Retrospective/Prospective A Retrospective (backward) or Prospective (forward) look allows you to grab your audience’s attention by moving them in one direction or another, away from their present, immediate concerns. Consider this technique as a flashback or flashforward, or “That was then, this is now.” For instance, you could refer to the way things used to be done, the way they are done now, and the way you project them being done in the future. Technology companies often choose to start their presentations with a look back to earlier functions to contrast how their new technology disrupts the same functionality: library search before the internet, cassette tapes before digital music, brick and mortar shopping before e-commerce, a rat’s nest of tangled wiring before Bluetooth, and keypad entry before facial recognition.
• Anecdote An anecdote is a brief human interest story. “Personal stories” have recently become the holy grail of storytelling . A tsunami of consultants, courseware, workshops , seminars, blogs, and publications are now advising individuals and businesses to develop their great speeches and presentations by reaching deep inside themselves for a heartwarming opening anecdote. People naturally identify with other people, and a personal story can create empathy.
• Quotation You can also use a relevant quotation from a well-known, reliable source such as William Shakespeare, Winston Churchill , John F. Kennedy, Tom Peters or, as many businesspeople do, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War . Yet the best famous quotation is something from a third party that credentializes you, your idea, or your company. Whichever you use, be sure to tie the quotation closely to your content.
• Aphorism An aphorism is a well-known saying, maxim, or idiom. Because of its familiarity, as soon as you state an Aphorism, it rings a bell in your audience’s minds. They may not even recognize the source, but it brings them to attention.
• Analogy Analogies help explain complex subjects. If your business involves highly technical or specialized products, services, or systems, a simple analogous comparison can help clarify. During the early days of the internet, companies developing networking products analogized the web to highways: with main roads to represent carriers, interchanges to represent routing and switching equipment, on-ramps and off-ramps to represent local carriers, and tolls to represent revenues.

COMMUNICATION WITH PURPOSE

Unique Selling Proposition

Once you’ve stated your Opening Gambit, it’s time for your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). The USP is a succinct summary of your business, describing the basic premise that describes what your company, product, or service does. One of the most common complaints about presentations is “I listened to them for 30 minutes, and I still don’t know what they do!” The USP is what they do.

The Opening Gambit grabbed your viewer’s attention and established need, and your USP demonstrates your solution to that need with maximum clarity. It summarizes the body or middle part of your speech. The best USPs are short and are communicated in one sentence.

Which company’s USP is “Melt in your mouth, not in your hand?” 

Did you guess it? M&Ms of course.

Point B is your call to action. It’s how you end your speech with a bang and plan to bring your audience to action. The Opening Gambit, USP, and Point B are all connected in a sequence that feeds into one another.

Here’s an example of a full sequence from Opening Gambit to Point B.

• Opening Gambit (Anecdote): Last year, one of Acme’s customers had a flood in their home. The sprinkler system broke and damaged all the furniture, carpets, and other possessions. Not only did they lose their home, they took a big financial hit.
• Link: This customer is like many customers who purchase a basic policy not customized to their individual needs. That means being just one step away from disaster.
• USP: Acme Insurance has a solution. We can provide you with a customized, value-added package of insurance that provides for your Individual needs to protect you against serious financial loss.
• Proof of Concept (POC)–evidence that your USP is worthy: That’s why Acme is one of the fastest-growing insurance brokers in the state.
• Link: I know that you’ll want to take advantage of this opportunity…
• Point B: …and sign up for this important coverage today.

You can see how all three elements feed into each other. One can’t effectively exist without the other. What’s great about the three steps is they compromise your entire speech outline on a macro level, and you can also use them again on a micro level within the closing section of your presentation.

Three Ways to Close a Speech Effectively

“Tell ’em what you’ve told ’em” is a classic closing technique that involves summarizing your main points and reiterating your message in a clear and concise way. This technique helps to reinforce your key ideas and ensure that your audience remembers them long after your speech is over. By summarizing your main points and restating your message, you can drive home the key takeaways and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

“Tell ‘em what you’ve told ‘em” is your closing, a bookend to your opening, and includes three key elements: a Bookend Gambit (like the Opening Gambit but more concise), Recap (of the agenda and your main points), and Point B (call to action).

The Bookend Gambit is a powerful technique that involves referencing your Opening Gambit in your closing remarks. This technique creates a sense of closure and brings your presentation full circle, leaving your audience feeling satisfied and fulfilled.

A brief Recap of your agenda is the second element of the closing technique. By summarizing what you’ve covered you can reinforce the key points you’ve made and drive home your message in a powerful and impactful way.

Point B is the third element and involves making a clear and compelling call to action in your closing remarks. This technique encourages your audience to take specific actions based on the message you’ve delivered, whether it’s signing a petition, making a donation, or simply changing their behavior. By providing a clear and actionable next step, you can motivate your audience to take action and make a difference.

What is a Strong Concluding Statement?

A strong concluding statement is critical for leaving a long-term impression on your audience and motivating them to take action. You want to end your speech with your audience thinking about your objective, willing to do what you want them to do. It’s the last thing they hear you say at the end of your speech, and for many leading speakers it holds the most weight.

One of the most effective ways to close your speech with a bang is with a clear and concise call to action, also known as Point B as discussed above. This final remark should be a short and powerful statement that encapsulates the central message of your presentation and inspires your audience to act.

For example, let’s suppose that in your opening statement you said, “So that we can control our own destiny, I’m seeking your approval and a budget to start this unit.” In your closing statement, you might shorten this message to “All we need is your approval.” This statement is short, clear, and to the point, emphasizing the importance of your request.

Need Help Closing Your Speech?

Putting all the pieces of your speech or presentation together takes know how. The good news is because it’s more science than art, anyone can learn how to do it with the right training. A good presentation has all the parts of a good compelling story – a beginning, middle, and end. The only difference is the pacing and delivery techniques, but story is still at the heart. With practice and preparation, you can improve your speech writing and delivering skills, and make sure your ideas are heard and considered.

So whether you are preparing for a job interview, a presentation at work, or an entire speech in front of a large audience, remember to believe in yourself, focus on your key points, and prepare to the best of your ability. When it’s time to deliver your closing remarks, be sure to incorporate the three techniques you learned in this article and we’re confident you’ll make an impact.

How to tell your story so the audience feels it’s their story.

Suasive, Inc. is a Silicon Valley-based communication consulting company that offers public speaking classes for organizations and individuals. To date, we’ve coached over 600 CEOs and helped individuals in some of the world’s largest companies including Netflix , eBay , Sonos , Lyft , and Freshworks .

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Figure out how many words your speech or presentation should have.

Step 1. Choose Your Score of Reading

Step 2. Input number of Words or Time

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We Can Turn Your Paper Into a Perfect One

Words-to-minutes converter, what is a word to minutes calculator.

Use a speech convertor or words-to-time calculator to find out in seconds how long it will take you to deliver your perfect address. This is a powerful application that takes your text limits and synchronizes them with the chosen speed at which you read to give you precise results. A words-to-minutes calculator aids in estimating the duration of any speech whether it be for your class, an awaited event, or a professional meeting. This online app makes it easier for you to speak according to any given time.

This is the perfect tool if you want quick solutions and accurate answers that will help you write and then read perfectly crafted speeches for specific occasions.

Why Should I Convert Words Into Minutes?

Isn’t it easier to just know instead of guessing exactly the span in which to read a script or speak on a given topic or even deliver a speech? It is a crucial part of any good deliverance to know the accurate span and then make preparations to read accordingly so that the order of the event or day continues smoothly. Convert words into minutes to be in a comfortable position while presenting anything.

Every so often, certain formats of speech or presentation require a set time frame, and sometimes it is important to keep your text precise and time short. A conversion website like PapersOwl helps in doing just that by transforming the text into time so it becomes easier to adjust your writing if and when necessary.

For many speeches and essays, some parts require more emphasis and longer durations than the rest. When you read, you adjust your tone and voice, and your pace according to the importance of the topics. Similarly, word count can also be adjusted with words to time conversion, in turn helping with the length of paragraphs within any essay to re-establish the importance of a certain topic. If you get help from a custom research paper writing service , using a words to minutes converter becomes essential as it can help you find out exactly how many words per minute have been used or are needed according to your own speaking rate.

Converting Words Into Minutes Online: Benefits

While writing, you never try to guess the words per minute or know if 2 pages will take you more than a minute to read. Stay on top of your presentations and speeches with words conversion. A word to minutes calculator has many benefits for students, businessmen, teachers, or anyone looking to perfect their art of speech time or speak about any topic.

Manage the Span of your Text

A speech calculator is a hassle-free way to determine the span and speed of your speech according to the word count. You can use it multiple times and keep iterating your content. A words-to-minutes calculator gives you accurate results according to the average speaking rate.

Easy and Efficient to Use

Converting each word into the exact span is easy for all types of people. A good speech calculator also includes information about speaking speeds, giving you all the essential information you need to get your work done quickly.

Helps You Practice

Practice your speech without worrying about managing time with a timer easily with a words-to-minutes converter. A words-to-minutes converter can also be adjusted to your own speaking rate, and you can add specific excerpts where you tend to speak fast or slower than normal. Just a few clicks can get you to the desired result and the exact number of words needed for your speech. Remember to always be original with your writing and a free plagiarism checker to use is a great way to ensure this. Once you’re sure that the text is unique, our tool can be used to your advantage to make your speech memorable when you read it. By increasing and decreasing your voice along the way and by adding pauses where necessary, emphasis where required, and omitting unnecessary details, you can practice your words before heading onto the stage.

How to Use a Words to Time Calculator?

Public speaking is a monstrous task on its own. For some, it might be harder than for others. It demands a certain level of confidence, and with good preparation and exactly the right tools, you can equip yourself to read and deliver any presentation with confidence.

A words-per-minute calculator is one such tool. It is easy to use and adjustable according to your pace. Crafting your presentation has been made easier than ever, with the words-to-minutes converter to determine the words-to-minutes ratio. To start using the words to time convertor, just enter the word count into the app. This will give you the results in just seconds and you can then use this to edit your essay fast , which in turn helps you save days and take full advantage of the tools available. After entering the word count, you can choose the reading speed. This is the speaking rate at which you speak. Options include slow, average, and fast speakers. It is important to choose the correct option according to your average reading speed for the most effective results.

That’s pretty much all you need to do to get your results quickly and easily. Once you have an answer, simply adjust your text depending on whether you need it to last longer or end more quickly.

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How Long is a 5-minute Speech?

How long is a 2-minute speech, how to measure the length of your speech, how to make your speech longer.

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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

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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

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Speech calculator:  how long does it take to deliver your speech?

With this speech calculator, you can easily calculate how long it will take you to deliver a speech.

How many words per minute?

In the English language, people speak about 140 words per minute. A fast speaker will get to 170 words per minute, a slow speaker will use around 110 words.

Professional speechwriters use this speech calculator to find out how long a speech takes.

Copy your full text and paste it in the box below:

The entire analysis happens within your browser. The text will NOT be stored and NOT be sent over the web.

Word count:

Your speech rate:

Speech duration:

FAQ’s

How many words is a 3 minute speech  .

A speaker with an average speaking speed will need 420 words for a 3 minute speech. A fast speaker will need 510 words while a slow speaker will only need 330 words.

How many words is a 5 minute speech?  

A speaker with an average speaking speed will need 700 words for a 5 minutes speech. A fast speaker will need 850 words for the same speech length. A slow speaker will only need 550 words.

Is this a word count calculator?  

The speech calculator is a word count calculator. Insert your text and the tool will automatically calculate the word count.  It will then also calculate the speech length depending on the selected talking speed.

How to best select the right speaking speed?

Fast, average or slow? The answer depends on the speaker, the speech type and the speech setting.

The speaking speed of the speaker

Some speakers are natural fast or slow speakers. The best speakers keep a variance during their speeches. They speed up to keep momentum and slow down to put special emphasis on other parts.

The speech type

The type of speech matters a lot in selecting the right speech speed. If you read the whole speech word for word from paper then your average speech speed will be lower. If you intend to use the written speech as speaker notes then your average speaking speed will be much higher.

The speech setting

An informal setting will have a faster average speaking speed compared to a more formal setting.

Keeping all three factors in mind you will able make a better judgement about selecting the right speech speed in the speech calculator.

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US has long history of college protests: Here's what happened in the past

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have taken over parts of college campuses across the U.S., the latest in a decades-long string of protests ignited by political activism — some of which have spiraled into violence amid police crackdowns .

In the past, free speech sit-ins quickly escalated into massive rallies, Vietnam War college demonstrations turned deadly and U.S. civil rights protests ended in mass arrests.

The circumstances of each protest were different, but the story is familiar: Young people demanded changes on their campuses or in the world — and their impassioned demonstrations often escalated amid clashes with authorities.

Columbia , the university at the center of the current wave of protests, has even seen similar protests before, including during the Vietnam War in 1968. Demonstrations led the university to end classified war research and stop military recruitment, among other changes, wrote Rosalind Rosenberg, a professor of history at Barnard College, for Barnard Magazine .

Today's demonstrators also have specific changes in mind, often involving divestment from Israel , citing the deaths of more than 34,000 Palestinian people who died in Gaza amid Israel's bombardment and ground assault. That military campaign was triggered by Hamas' incursion into southern Israel on Oct. 7, when about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and more than 240 people were taken hostage.

But as campus authorities react swiftly, citing safety concerns and calling in police to break up encampents, it's unclear if or how the current protests will influence the Israel-Hamas war.

USA TODAY revisited four monumental campus protests to explain how college protests have become a staple of American life and often influence the outcomes of political strife. Here's a look at how previous campus protests unfolded — and whether they were successful in their causes.

University of California, Berkeley: Free Speech in 1960s

At the University of California Berkeley starting in 1964, students protested the university's limits on political activities and free speech during the civil rights movement and Vietnam-war era.

"In the wake of  McCarthyism’s  anti-Communist sentiments during the 1950s, public universities in California had enacted numerous regulations limiting  students’ political activities ," wrote Karen Aichinger for the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee University. "At the University of California, Berkeley, student groups taking part in any on- or off-campus political activities were banned from campus."

What transpired were "small sit-ins and demonstrations" that "escalated into a series of large-scale rallies and protests demanding full constitutional rights on campus," reads the UC Berkeley website.

Nearly 800 students were arrested by local police as a result.

The students' protest ultimately worked in their favor. The university eventually overturned policies that would restrict the content of speech or advocacy, according to the college.

"Today, the Movement stands as a symbol of the importance of protecting and preserving free speech and academic freedom," reads the UC Berkeley website.

Kent State University in Ohio: Vietnam War in 1970

The most prolific university protest of the Vietnam War happened at Kent State University in Ohio in May 1970. Students started protesting the Vietnam War and the U.S. invasion of Cambodia on their campus on May 2. Two days later, the National Guard opened fire into a sea of antiwar protesters and passerbys. The soldiers killed four young people – Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, and William Knox Schroeder – and injured several others with their violence.

"The impact of the shootings was dramatic," wrote Jerry Lewis and Thomas Hensley in an article for Kent State University. "The event triggered a nationwide student strike that forced hundreds of colleges and universities to close."

The shootings also influenced national politics, Lewis and Hensley wrote.

"In The Ends of Power, (H.R.) Haldeman, (a top aide to President Richard Nixon), states that the shootings at Kent State began the slide into Watergate, eventually destroying the Nixon administration," the article reads.

Today, the protest and shootings "certainly come to symbolize the deep political and social divisions that so sharply divided the country during the Vietnam War era," Lewis and Hensley wrote.

Jackson State College in Mississippi: Racial Injustice in 1970

Days after the shootings at Kent State, police opened gunfire at a college dormitory Jackson State College in Mississippi, a school with a predominantly Black student population.

Black students there were protesting racial injustice, including how they were treated by white drivers speeding on campus, according to the university .

Police received a call that Black young people were throwing rocks at white drivers near the campus. Police arrived at the scene and shot hundreds of bullets into Alexander Hall, according to an FBI report, NPR reported . Police killed two students – Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green – and injured 12 others. The college also canceled its graduation due to the killings and unrest.

At a 2021 commencement ceremony, the university honored 74 of the students who were unable to walk the stage in 1970, NBC reported . At the commencement ceremony, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said police “unjustly gunned down two innocent young Black men, terrorized and traumatized a community of Black students and committed one of the gravest sins in our city’s history," NBC reported .

The killings at Jackson State College and Kent State University national sparked outrage. College students across the nation protested on their campuses, according to the Zinn Education Project , a collaboration of historical content from the groups  Rethinking Schools  and  Teaching for Change .

"The spring of 1970 saw the first general student strike in the history of the United States, students from over four hundred colleges and universities calling off classes to protest the invasion of Cambodia, the Kent State affair, the killing of two black students at Jackson State College in Mississippi, and the continuation of the war," wrote Howard Zinn in the book "You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train ."

Angus Johnston, an adjunct assistant professor at Hostos Community College of the City University of New York and a historian of student activism, said after both events: "There was a period of about 30 years or so where it tended to be fairly unlikely that campuses would respond with mass arrests even in the case of admin building occupations."

Nationwide: South Africa anti-Apartheid protests in 1985

Another form of popular college campus protest occurred in the 1980's. Students across the country wanted their colleges to cut ties with groups that supported from the South African apartheid.

"Under apartheid, race restricted every aspect of life for South Africans who were Black, Indian and colored — a multiracial classification created by the government," The New York Times reported . "There were strict limits on where they could live, attend school, work and travel.

Columbia University was at the center of the movement. Students led by the Coalition for a Free South Africa at Columbia University "blockaded Hamilton Hall, the university’s administrative building, leading to the first successful divestiture campaign at the university," reads a summary of the events from the Zinn Education Project .

There was less pushback for protesters during this time, due to a “certain embarrassment among elites in the United States that there was complicity with South Africa’s white government,” said Daniel Farber, a history professor at the University of Kansas who has studied American activism, reports Vox Media .

Columbia University was one of the first colleges to divest from doing business with South Africa and 155 universities followed suit. U.S. Congress also passed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act in 1986, which aimed to prevent new trade and investment between the nation and South Africa.

What is the future of college protests in America?

Free speech experts told USA TODAY that students should continue to peacefully protest in open campus spaces to avoid conflict.

Alex Morey, the director of campus rights advocacy for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, encourages universities to remain neutral in times of unrest and not to call in authorities unless a demonstration turns violent. The national nonprofit defends Americans rights to free speech and thought.

"Peaceful protest is a hallmark of a healthy speech climate on American college campuses and it has been for decades – whether it's the Berkeley free speech movement, or students protesting the Vietnam War era or civil rights," Morey said. "Generations of students have felt passionately about certain issues and the open air places on campuses are great places to support their views."

Contact Kayla Jimenez at [email protected] .  Follow her on X at @kaylajjimenez.

7 Tips to Make Your Car Battery Last Longer

Clean the cables.

F irst, clean the top of the battery and any corrosion from the cables with a tablespoon of baking soda, a cup of water and a non-metallic brush. Flush with cool water. Then disconnect the cables, starting with the negative one to prevent your wrenches from arcing on a nearby ground.

Loosen the battery cable clamp bolts and gently give them a twist. Use a cable puller if they're stuck. Never pry on the auto battery posts. If you have a side post terminal (not shown), use a 5/16-inch box wrench to loosen the cables. With the cables removed, further clean off the corrosion around the auto battery terminals and cables with a post cleaner.

Check the Level of the Electrolyte

Gently pry off the covers of the battery cells. The water and acid mixture in the battery (electrolyte) should be about 1/2-inch deep or to the bottom of the fill hole.

If you need to add water to the car battery, use clean distilled water, being careful not to overfill the cells, then inspect the battery case for cracks. If you find a crack, replace the battery. If you add battery fluid , let the water mix with the electrolyte for a few hours before checking the condition and charge of the battery. Here's what you need to know about battery insulation .

Check the Battery Inspection Window

If you have a no-maintenance battery, check to see if you there's a green dot in the sight glass/charge indicator. Green means the car battery is good. If it's dark, it needs recharging. If it's yellow or has no color at all (inspect carefully and use a flashlight), replace the battery.

Check the Condition and Charge of the Battery

If you have a deep cell battery, test the electrolyte in each cell. Squeeze the ball on the hydrometer and draw the solution into the tester. Carefully hold the tester level and write down the reading. Squirt the solution back into the same cell.

The testers are calibrated assuming a battery is at 80 degrees. Add .04 to each reading for every 10 degrees above 80 and subtract .04 for every 10 degrees below. If you get a cell reading that differs from the others by .05 or more, replace the battery. A fully charged battery should have a reading of 1.265 or higher.

If all the readings show fair or low (1.200 is low) but are consistent, charge the battery .

Check the Battery Tray

Start by taking off your battery hold-down clamp. Disconnect the car battery , starting with the negative cable, then the positive. Use the handle or tie a heavy-duty strap to the ears on the side of the battery and gently lift it out. Be careful; battery acid is dangerous. Don't drop it.

Once the battery is out, clean the battery tray it sits on and replace it if it's badly corroded. Batteries are heavy and need solid support. Remember to always wear eye protection and gloves when working on batteries, and never smoke around them!

Use a Battery Maintainer

Batteries lose their charge when they sit idle. When that happens, you could wind up with a worthless battery after prolonged storage.

To keep batteries healthy, they should be charged every six weeks. But leaving a standard battery charger connected for the whole season isn't a good idea — that will overcharge the battery and shorten its life. Instead, invest in a battery maintainer which monitors battery voltage and automatically adjust the charge to avoid under- and over-charging it.

Connect a New Battery

Carefully lift the new battery into place. Connect the hold-down clamp, then connect the cable to the positive terminal first and the negative last (for negative ground systems). Smear a little petroleum jelly onto the terminal before fastening the cable clamps to the posts. The grease will help slow corrosion.

Most batteries are at least 75 percent charged when you buy them and should be ready for you to start your car and drive. Check with your supplier to see if your new battery needs charging before you use it. Always replace the car battery with one with a higher rating than the original.

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How to Keep Your Microplane Sharp

Endless citrus zesting and cheese grating can take a toll on a Microplane blade, but there are ways to extend its lifespan

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Ever since I moved into my apartment seven years ago and unwrapped a brand-new plastic-handled Microplane, I’ve been chasing the high of pulling the long, rectangular blade across a block of Parmesan for the first time. With frictionless grace, each faint wrist movement yielded a downy pile of microscopic cheese ribbons. All these years later, my zester is still trucking, but the spark is gone. Sometimes I’ll attempt to finish a bowl of pasta or risotto with a flourish of lemon zest, but running the grater vigorously across the surface of the fruit only yields a wet, mushy pulp of skin and pith.

As it turns out, a lot of people in my position would probably have thrown out and replaced their zester many moons ago. Ask Google or Reddit how long one of these kitchen tools last, and you’ll probably be told somewhere between one and five years . In a busy restaurant kitchen, the turnover is even more extreme.

How long do Microplanes last?

“We buy Microplanes in bulk about every three to six months, replacing dull ones as we go along,” says Gillian Graham, a chef-partner at Hart’s and the Fly in Brooklyn. “If we are using fresh horseradish on the menu, it will dull a blade in about a month. Citrus, cheese, bottarga, and garlic are much less hard on Microplanes and you can reliably use a Microplane for these items for about six months before the blades get too dull.”

Microplanes are just one brand of rasp-style etched graters — long, handled graters perforated with a series of straight, sharp slits that produce shockingly thin shavings. Home cooks and professional chefs seek them out for their delicate precision. “At Penny, a lot of our seafood preparations feature citrus for that fresh, acidic pop,” says Joshua Pinsky, a chef-owner of Claud and Penny in New York’s East Village. “Zesters do a great job of pulling off the peel with the natural oils without the bitter pith.”

But the unique blade design of these zesters also makes them susceptible to damage (Pinsky says that he goes through about 10 a year at Claud). To understand why zesters have such a startlingly short lifespan (compared to, say, the rock-solid box grater your parents have had in their kitchen for the last 40 years), I spoke with Mack Mor, the principal engineer at Oxo, which makes its own suite of etched zesters .

How are Microplanes made?

“A traditional stamped grater uses a manufacturing process called blanking to make the holes, which is essentially just like a hole punch,” Mor says. A piece of hardened steel punches holes into a sheet of metal, creating rounded, raised cutting surfaces. If you look at this type of grater under a microscope, you’ll see that the cutting edge is actually pretty blunt. When you run a carrot or a potato across the surface of this style of grater, it’s basically scooping out shreds of the vegetable rather than slicing them.

By contrast, an etched grater (which is what most Microplane-style zesters are), is produced through a process called photochemical machining. An acid-resistant polymer material is applied to a sheet of metal, with precise gaps wherever the grates will be. The entire sheet is then sprayed with acid, which eats away at the exposed metal to create the holes. Because the acid eats away at the top and bottom surfaces of the grater at different rates, the process creates a series of sharp, tapered cutting edges.

“So that is really amazing for grating foods because rather than just kind of scooping, it’s making all these little tiny individual slices,” Mor explains. But those narrow blades can also damage easily, he adds. “We basically made a razor blade out of material that’s not like fully hardened knife steel. So that edge is very thin and very fine and it’s at risk for essentially folding over and bending.”

How do I make my Microplane last longer?

While the average home cook probably won’t blow through multiple zesters in a year, it’s worth replacing these tools when they stop doing their job effectively (ahem, note to self). But there are a few ways to keep that expiration date at bay.

One is to simply avoid tougher or more fibrous ingredients, like nutmeg, ginger, or Graham’s example of fresh horseradish. If you need a large quantity of something grated and have the option, use a blender or food processor, both for your own sanity and for the longevity of your zester.

The way you clean your Microplane also matters. While Mor hasn’t seen any change in Oxo’s zesters’ edge quality after extensive dishwasher testing, and most brands advertise their graters as dishwasher-safe, Microplane recommends handwashing in order to keep the blades sharp for as long as possible. Both Mor and Brandi McGuyer, Microplane’s national sales manager, stress the importance of cleaning the zesters in the same direction of the blades so that your sponge doesn’t snag on the teeth and warp them.

Ron Yan, the chef-owner of Tolo in Chinatown, also recommends storing zesters in the hard plastic sheaths that they sometimes come with. “That’s the best way to protect them and to keep them as sharp as possible,” he tells me. “The blades are so thin that they dent easily by nearby surfaces.”

When the time comes to buy a new zester, consider keeping your old one for softer ingredients (like cheese) or donating it for resale. If you find yourself going through zesters quickly, consider opting for a sleek all-stainless steel option . You might miss the ergonomic plastic handle (although Graham points out that these can get gummy after being washed many times), but the metal-only models open up your options for recycling once the blades are spent. If you live in New York, you can even throw stainless steel utensils like these right in with the rest of your metal recycling, which is exactly what I plan to do in another seven years.

Anna Hezel is a New York-based journalist and the author of Tin to Table and Lasagna . Nicole Medina is a Philly-based illustrator who loves using bold color and detailed patterns to create eye-catching illustrations. Nicole likes drawing surreal imagery that tells a story and has a sense of adventure.

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