my presentation is too long

Tips for improving the performance of your presentation

In this article.

Modify how you use multimedia, animations, and transitions

Windows or hardware-related actions that you can take

Clean out your temp folder, adjust the performance settings.

If your presentation runs slowly, try one or more of the following:

Modify how you use animations, and transitions

Reduce the number of transitions and complex animations in your presentation. This is especially if you're presenting online where transitions and animations may have a deeper impact on performance.

Use only one transition type.

Reduce the number of by-letter and by-word animations. By-letter and by-word animations apply a behavior or effect that moves text (by-word or by-letter) onto a slide to advance your presentation. For example, use an animation only for the title of a slide, instead of for every bullet in the slide.

Reduce the size of animated pictures and animated text. Click the picture or text placeholder, and then drag the sizing handles to reduce the size of the object.

Note:  For more information about how to reduce the file sizes of pictures, see Reduce the file size of a picture .

Don't use animations that include fading, rotating, or scaling. You can replace these effects with other animations.

Don't use large gradients or transparent objects. Instead, choose solid color fills.

You can improve playback and performance and save disk space by compressing your media files .

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Exit all other programs.

Use the Disk Cleanup feature that ships with Windows.

Make sure that there is sufficient free disk space on the computer that you will deliver your presentation on.

If you have many files in your TEMP folder, it can slow PowerPoint (and other programs) down significantly. Periodically check and delete excess files in your TEMP folder.

To find your TEMP folder, do the following:

Exit PowerPoint and all other programs.

Click Start .

Click Run .

In the Open box, type %temp% .

Select the excess .tmp files, and then press DELETE.

Note:  You can usually delete any files that you find in your TEMP folder. If you get an "access error" message, it's most likely because you're trying to delete a file that is being used.

To reduce the resolution for the presentation display, and thereby increase the performance speed, do one or both of the following:

Change the resolution      On the Slide Show tab, in the Monitors group, in the Resolution list, click 640x480 (Fastest, Lowest Fidelity) . [older computers issue...]

Note:  Changing the resolution may cause the slide image to shift slightly. If this happens, either choose a different resolution or click Use Current Resolution in the Resolution list.

Use hardware graphics acceleration      Click the File tab. Click Options , click Advanced in the left pane of the PowerPoint Options dialog box, and then under Display , ensure the Disable hardware graphics acceleration check box is not selected.

What is a graphics accelerator?

A graphics accelerator is a type of video adapter that contains its own processor to boost performance levels. These processors are specialized for computing graphical transformations, so they achieve better results than the general-purpose CPU used by your computer. These adapters free your computer's CPU to execute other commands while the graphics accelerator handles graphics computations.

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How to Cut Down a Presentation That's Running Long (Without Having to Talk Fast)

It’s the day of your big presentation. You’ve spent the last few weeks fine-tuning every detail. You rehearsed last night, and you were flawless. You’ve never felt more prepared.

But then you hear something that makes your stomach drop: “Sorry, but we’re going to need you to keep this to 10 minutes.” You’d planned for 20. How can you possibly pull it off in half the time?

Your first instinct is to just try and talk faster and maybe breeze past a less-important point or two–hopefully you can still cram in everything else, even if it’s a little rushed?

Nope, wrong strategy . Nobody can be effective speaking in hyperspeed. Here’s what to do instead.

Give Your Conclusion First

If you have only one takeaway from this article, make sure it’s this one: Always state your conclusion first. Running out of time before getting your key message across is devastating. So don’t wait. Get to the point right away, no matter what.

You may worry that your core message is kind of complicated and takes a little bit of background to spell out. Even so, get it out there first and then use your remaining time to fill in the context. If you can’t put your finger on what that essential conclusion actually is, though, you may have a bigger problem (but here’s how to solve it ).

Speak Either in “Layers” or “Modules”

Sometimes you may have a hunch that things could change and your talk might get cut short–which is great, because it gives you a chance to line up some contingency plans. There are two methods you can use to design your presentation with flexibility in mind so you can still manage to get through everything, even if you’re given less time:

This approach simply means designing your presentation from the inside out. The inner “layer” is your key message—the most important takeaway you want your audience to leave with.

The next layer consists of your other major points that directly support that key message. Then you have the details that support those key points—which together make up a third layer.

Think of it kind of like dressing for cold weather: If you get too warm, you can always take off a layer. Similarly, if you get short on time, you can take off one of the outer layers. What’s really important is that you communicate your inner layers effectively.

For example, let’s say you’re presenting about a project you’d like to get approval for. With the layering approach, you’d first deliver your key message about seeking approval for your project, followed by the supporting arguments and fundamental issues—the main benefits to approving the project, the outcomes it will deliver, and the challenges you may face. If you’re pressed for time, you’d simply leave out any additional details beyond that and stick just to those key points.

Modularizing

This means designing your presentation in “modules” that you can eliminate if necessary. While you still give your key message first, you don’t share all of your key points right away (even if they’re all relatively equally important).

Instead, you leave out some of the points altogether, depending on how much time you have. The thinking here is that it’s better to do a great job spelling out just one supporting argument, than doing a mediocre job rushing through three of them.

Think of it like going to dinner: You may want to skip either appetizers or dessert if you’re worried you’ll be late for the movie you bought tickets for.

So to continue the example from earlier, you’d deliver your key message, followed by your first key point (the reasons why the project should be approved) along with any relevant details. Then, if you have time, you can go over your next key point (intended outcomes of the project), along with those details. If you’re pressed for time, you’d drop the “challenges” point entirely.

Adjust Your Slides Accordingly (or Make Multiple Versions)

Finally, if you sense your presentation time might get cut down, you should design your slide deck to adapt—reflecting either a layered or modular approach, depending on which one you’d prefer taking. Or, you could just save a couple different versions of your deck so you can pick the right one depending on the circumstances.

At any event, when your time gets cut short and you’re forced to give an abbreviated presentation, having your slides out of order is going frustrate you as well as your audience. It’s much better to create either a few different slide decks or one that will work in any situation. While time is one factor you may not be able to control, how you use it is.

This article was originally published on Fast Company . It has been adapted here with permission. You can find more tips on starting your career in Fast Company’s newsletter, Hit The Ground Running .

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

• By Herwin Jose
• April 10, 2024

Key Takeaways:

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

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

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

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

Understanding the Importance of Presentation Length

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

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

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

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

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

Make your presentation engaging by captivating your audience throughout

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

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

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

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

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

Enhancing Your Presentation Structure

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

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

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

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

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

Using Multimedia to Add Depth and Engagement

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

Adding Videos

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

Incorporating Relevant Visuals

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

Utilizing Interactive Elements

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

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

Maximizing Audience Participation and Interaction

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

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

Mastering the Art of Delivery and Timing

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

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

Expanding on Relevant Topics and Information

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

Dive Deep into the Topic

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

Provide Relevant Examples and Case Studies

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

Use Visuals and Infographics

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

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

Encourage Audience Interaction

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

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

Leveraging Presentation Design and Templates

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some of the Benefits of Presentation Design and Templates includes,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. What is the ideal length for a presentation?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6. How can I make any presentation more engaging?

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

7. How long should a business presentation typically be?

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

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

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

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

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Presentation Tips

How to Manage Your Time During a Presentation

You’ve been offered a 60-minute timeslot to present to a group of stakeholders but have 90 minutes of content you want to cover — or worse yet, only 30 minutes. How do you make your message resonate with your audience while not feeling rushed or pressed for time? We offer our best tips for managing your time during a presentation while keeping your audience engaged and talking points heard.

Rehearse and then rehearse again

At a minimum, you should be practicing your presentation between five and 10 times. The goal is not to repeat the same dialogue word for word each time but rather find ways to say something differently or more succinctly each time. You’ll want to not only figure out how long each slide will take to cover, but also when and where to pivot if things don’t go as planned. Stick to the rule of thirds: Spend one-third of your time planning, one-third designing, and one-third rehearsing.

Be ready to cut it short

Life happens, especially when others are in control. Maybe participants are late getting back from a session break, the presenter before you runs long, or the inevitable technical issue happens. If you outline your presentation with key points and sub-points, you should be able to skip along more quickly by only covering the key points when short on time. What’s more, it’s better to engage your audience and encourage questions throughout than finish the presentation. By coming across as the expert in the room, you open the door to scheduling time at a later date with those who want to discuss points not covered during the allotted time.

Arrive early

The best way to avoid the unavoidable is to show up early to your designated location so setup doesn’t factor into your presentation time, and if it doesn’t take that long, give that time to the next presenter for their setup. Simply put, if you’re arriving or finishing on time, you’re running late. Plus, the added bonus of arriving early is you get to know your audience a little bit and find out what’s at the top of their mind. These are golden moments you can integrate into your presentation.

Be realistic

During rehearsal, you’ll quickly get a sense if your presentation is too long or too short. Be realistic about your personal speaking habits. Do you tend to speed up when you’re actually presenting? Do you pause a lot? Do you know if this audience loves to ask questions? Consider those real-world situations as you try to edit your deck. Some extra tips: Don’t linger on a slide for too long; make your point and move on to keep your energy high. Along the same lines, don’t try and cram everything you know into the presentation. Stick to your key points and anecdotes to make sure people are really absorbing the content. Think quality, not quantity.

Never count on a clock being in the room to manage your time in the moment of your presentation. Have your phone (silenced, of course) on the podium ready to glance at, appoint someone in the back of the room to give you cues when you are running out of time, or even discretely glance at your watch while taking a sip of water. Even though you’ve rehearsed enough to know how the time will pan out, taking an obvious break to check the time can be a big distraction.

What time constraints do you run into when making a presentation?

Keeping Your Presentations Within the Time Limit

November 21, 2014 / Blog presentation tips

It’s not uncommon for presentations to go beyond the time limit. Presenters always have a lot to share and they never want to leave important details unsaid.

If there’s not enough time to cover all the points, it’s easy to just extend your presentation for an extra few minutes. But while 10—or even 20—minutes may seem completely harmless, it could mean something else for your audience and the outcome of your pitch.

We all know how fast our environment moves, especially in the world of business. It’s likely that the people in your audience have very tight schedules. For some of them, the hour they allotted to hear from you is the only time they’re free. If you go beyond schedule, they’ll have to sneak out of your presentation to make their next appointment.

Meanwhile, those who’ll stay behind to hear your conclusion will constantly check their phones, anxiously waiting for you to finish.

If you want to make sure everyone is present and attentive until the last word, you need to keep your presentation within the time limit.

So now the question is, how exactly do you do it? How can you ensure that your presentations end at exactly the right time? Here are 3 simple tips that will help keep your presentations from going over the time limit:

Plan your presentation properly

For most business-related presentations, 30-45 minutes seem to be the standard. At a seminar, you might have up to an hour on stage. Check with your contacts or the event organizers to get the exact answer.

Once you have the information you need, you can begin planning how your presentation will play out. Apart from discussing your main points, what else do you want your audience to know? Work on a draft and list down everything you have planned. What do you want to say at the start of the presentation? Do you want to tell an anecdote? Do you want the audience to participate in a short activity? Do you have to give a live demo? Try to draw up a rough structure, identifying something for the introduction, body, and conclusion of your presentation. Once you have this outline, you can begin aiming for specifics. Be discerning during this stage. Everything that’s in your presentation should always contribute to your main takeaway.

Rehearse your presentation

As always, it’s important to be discerning at this stage. If you have to cut out your favorite parts, do so. You should also allocate a few minutes for answering questions , and give yourself leeway in case your equipment malfunctions or you arrive late at the venue.

As a rule, you should leave about 10% of your time free .  If everything runs smoothly on the day of your presentation, you can just use the extra time to address a few more questions.

Adjust accordingly

Remember that flexibility is important in well-timed presentations, but keep in mind that you shouldn’t rush through your slides and start talking fast. When you’re going over the schedule, just try to condense less important parts of your presentation by giving a quick overview. In case of any extraordinary event (such as a blackout), don’t ask for extra time until you’re offered an extension.

You can keep the audience in their seats by staying within your time limit. It might seem a bit restrictive, but it’s important to value the time of your audience. Don’t miss out on great opportunities just because the clock is ticking behind you.

Featured Image:  Paolo Campioni  via Flickr Image Sources: Brady/Flickr ; Matthew/Flickr ; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Flickr

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The Definitive Guide to Longer Presentations

In many situations, short and succinct presentations are the norm. A five-minute pitch, a 15-minute conference talk, or a brief classroom lecture can be incredibly effective. However, there are times when a longer presentation is not just beneficial but necessary. This can be the case when you have a complex topic to cover, a multifaceted message to convey, or an audience that expects a deep dive into your subject matter.

With that being said, longer presentations can lead to audience fatigue. When audience members become disengaged, they may lose interest and stop paying attention to your content.

So, can we extend a presentation while also ensuring audience engagement? How do we design presentations that are not just highly informative but also captivating? If you were wondering the same, you have come to the right page! Whether you’re a business professional, an educator, a public speaker, or someone who simply wants to share their ideas effectively through long-form presentations, you will find the tips and advice shared in this article useful in making your presentations longer without losing your audience’s attention.

But before we dive in, let’s first identify the scenarios in which a longer presentation is justified and also look at some common pitfalls of longer presentations (and ways to avoid them).

When is a Long Presentation Justified?

Extended presentations are valuable when you need to provide in-depth analysis, offer comprehensive solutions, or explore a multifaceted issue. In fact, a longer presentation is very much warranted in situations where the subject matter, audience, or goals demand a more in-depth and comprehensive exploration. With the help of such presentations, you can engage with your audience on a deeper level, providing a rich learning experience and enabling a thorough examination of your ideas.

Here are some common situations where a longer presentation is justified:

Complex Topics: When dealing with complex, multifaceted subjects that require thorough explanations, a longer presentation allows you to delve into the details, provide context, and ensure the audience gains a comprehensive understanding.

In-Depth Training: Training sessions, workshops, or educational seminars often require longer presentations to cover the curriculum extensively. This is especially true for technical or skill-based training programs.

Research and Analysis: Presentations based on extensive research or data analysis often need more time to present findings, methodology, and implications comprehensively.

Strategic Planning: Longer presentations are essential in corporate or organisational settings when discussing strategic plans, objectives, and business strategies. They require detailed explanations and discussions.

Policy and Legislative Matters: Government or policy-related presentations often require longer durations to discuss proposed legislation, regulations, or policy changes in detail, as well as address questions from stakeholders.

Innovation and New Technologies: Presentations on cutting-edge technologies or innovative solutions may demand additional time for explaining intricacies, applications, and potential disruptions.

Scientific and Academic Conferences: Longer presentations are common in scientific and academic conferences, where researchers and scholars present their findings and discuss them with peers.

Public Health and Safety: Information related to public health, safety, or emergency procedures necessitates longer presentations to ensure clarity and compliance with guidelines.

Comprehensive Marketing and Sales: Sales and marketing presentations for complex products or services may require a longer duration to address features, benefits, and customer questions.

Community Engagement: Presentations involving community issues, development projects, or local initiatives often require more time for public engagement and thorough discussions

Historical and Cultural Topics: Presentations about historical events, cultural practices, or traditions may demand a longer duration to provide background, context, and in-depth exploration.

In-Depth Workshops and Seminars: Workshops and seminars focused on skill development, personal growth, or leadership often require more time to provide hands-on experiences and interactive learning.

Government and Policy Briefings: Government officials often need longer presentations to brief stakeholders, agencies, or the public on policy proposals, legislative changes, or key government initiatives.

Strategic Decision-Making: Longer presentations are essential for board meetings, executive presentations, and decision-making discussions where strategic choices and their implications are under consideration.

Product Launches and Demonstrations: Product launches or demonstrations may need longer presentations to showcase features, benefits, and usage scenarios, as well as to answer questions from potential customers.

Educational Institutions: In academic settings, lectures, thesis defences, or educational sessions may require extended presentations to ensure a comprehensive transfer of knowledge.

Public Awareness and Advocacy: Presentations related to social issues, advocacy, and public awareness campaigns often need longer durations to effectively communicate the importance of the cause and potential actions.

Policy Debates: In debates related to policy or controversial topics, longer presentations allow for more thorough arguments and counterarguments.

Crisis Management and Response: Longer presentations are necessary for crisis response plans, as they require detailed explanations, response protocols, and communication strategies.

Market Research and Analysis: Business presentations that focus on market research, consumer behaviour, or industry analysis may require additional time to cover data, insights, and strategic implications in depth.

In these situations, a longer presentation ensures that the audience receives a comprehensive and well-rounded understanding of the subject matter, making it a necessary choice for effective communication and engagement.

What Are The Common Pitfalls of Longer Presentations?

While longer presentations can be valuable in certain situations, they also come with common pitfalls that presenters should be aware of and work to avoid. Some of these pitfalls include:

Loss of Audience Engagement: Longer presentations can lead to audience fatigue. When audience members become disengaged, they may lose interest and stop paying attention to your content.

Information Overload: Presenters risk overwhelming their audience with excessive information. Too much data or content can make it difficult for the audience to absorb and retain key points.

Lack of Clarity: Extended presentations can suffer from a lack of clarity if the presenter doesn’t structure the content well or if they go off on tangents. This can confuse the audience and dilute the message

Ineffective Time Management: Managing time in longer presentations is crucial. If a presenter doesn’t allocate enough time to different sections or overruns, the presentation can feel rushed at the end, leaving the audience with unanswered questions.

Loss of Focus: Longer presentations might lose focus as the presenter tries to cover too many subtopics. This can dilute the main message and make it challenging for the audience to identify key takeaways.

Audience Fatigue: As presentations extend beyond a certain duration, audience fatigue sets in. The longer the presentation, the more likely it is that audience members will start to lose interest and become restless

Decreased Retention: Longer presentations can lead to decreased information retention. The human brain has limits to how much information it can absorb and remember in a single sitting, so extended presentations may result in lower retention rates.

Repetition: To fill time in a longer presentation, presenters may inadvertently repeat points, which can frustrate the audience and diminish the overall quality of the presentation.

Ineffective Visuals: When presenters use visuals, such as slides, they must ensure that these visuals are engaging and relevant. In longer presentations, there’s a risk of using too many or poorly designed visuals, which can hinder understanding and engagement.

Inadequate Interaction: Longer presentations may lack audience interaction, which can lead to reduced engagement. Failing to involve the audience through questions, discussions, or activities can make the presentation feel like a one-way lecture.

Overloading with Data: When dealing with data-heavy content, it’s vital to present the data effectively. Longer presentations run the risk of inundating the audience with data without clear explanations or insights.

Complex Language and Jargon: Presenters might use complex language or industry-specific jargon in longer presentations, which can alienate or confuse the audience, especially if they are not experts in the subject matter.

Poor Storytelling: In a longer presentation, storytelling is still essential. If the presenter fails to incorporate relevant stories or anecdotes effectively, the content can become dry and uninspiring.

Lack of a Clear Roadmap: Longer presentations need a clear structure and roadmap. If the presenter fails to provide a sense of direction and organisation, the audience may feel lost.

Ineffective Visual Design: Longer presentations often rely on visuals for support. If these visuals are poorly designed or cluttered, they can detract from the presentation’s effectiveness.

Failure to Address Questions: In longer presentations, there may be time for audience questions. Failing to address questions effectively or dismissing them can lead to audience dissatisfaction.

Overestimating the Audience’s Attention Span: Presenters should be cautious not to overestimate the audience’s attention span. Even in longer presentations, breaks, interactive elements, or format changes are necessary to keep the audience engaged.

Lack of Adaptation: A longer presentation may necessitate adjustments based on the audience’s reactions and needs. Presenters should be prepared to adapt the content on the fly to maintain audience interest and engagement.

To avoid these common pitfalls, it’s essential to plan longer presentations meticulously, keeping the audience’s needs, attention span, and overall goals of the presentation in mind. Now that you are aware of the common mistakes most presenters make with longer presentations, let’s have a look at some of the best ways to avoid them.

Important Things to Keep in Mind When Creating Longer Presentations

Creating longer presentations requires careful planning and execution to ensure that your message remains engaging and effective throughout the extended duration. Here are important things to keep in mind when crafting longer presentations:

Understand Your Audience: Know your audience’s expectations, interests, and prior knowledge. Tailor your content to meet their needs and level of expertise.

Define Clear Objectives: Clearly articulate the goals and objectives of your presentation. What do you want to achieve, inform, or persuade your audience about?

Structure Your Content: Organise your presentation with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Create a logical flow that guides the audience through the content.

Use a Strong Opening: Start with an attention-grabbing introduction. Engage the audience from the beginning with a compelling story, a thought-provoking question, or a surprising fact

Focus on Key Messages: Identify the core messages you want to convey and keep them at the forefront throughout the presentation. Avoid going off on tangents.

Engage with Stories and Examples: Incorporate real-life stories, examples, and anecdotes to illustrate your points and make the content relatable.

Interactive Elements: Include interactive elements like questions, polls, group discussions, and activities to keep the audience engaged and participating.

Visual Aids: Use well-designed slides and visuals to complement your message. Visuals should enhance understanding, not overwhelm with information.

Practice and Rehearse: Practice your presentation multiple times to ensure a smooth and confident delivery. This also helps you manage time effectively

Time Management: Allocate appropriate time to each section and stick to your schedule. Be prepared to adjust if you notice you’re running behind or ahead of schedule

Clarity and Simplicity: Use clear and concise language. Avoid jargon or overly technical terms that might confuse your audience.

Transitions: Pay attention to smooth transitions between different sections of your presentation. Use transitional phrases to guide the audience

Audience Engagement: Continually assess the audience’s engagement levels. Adjust your delivery or content if you sense the audience is disengaging.

Incorporate Variety: Change the pace, tone, and style of your presentation to maintain interest. Break up monotonous segments with stories, questions, or multimedia.

Use Multimedia Wisely: Integrate multimedia (videos, images, and audio) when it enhances your message, but avoid overloading the presentation with too many elements.

Reinforce Key Points: Periodically summarise key points to reinforce the main message. This helps the audience remember the core takeaways.

Anticipate Questions: Prepare for common questions the audience might have and address them proactively in your presentation.

Feedback and Adaptation: Be open to feedback during the presentation. Adjust your approach based on the audience’s reactions and questions.

Confidence and Passion: Project confidence and enthusiasm about your topic. Your enthusiasm can be contagious and keep the audience engaged.

Effective Closure: End your presentation with a strong conclusion that summarises the main points and leaves a lasting impression on the audience.

Provide Additional Resources: Offer handouts, links, or references for those interested in diving deeper into the topic.

Continuous Learning: Reflect on each presentation and seek feedback to improve your skills for future presentations.

Remember that longer presentations require more attention to detail, but with proper planning and a focus on audience engagement, you can make them both informative and captivating. Adapt your approach to the specific needs and preferences of your audience while ensuring that your key message remains central throughout the presentation.

Now that we know when it’s best to create a long-form presentation, the challenges that may arise when you create such a presentation and how to best avoid such challenges, let’s have a look at the various ways you can make your presentation longer.

How to Make Your Presentation Longer?

If you need to make your presentation longer while keeping it engaging and informative, consider these strategies:

Expand on Key Points

To make your presentation longer, you can delve deeper into your key points or main arguments. This involves providing more comprehensive information, examples, and evidence for each point. Use specific case studies, anecdotes, or research findings to illustrate and support your main ideas. Take the time to explain the intricacies and nuances of each key point, helping your audience gain a more profound understanding of the subject matter.

Incorporate Case Studies

Case studies offer a practical and in-depth view of how your topic relates to the real world. By including well-researched and relevant case studies, you can extend your presentation and demonstrate the practical applications of your ideas. Analyse these cases thoroughly, highlighting the challenges, solutions, and outcomes to provide a richer context for your audience.

Introduce Expert Opinions

To add depth and authority to your presentation, incorporate expert opinions. Quote well-known experts, researchers, or thought leaders in your field who have expressed viewpoints related to your topic. This lends credibility to your presentation and allows you to explore different perspectives and approaches.

Present Counterarguments

Expanding on counterarguments or alternative viewpoints involves providing a detailed exploration of these opposing perspectives. Explain the reasons behind these counterarguments and offer a well-reasoned response. By engaging in a thorough discussion of counterarguments, you encourage critical thinking and offer a more comprehensive understanding of the topic.

Use More Visuals

Visuals, such as charts, graphs, images, and diagrams, can help convey complex information more effectively. You can extend your presentation by including additional visuals that provide a deeper insight into your subject. Ensure that each visual is carefully chosen and directly supports the content you’re presenting.

Explore Subtopics

Breaking down your main topic into subtopics is an excellent way to extend your presentation. Each subtopic can be explored in depth, allowing you to provide a comprehensive overview of the subject matter. By dedicating a portion of your presentation to each subtopic, you can ensure that the audience gains a thorough understanding of the entire topic.

Tell More Stories

Storytelling is a powerful tool for engagement. By sharing more stories, anecdotes, and examples, you can make your presentation longer while keeping it relatable and memorable. Personal stories or stories related to your topic can effectively illustrate your main points and connect with your audience on an emotional level.

Engage in Deeper Analysis

To extend your presentation, engage in a deeper analysis of your data, trends, or implications. Dive into the details, examine patterns, and consider the implications of the information you’re presenting. A thorough analysis can help your audience grasp the complexities and nuances of your subject.

Incorporate Audience Interaction

Engage your audience by incorporating interactive elements. Encourage questions, discussions, and participation to make your presentation longer while involving the audience. Interactive sessions allow the audience to apply the knowledge you’ve shared and can lead to deeper exploration of the topic.

Use Audience Polls

Incorporating audience polls or surveys can extend your presentation while actively involving the audience. Pose questions related to your topic and allow the audience to participate. Share the poll results and discuss the implications to encourage deeper exploration.

Utilise Extended Q&A Sessions

Dedicate more time to answering audience questions to make your presentation longer. Encourage an extended Q&A session to explore topics in greater depth. Engaging in open dialogues with the audience can lead to insightful discussions.

Include Expert Interviews

If possible, conduct or include interviews with experts in your field. Expert interviews offer a unique and valuable perspective, adding depth and credibility to your presentation. These insights can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the topic, making your presentation more informative.

Explore Different Perspectives

Extend your presentation by presenting various perspectives on the topic. By discussing contrasting viewpoints and different angles, you provide a more comprehensive view of the subject matter. Encourage critical thinking and analysis among your audience

Create More Examples

Generate additional examples, scenarios, and use cases that illustrate the practical applications of your ideas. Providing multiple instances where your concepts are applied can help the audience connect theory to practice and make your presentation more thorough.

Reinforce Key Point

Periodically reinforce your key points throughout the presentation. Summarise important takeaways and revisit the main message to ensure that the audience retains the core concepts. Repetition can help reinforce understanding.

Engage in Group Activities

Incorporate group activities or discussions that require audience participation. These activities can be used to delve deeper into specific aspects of your presentation. Encourage group discussions or problem-solving exercises to make your content more interactive and extensive.

Discuss Current Events

Incorporating current events and news into your presentation keeps the content relevant and relatable to the audience. To expand on this, discuss the context and significance of these current events as they relate to your topic. Consider how recent developments have influenced the subject matter, and explore potential future impacts. This not only prolongs the presentation but also highlights the real-time relevance of the subject, making it more engaging and informative.

Collaborate with Guest Speakers

Collaborating with guest speakers or experts can enhance your presentation by offering diverse perspectives and insights. To extend this collaboration, encourage an in-depth discussion with these guest speakers, allowing them to share their experiences and expertise. By doing so, you create a more interactive and informative presentation with a broader range of viewpoints.

Connect with Personal Experiences

Sharing personal experiences related to the topic adds authenticity and depth to your presentation. Expanding on these personal insights can involve a deeper exploration of the challenges faced, lessons learned, and the practical implications of your experiences. By offering a more comprehensive look at your personal journey, you connect with the audience on a deeper level.

Visualise Future Possibilities

Extending your presentation by visualising future possibilities or potential scenarios adds a forward-looking dimension to your content. Provide detailed discussions of the various paths and choices that could shape the future of your topic. Explore the long-term implications of these choices and highlight potential opportunities and challenges. By offering a more comprehensive exploration of future possibilities, you enable the audience to envision the subject’s future evolution.

Address Common Misconceptions

Identifying and addressing common misconceptions related to your topic involves providing detailed explanations that debunk these myths. Explain the origins of these misconceptions, clarify the correct information, and offer a well-informed response to these misconceptions. By providing a comprehensive exploration of common misconceptions, you ensure the audience gains a deeper and more accurate understanding of the subject matter.

Engage in Panel Discussions

Organising panel discussions with multiple experts or stakeholders offers diverse perspectives and insights. Expanding on panel discussions can involve facilitating in-depth conversations, allowing panellists to share their experiences and engage in meaningful debates. By offering a more comprehensive panel discussion, you create an interactive and informative presentation with a wide range of viewpoints.

Use Demonstrations

Incorporating live demonstrations or simulations into your presentation engages the audience in a hands-on learning experience. Expanding on demonstrations involves offering a detailed walkthrough of the demonstration, explaining the steps and intricacies involved. By providing a deeper exploration of the practical application of your ideas, you make your content more tangible and actionable, ensuring the audience gains a thorough understanding.

Final Thoughts

By using the tips and advice shared in this article, you can create longer presentations that inform, inspire, and captivate your audience, whilst also avoiding the common pitfalls that most presenters face when it comes to delivering extended presentations.

However, if you’re inspired to work with experts in crafting your upcoming presentation and preparing for it in the best way possible, look no further. At Presentation Experts, we specialise in not just presentation design, but also presentation skills development . Whether you’re seeking support in crafting a compelling presentation, refining your storytelling techniques, or acquiring the skills to keep your audience captivated during extended presentations, we’ve got you covered.

To learn more about our services, contact us today!

Mastering the Art of Pitch Deck Designn

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Keep It Short: Why Longer is Not Always Better

• By: Caitlin McGuire

A recent study showed that shorter presentations are more effective than those that are longer in length. In fact, it was proven that investment pitches that were 12 slides in length outperformed those that were longer leading to larger investment.

With all the research pointing in the direction of shorter presentations it is important that you learn how to deliver your content in such a way that you get to your call to action quickly and efficiently.

We’ve put together a few tips to help you keep your presentation clear, concise and compelling.

Focus on a strong opener.

By nailing your opener you ensure your audience is bought in to your content from the beginning. This allows you to spend less time building credibility with your audience ultimately saving you precious space in your presentation.

A strong opener should be attention catching, emotionally engaging and content forward. Consider using a famous quote, compelling story or a surprising statistic. This will help your audience be drawn in and build your credibility in a minimal amount of time.

Nail your transitions.

One of the largest time wastes comes from a presenter who has not spent time with their transitions. The primary cause stems from rambling as you try to get from one thought to another. By practicing your transitions extensively, you allow yourself space to improv in some content areas while still maintaining a cohesive flow.

Consider writing down each transition word for word. By manuscripting these portions of your presentation, you have the ability to share your content in a vulnerable and intriguing way.

Hit your time.

If you set a goal for how long your presentation should be it is important you hit that mark. When you get to your time limit it is time to make a jump to your call to action as quickly as possible. The best way to ensure this happens is by creating a compelling story that leads to sums up your entire presentation and leads to your CTA.

This allows your audience to hear your content and get excited about it no matter how much time you had to share. If you choose to go past the time limit you risk your audience beginning to disengage or even get frustrated as you have not met their expectations.

When it comes to presentations studies show shorter is better. By keeping your presentations concise and to the point you will find your audience not just more likely to engage but more likely to invest in your overall cause.

Looking to learn more about delivering presentations with excellence? Contact our team today to find out how.

Caitlin McGuire

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• Speech Crafting →

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

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

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

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

Quick Summary of Key Points

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

Making Effective Use of Time

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Control the Pace with Pauses

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Including Helpful Stories

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

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

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

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

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

Connect with Your Audience

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

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

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

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

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

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

Explaining Key Points

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

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

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

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

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

Practice for Perfection

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

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

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

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

Repeating Ideas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Using Effective Transitions

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

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

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

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

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

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

Conclusion: Crafting an Engaging Speech

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Common Questions

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

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

How can I add meaningful content to my speech?

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

What strategies can I use to lengthen my speech?

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

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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.css-1qrtm5m{display:block;margin-bottom:8px;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:14px;line-height:1.5714285714285714;-webkit-letter-spacing:-0.35px;-moz-letter-spacing:-0.35px;-ms-letter-spacing:-0.35px;letter-spacing:-0.35px;font-weight:300;color:#606F7B;}@media (min-width:600px){.css-1qrtm5m{font-size:16px;line-height:1.625;-webkit-letter-spacing:-0.5px;-moz-letter-spacing:-0.5px;-ms-letter-spacing:-0.5px;letter-spacing:-0.5px;}} Best Practices The #1 rule for improving your presentation slides

by Tom Rielly • May 12, 2020

When giving presentations, either on a video conference call or in person, your slides, videos and graphics (or lack of them) can be an important element in helping you tell your story or express your idea. This is the first of a series of blog posts that will give you tips and tricks on how to perfect your visual presentations.

Your job as a presenter is to build your idea -- step-by-step -- in the minds of your audience members. One tool to do that is presentation graphics, such as slides and videos.

Why graphics for your presentation?

A common mistake is using slides or videos as a crutch, even if they don’t actually add anything to your presentation. Not all presentations need graphics. Lots of presentations work wonderfully with just one person standing on a stage telling a story, as demonstrated by many TED Talks.

You should only use slides if they serve a purpose: conveying scientific information, art, and things that are hard to explain without pictures. Once you have decided on using slides, you will have a number of decisions to make. We’ll help you with the basics of making a presentation that is, above all, clear and easy to understand. The most important thing to remember here is: less is more.

Less is so much more

You want to aim for the fewest number of slides, the fewest number of photos, the fewest words per slide, the least cluttered slides and the most white space on your slides. This is the most violated slide rule, but it is the secret to success. Take a look at these examples.

As you can see in the above example, you don’t need fancy backgrounds or extra words to convey a simple concept. If you take “Everything you need to know about Turtles”, and delete “everything you need to know about” leaving just “turtles”, the slide has become much easier for your audience to read, and tells the story with economy.

The above example demonstrates that a single image that fills the entire screen is far more powerful than a slide cluttered with images. A slide with too many images may be detrimental to your presentation. The audience will spend more mental energy trying to sort through the clutter than listening to your presentation. If you need multiple images, then put each one on its own slide. Make each image high-resolution and have it fill the entire screen. If the photos are not the same dimensions as the screen, put them on a black background. Don’t use other colors, especially white.

Your slides will be much more effective if you use the fewest words, characters, and pictures needed to tell your story. Long paragraphs make the audience strain to read them, which means they are not paying attention to you. Your audience may even get stressed if you move on to your next slide before they’ve finished reading your paragraph. The best way to make sure the attention stays on you is to limit word count to no more than 10 words per slide. As presentation expert Nancy Duarte says “any slide with more than 10 words is a document.” If you really do need a longer explanation of something, handouts or follow-up emails are the way to go.

Following a “less is more” approach is one of the simplest things you can do to improve your presentation visuals and the impact of your presentation overall. Make sure your visuals add to your presentation rather than distract from it and get your message across.

Ready to learn more about how to make your presentation even better? Get TED Masterclass and develop your ideas into TED-style talks.

© 2024 TED Conferences, LLC. All rights reserved. Please note that the TED Talks Usage policy does not apply to this content and is not subject to our creative commons license.

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How Long Should Your Presentation Be?

You have just been asked to put together a presentation for your colleagues.  You begin preparing your presentation material when you are suddenly faced with an important question: How long should your presentation be?  You want to make sure you include all of the pertinent information but you don’t want to bore your audience by rambling on for too long. The truth of the matter is that there is no such thing as a “perfect presentation length;†however, there are a few rules of thumb that can help guide you in selecting the ideal length for your presentation.  

Shorter is Better

It probably comes as no surprise that shorter, more focused presentations are more effective than lengthy ones.  Speakers have a tendency to delve too deep into the content, providing loads of unnecessary details. This is likely to confuse and overwhelm the audience.  When in doubt, try to keep your presentation as short and concise as possible.

It Depends on the Content

While many experts will claim 20 minutes is the perfect presentation length, that time constraint might be difficult depending on the content of the presentation. For example, a training presentation for new employees might require more than 20 minutes to fully cover the topic.  Likewise, it might not take 20 minutes to conduct a brief presentation of your team’s weekly goals. The length of your presentation should depend on how much time it will take to fully address the content with your audience.

The 10-20-30 Rule

If you have decided to create a Powerpoint for your presentation, it might be helpful to follow the 10-20-30 rule.  This rule states 10 slides is the optimal number for any presentation. 20 minutes is the longest amount of time you should speak.  30 point font is the smallest size that should be on your slides. Trimming your content can be a great way to deliver a more effective presentation.

The truth is there is no exact time that is ideal for every presentation. The amount of time it will take you to accomplish your goal is the amount of time you should spend presenting.  Do be mindful not to fill your presentation with too much fluff and too many extraneous details, as this can cause your presentation to drag on. You have to remember that your audience’s attention span is only so long so you want to be as concise as possible.

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14 Dos and Don’ts for an Effective Presentation

Renderforest Staff

16 Jun 2021

7 min read  

Giving a presentation can be stressful. There are just too many balls to keep in the air: an effective opening, audience engagement, body language, visual aids, anxiety management. The list goes on. 

On a positive note, public speaking and presentation skills can be learned and refined. That’s why we put together a list of 14 dos and don’ts that will help you deliver a killer presentation. If you already have your presentation idea and are wondering how to effectively develop and deliver it, this article is for you.

Let’s jump right in and explore the basic rules of making and giving a presentation.

Focus on the Key Message

From the very beginning, the audience should feel that your speech is leading to something important. This is what will spark their curiosity and keep their attention focused. 

Of course, to achieve such an effect, you should actually have something important to communicate. Otherwise, your audience will feel like they wasted their time (and would be right to think so). The material you present should resemble an arrow with a clear point, not an unending loop of words that leads to nowhere. 

But having something worth telling is only part of the job. You also need to make sure that your entire presentation is woven around that key idea. From beginning to end, your core message should be your guiding light. Each sentence should move the audience closer to it, and by the end of the speech, leave them with a sense of illumination.

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Plan the Structure

Planning your speech beforehand is the only way to avoid getting sidetracked. As you think about your message, try to structure it in a way that makes its delivery most effective for the audience.

So, how do you structure a presentation? Consider both the logical and emotional implications of your structure. First, you want to give your listeners enough background information to help them get better acquainted with the topic, but not so much as to get them bored. Once all the need-to-knows are out of the way, make a seamless transition to your main message and start laying out your arguments in a convincing way.

Also, think about the emotional effect you want to achieve in each part of your presentation. The best way to go about it is to capture your audience’s attention right off the bat, which is often considered to be the hardest part of giving a presentation.

“How do I begin a presentation?” is a question you’ve surely asked yourself.  Once you’re done introducing yourself, you can jump into the presentation with a story or an intriguing question. Then, build suspense throughout the speech and release it at the end with a well-grounded closing statement.

Tell a Story

How do you present a topic? As human beings, we’re attracted to stories. This is why we go to the movies, read fiction and, yes, become all ears when hearing gossip. Thus, it’s always a good idea to begin your presentation with a story or even spice it up with one in the middle. This can make all the difference between an engaged and indifferent audience. 

Need some proof? Watch this TED talk and see how the presenter wins the audience over in less than 3 minutes using the magic of a personal story (admittedly, a relatable one).

Keep a Conversational Tone

Many first-time public speakers try a bit too hard to make their speech expressive. As a result, their presentations appear showy and even pompous to the audience.

To prevent this, simply use a conversational tone. Feel like you are communicating your message to individual people, rather than a large alien audience. This will not only ease you up but will help the audience connect to you as well. 

After all, when you really look at it, you are talking to individual people, not their aggregation.

Remember the Takeaway

What is the one thing you’d wish the audience to take away from your speech as they leave the room or the auditorium? Define it in a single phrase or sentence, using straightforward, accessible language, and present it at the end of your presentation. Keep that takeaway in mind when planning your speech, and put a special emphasis on it during the wrap-up.

Source: TED talk by Angela Lee Duckworth

Time your speech.

There’s probably a specific timeframe within which you should complete your speech. Even if it’s not rigidly set, the audience will have certain expectations as to how long your presentation will take. 

Therefore, it’s important to plan beforehand the approximate time your speech should take and set a timer during rehearsals. If your presentation lasts longer than expected, make sure to leave the inessential parts out. 

As you memorize your material, your speech will get smoother and faster. This will also shorten the time required for it. Thus, before making any adjustments to the length of your script, rehearse it a few times.

Do Your Rehearsals  

Practice your speech as many times as necessary to build confidence. This is not to say you should memorize every single word or sentence, but you should know exactly what you need to cover at every point. 

When you’re confident enough about your speech, there’s one less reason to be nervous during the presentation. You can now relax and focus on building rapport with your audience.

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Perhaps, the worst thing you can do during a presentation is to read your script. Even glancing at a paper or screen far too many times is distracting enough. What’s more, your audience will find it difficult to connect to your message, as it will all feel mechanical and staged.

The solution? It’s fairly simple: rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.

Don’t Rely on Slides

A slide should never be the main source of information for the audience. Use it as a mere extension that makes your speech more engaging or credible. Always keep in mind that your audience needs to learn from you , the speaker, not from your slide.

It goes without saying that you shouldn’t stuff any slide with text. Or include so much information (whether textual or visual) that your audience gets overwhelmed and stops following your speech. When it comes to slide design, minimalism is your best friend. 

To know if you’re relying heavily on your slides or not, ask yourself this question: “Will my presentation still make sense without the slides?” If the answer’s no, then you should rethink your script. But, there’s also a fun side to this. When you free your slides of the burden to inform, they can now be used creatively and even enhance the effect of your speech.

Notice how the presenter in the video shown above only turns to slides to highlight or demonstrate a point she made. And if you remove all the slides? The presentation will be just as complete and impactful.

Don’t Use Fancy Slideshows

How a good presentation should look like? Nowadays, there are lots of advanced presentation software and screen-sharing tools one can use to “wow” the audience. The problem with them? “Wowing” your audience with something as trivial as slides is hardly why you’re making your speech. The fewer distractions there are in your presentation, the better. Keep this in mind, and avoid using anything showy. 

Don’t Talk Too Fast (or Slow)

While presenting, it’s recommended to maintain a consistent pace that’s neither too fast nor too slow. Talking fast might cause unnecessary tension in the audience, and excessively slow speech is sure to annoy them.

While different people naturally speak at different paces, it’s still something that can be worked on and modified with enough practice. You can refine your pacing during rehearsals until the preferred pace is second nature to you.

Don’t Forget Backup Slides

You’re about to start your presentation, but the internet connection is too slow, and your slides won’t load. On top of it, you didn’t follow our advice about not relying on slideshows. What do you do?

Well, if you’re considerate enough, you will have a USB flash drive with backup slides. Next time you feel like forgoing this little step, recall this scenario.

Don’t Neglect Body Language

The way you move your body on stage tells a story. And if that story is incoherent with the one you’re telling with your words, disharmony arises. Imagine a speaker is talking about peace and tolerance, yet their every movement is abrupt, hasty, and aggressive. Sure, this might be the result of nervousness, but would you still be able to connect to their message? The answer’s likely to be no.   

When rehearsing your speech, don’t neglect body language. Practice standing tall, keeping your hands open, and your movements relaxed. Avoid pacing on the stage during your presentation, as it may distract or, worse yet, annoy your listeners. 

Check out this TED talk by Emily Esfahani Smith. Pay attention to how her empathetic facial expressions and open hand gestures help to reinforce her message.

And, of course, don’t skip eye contact. Instead of glancing over the entire audience, pick a few individuals from different parts of the room, and establish your eye contact with them. This little trick will help you feel like you’re speaking to one person at a time. And that’s far more manageable than speaking to everyone at once.

To emphasize a point, sometimes, what you need is not words but their absence. Take a pause after you ask a question or make a strong statement. Spare your audience a moment to think, reflect, and ponder. Or leave a gap of silence right before you present something exciting to build suspense and anticipation.

No one expects you to go on talking for 10-15 minutes without a pause. Take a few seconds once in a while to breathe. Draw in deep breaths to collect your thoughts and calm your nerves if the situation calls for it. This is one of the most effective ways to relax when presenting.

These were the things good presentations include. Hopefully, you’ve learned enough from our tips and are now ready to get to work. Delivering effective presentations is not an easy task, but definitely, one that’s worth the effort. If you’d like to create a presentation for your speech or even online platforms, give these customizable templates a try.

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Home » Tech Tips » Apps » Fix Slow PowerPoint and Speedup Your Presentations

Fix Slow PowerPoint and Speedup Your Presentations

Often, Microsoft PowerPoint performs poorly and getting rid of those animations have little effect. If you do presentations often, speeding up PowerPoint may send your overall productivity through the roof. It may take a lot of effects for PowerPoint presentation to pleasingly transition between slides.

Related: Fix Slow Word and speedup document processing .

Speedup Slow PowerPoint Presentations

Try the below fixes to speedup your presentations:

• Cleanup and simplify presentations
• Remove unnecessary add-ins
• Stop AutoRecover
• Disable auto spelling check
• Remove startup programs
• Change screen resolution
• Check hardware graphics acceleration
• Clear temporary files
• Check compatibility

Method #1: Simplify Presentations

Some people get too ambitious with the design of the presentation. Complex presentation can be very slow to load, even if you have a good hardware. Follow these steps:

• Reduce the size of the images. Just dragging to resize the image isn’t enough, because the original image still has high resolution and large image size. It is better to remove images in the presentation and optimize them. After these images have optimum resolution and file size, you can re-upload them in the presentation slides. Also you can compress pictures , remove the cropped part of images and choose the optimized size when saving your presentations.

Compressing Pictures of PowerPoint

• Remove built-in PowerPoint animation, such as scaling, rotating and fading, because they can slow down the overall performance.
• Remove transparent objects and replace them with objects that have solid color fills.

Method #2: Remove Unnecessary Add-ins

If lot of add-ins are loaded, it is possible that PowerPoint will perform poorly. Each add-in will contribute in slowing down PowerPoint start-ups. Follow these steps:

• Open Microsoft PowerPoint. Go to ‘Files > Options’ and then to ‘Add-Ins’ section.
• Select ‘COM Add-ins’ option from the ‘Manage’ dropdown and click on ‘Go’ button.

Go to PowerPoint Add-ins Section

• Look for the available Add-ins list and click the add-in.
• Click the Remove button.

Disable Add-ins in PowerPoint

Similar to COM Add-ins, check for other add-in types and remove all. Now check the PowerPoint presentation is opening faster. If yes, then the add-ins are slowing down your PowerPoint. You can enable the add-ins one by one and check the performance.

Related: Fix Slow Excel and speedup spreadsheets .

Method #3: Stop AutoRecover

AutoRecover helps to save your presentations automatically and help to retrieve it when the application is terminated unexpectedly. This is a very useful function to save your content periodically. But setting low AutoRecover time will lead multiple times savings and slow down your activities. So to have good performance and also with AutoRecover function, you can set the recovery time to more than 15 minutes.

• Open Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Go to ‘Files > Options’.
• Under the ‘Save’ tab, find and uncheck “Save AutoRecover info every xx minutes”

Disable AutoRecover

Method #4: Disable Spellchecking

Spell checking helps to automatically check the text entries for the correct spelling. If text entry is slow or delayed when typing, it could be necessary to disable the spell checking feature. Follow these steps:

• Open Microsoft Outlook and go to ‘File > Options’.
• Go to ‘Proofing’ section and scroll down to the section ‘When correcting spelling in PowerPoint’.
• Disable ‘Check spelling as you type’ option. Click OK.

Disable Spelling Check

• Restart PowerPoint and verify that the problem has been resolved.

Method #5: Stop Loading Startup Programs

If you have the habit of opening PowerPoint immediately after starting Windows then the startup apps could affect the opening of PowerPoint. If your computer has plenty of startup items, it is possible that one of them causes problems. Follow these steps:

• Close all programs. Press ‘Win + R’ keys to open Run window. Type in ‘msconfig’ and open Windows Configuration Utility.
• Find and click “Selective Startup”, under the General tab. Uncheck “Load Startup items” and click OK
• Restart the computer and re-open Microsoft PowerPoint. Check whether the problem has been resolved.
• If PowerPoint performs much better, then the problem is verified. The next step is to identify the program that causes the problem.
• Close all programs. Go to Start and type in ‘msconfig’ in the search/run field. Click OK.
• Find and click “Selective Startup”, under the General tab.
• Check “Load Startup items” and click OK. Select the Startup tab.
• Disable a startup item that may cause the issue. If problem still persists, re-enable the item and disable another.

Related: Fix Slow Outlook and speedup emails .

Method #6: Check Screen Resolution

On computers with weaker hardware configurations, high screen resolutions may cause slowdowns in performance. Especially when you have dual monitor then the screen resolution will affect the display as well the speed of your presentation. So it is necessary to have the recommended resolution for your computer. Follow these steps:

• Go to desktop and right click on the empty space.
• Choose ‘Display setting’. Under ‘Display’ section check the available resolutions.

Check Screen Resolution

• Choose the recommended resolution for your computer.
• Confirm the selection and check whether the performance level improves.

Some resolutions may cause distortions in the layout of the presentation, so you may need to choose the most appropriate screen resolution.

Method #7: Enable / Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration

If you have a moderately powerful computer and PowerPoint still performs poorly, then it is possible that you are not using the full capacity of the hardware. Graphics accelerator is a dedicated hardware that boosts performance when rendering 3D objects and images. The processor can do other tasks, which improves the overall computing process as well. Follow these steps:

• Go to ‘File > Options’ and click on ‘Advanced’.
• Under ‘Display’ section, look for ‘Disable hardware graphics acceleration’ and make sure it’s not checked.

PowerPoint Hardware Acceleration

• Also disable ‘Disable Slide Show hardware graphics acceleration’ option.

If you have latest computer with powerful processor, you should enable these options to get good performance.

Method #8: Clear Temporary Files

Deleting files associated with PowerPoint presentations in temporary directory could help to speed up the start-up process significantly. Follow these steps

• Type in ‘Disk Cleanup’ in the Windows search box.
• Choose Disk C: and click OK.

Disk Cleanup

• Check the Temporary files option and click OK. Click OK again to confirm the deletion of temporary files.
• Open PowerPoint and check whether the problem has been resolved.

Method #9: Do Compatibility Check

In PowerPoint 2016, go to ‘File > Info’ menu. Click on ‘Check for Issues’ button and then choose ‘Check Compatibility”.

Inspect Presentation

This will help especially when you are dealing with presentations made in earlier versions.

Most of the Microsoft applications works integrated with Windows operating system. This makes the troubleshooting process more complex as many components of your operating system can also affect the speed of PowerPoint presentations. We hope one of the above mentioned solutions help you to speedup the presentations.

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Leave your reply.

My PPT presentation has 92 slides and 11 videos with music. Total size is about 2GB, and it takes hours to save. What can I do to speed this up? Thanks

While saving any ppt, it is taking almost 20 seconds to save in window 11..whereas it used to take only 1 second in window 10….similar problem is in opening ppt….pls suggest remedies sir

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How Much Content is Too Much in Your Presentation?

One of the fundamental goals of any presentation is to convey information to your audience. Whether you’re looking to inspire action or educate audience members on a specific topic, you need solid information to create a valuable presentation. You need to be able to objectively consider how much content is too much in your presentation.

With that in mind, there’s a fine line between an illuminating presentation and information overload. The human brain can only take in so much information at once. By packing too much content into your presentation, a large portion of it won’t be processed by your audience.

So, how much content is too much in your presentation? Here, we’ve set out to answer the common question and provide strategies for balancing your presentation’s content. With these tips in mind, you’ll have the tools to create a compelling, memorable presentation for your audience.

Content Overload and Audience Retention

Being presentation fanatics ourselves, we get the urge to cram as much info as we can onto those slides. More is more, no?

In many ways, simplicity is the key to audience retention . When a huge amount of information is included in a presentation, it compromises the impression left on your audience. Your statements will get jumbled and, ultimately, forgotten.

To capture your audience’s attention like you’re using the Force, edit your presentation down to the essentials. If nothing else, what do you want your audience to learn? The answer to that question should guide the content throughout your presentation.

Too Much Text Will Distract Your Audience

When you’re presented with text on a slide, the impulse to read that text is strong. So, when your presentation is packed with text, your audience will immediately start trying to read it. This diverts their attention from your delivery of the presentation, ultimately compromising their ability to retain the information.

With too much-written content in your presentation, your audience won’t be listening to you. We know that you have valuable things to say – make sure that your audience hears them by editing out unnecessary written content on your slides. When your audience can scan through the text quickly, they’ll move their eyes from the slide and start absorbing your presentation delivery.

Try Out The 7 by 7 Rule.

A great rule of thumb, called the 7 by 7 rule , recommends that you have a maximum of 7 lines on any one slide. Those lines should ideally have a maximum of 7 words each. While it’s A-okay to divert from this rule occasionally, it serves as an excellent benchmark from which to judge the amount of content in your presentation.

Emphasize Important Statistics.

To give a statistic more impact, make it the only text on a slide. An isolated sentence is inherently more powerful than a list or paragraph, as there’s nothing else on the slide to distract from it.

Three Points Per Presentation

The “rule of three” is a standard strategy in the art of presentations. This rule suggests that you present three (or less) key points to your audience in a presentation. The goal with this rule is that your audience walks away having absorbed all of your main points. When you keep the main points to a minimum, each point will have more of an impact.

What About Longer Presentations?

The three-point rule works well for presentations that are 15 to 30 minutes in length. If your presentation is longer, say, 45 minutes to an hour, you can consider adding a few more main points to your outline. While you certainly don’t have to add main points for longer presentations, your audience will have the time to absorb more information. So, if you have more to say, you can do so without swamping your audience.

Text vs. Graphics: Balancing Your Presentation Content

Rest assured – we love reading as much as anyone. But, replacing some of the text on your slides with graphics and images can improve the success of your presentation.

Using images in place of text will maximize the impact of your spoken presentation. In contrast to text, which can distract your audience, images compliment your delivery of the presentation. Your audience members will be able to absorb your words while taking in the value of the image.

Images and graphics add context and visual interest to any presentation. Visual aids are especially useful when you’re trying to portray a complex idea or concept. Your audience will gain a different perspective through an image than they will from spoken words or text. So, a variety of content in your presentation will provide your audience with a deeper, more complete understanding of your key points.

For a presentation that leaves your audience reeling, deliver content in a concise, focused manner. It’s inevitable that audience members won’t retain every single point that you make. But, you can ensure that your crucial points have a powerful impact through careful editing and the inclusion of multiple content mediums.

Author:  Ryan

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How to keep to time during your presentation

by Olivia Mitchell | 33 comments

Photo credit: zoutedrop

Do you regularly go over time when you’re delivering a presentation? If a time limit has been set for your presentation, then it’s your responsibility to finish it within that time. Consider it as part of the contract between you and your audience.

Here are some tips to help you keep to time:

1. Decide on your “talking time”

You can’t keep to time unless you know beforehand how long you should be talking. Your “talking time” is different than the total time you’ve been given for your presentation for two reasons:

• You need to allow time for questions. This may be decided by the meeting organizer. If not, as a rule of thumb I would allow 20-25% of your presentation time for questions.
• Generally, live  presentations take longer than the rehearsal.  This is because of a combination of factors. You might start a couple of minutes late, you might take longer to make a point, and there may be other interruptions that delay you.

So if your presentation time is one hour, your talking time will be 40 minutes (15 minutes for questions and 5 minutes for interruptions and delays).

2. Find out how long it takes to deliver your material

This is a prerequisite to being able to keep to time. If you don’t know long your talk takes how can you hope to meet the time limit. Many presenters are very bad at judging how long it will take to deliver something. Seriously bad. On our courses, we ask participants to prepare a five minute talk. One time, a participant talked for 23 minutes! When we asked how long it was she thought that she had been talking for about seven minutes.

Time yourself early on in your planning process. This will save you time and agony. If you leave timing your presentation till the end of your planning process you’re likely to find that you’ve prepared too much material which will mean you have to edit your presentation . And editing is can be agonizing when you’ve grown attached to your material.

3. Write a timed schedule for your presentation

When you do a final rehearsal , note down the time that each segment takes and then take that information to prepare a timed schedule. So say your presentation started at 3pm your schedule would look like this:

3 pm Opening 3.05 Part 1 3.15 Part 2 3.25 Part 3 3.35 Closing 3.40 Stop talking

That means that during the live presentation, you’ll be able to easily tell whether you’re keeping to time. Note that it’s not enough to know that each part takes 10 minutes. In the presentation itself you won’t have the head space available to calculate whether you’re ahead or behind.

4. Write assertions so that you don’t waffle

Waffling is one of the things that can make a live presentation go longer than the rehearsal. Here’s what can happen: you make your point but the audience looks blank. So you elaborate on it some more, and then some more… and before you know it you’re waffling. The antidote to this is proper planning. During you’re planning, write each point as a full sentence (not a bullet-point) which expresses what you want to get across. You may later reduce this to a keyword or phrase in your notes but you’ll have done the hard thinking required.  It’s much better to do your thinking before, rather than during, the presentation. For more on this see How to avoid waffling .

5. Have a clock or timekeeper

You can’t manage your time unless you can see the time. And you can’t rely on every meeting or conference room having a clock. Have a small, but easily readable, travel clock that you can put on the lectern or even in front of you on the stage. Make sure you can read it at  a distance without your glasses on. There are remotes that also have a countdown timer and that will buzz you at 5 minutes and 2 minutes before the end of your presentation.

6. Start on time

Many presentations go over time simply because they started late. Lisa Braithwaite recently wrote about this issue in her post: You never have as much time as you want . Often that’s because the presenter or meeting organizer has decided to wait for late-comers. Like Lisa, if I’m in control then I’ll start on time. I don’t see why people who have made the effort to be on time should be penalized by having to wait for people who are late.

You may be concerned that people who are late will miss out on crucial information. So don’t start with crucial material. Instead open with a relevant and engaging story which leads into your first main point. The stragglers will come in while you’re telling your story.

7. Be ready to adapt

Despite all your advance preparations you may still run out of time. The solution is not simply to talk faster! Work out ahead of time what segment you will drop if this should happen. Make a note of the first slide number after the dropped segment. By keying in the number of that slide and then pressing ‘Enter’ you will jump straight to that slide. This is much more professional than clicking through your slides. Your audience need never know that you had to edit on the fly.

Go well with keeping to time in your next presentation! If you have any other tips that have helped you keep to time share them in the comments.

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33 Comments

Excellent post as always. I am going to read further what you’ve written about assertions and waffling (I love these descriptive words, by the way). I’m curious: do you always speak with notes, and do you recommend this? When I do a presentation supported with Keynote or PPT slides, I don’t use notes. I figure if I know my material well, I don’t need them. So far, this method has served me well. (However, I do print out 6 slides per page with the slide numbers, in case I need to flip back to a particular slide, using the method you’ve described.)

I just made your post this week’s compulsory reading for my students 🙂

What I like to do to keep a check on myself is printing out my slide thumbnails all on one page. I make a screenshot from the lightbox view in Keynote or slider sorter view in PPT (which keeps the slide numbers) and then I mark certain slides with the anticipated time in large and friendly red numbers: 10:45 hs. 11:15 hs

As you go along, check real time vs. planned time.

This works really well with longer talks or workshops.

After the talk I can immediately make any corrections necessary and see where I planned poorly or where I can tighten things a bit. It is also a great help for »next time.«

With shorter talks keep a large *analog* antique pocket watch nearby. It is like a large checkered handkerchief: it is so obvious is does not bother anyone. I find I still understand analog watch faces faster than the timer in presenter’s view.

Putting your anticipated times on your screenshot printout is a great idea.

I can relate to your preference for the analog watch. Delivering a presentation is such a full-on activity that everything else should be super-easy for you.

Thanks for your appreciation. I do always have notes within reach. I don’t normally look at them, but every so often I’ll have a mind blank where I go to myself “was there another point I wanted to make here.”. I’ll stop talking, look at my notes, find the point I wanted to make, look up again, find someone to talk to and start talking. I also do what you do with the printout of my slides. I find this useful because it means I can also see what slide is coming next and introduce it, rather than simply clicking and then talking. More about this here . Olivia

I can see how it would be useful to add the notes, in case of brain freeze!

Also, I usually do put time stamps on the slide printouts, so I know how I’m doing for time at major junctures of the presentation (example: when I’m playing an audio clip — so I can check the time while the audience watches). I usually just take off my watch and put it somewhere where I can see it, when there’s no clock in the room.

Great post. Going over the allotted time is annoying to the audience, the organisers and other speakers. I have found for me, if I plan to leave some time slack in my presentation it helps in keeping to time , i.e. if I have 30 minute slot I plan to deliver a 25 minute speech etc. It helps to keep me on time. If I finish early the time can always be utilised – a longer break, questions etc.

Yes, nobody ever minds a presentation ending early!

Good advice, as always – and knowing what to cut in advance is absolutely critical!

You mention a way of skipping slides – for people using Keynote there’s a better way, don’t forget. The menu option allows you to see different slides on your laptop without them showing on your screen and deciding where to go next – if you want to. That way you can edit on the fly with even more dignity and (importantly) the transitions are protected in a way that they’re sometimes not if you do ‘jumping’ in PowerPoint.

I get that Keynote is better in every respect!

I keep using Powerpoint to be the same as 99.98% of my clients.

Thanks for this thorough discussion of staying on time, Olivia! And thanks for the link to my recent post.

My suggestion for keeping track of the time is to use a regular kitchen countdown timer. Because of this: “…you won’t have the head space available to calculate whether you’re ahead or behind…” I find it harder to keep track of my time when looking at a clock, especially if we’ve started late. If I have a countdown timer, I know exactly how much time is left without having to do “clock subtraction” on the fly.

But I do also like to use approximate clock times on my notes, as you mentioned in #3. It does give a general idea of where I should be at a given time.

…..Hi Lisa… at risk of sounding like a stuck record about this… 🙂 “Get a Mac”. Keynote has this kind of function built in!

PS: Do you think Mr Jobs would give me commission? 😉

Haha Simon! Yes, you should get a commission for that.

That’s a great idea if you want to stand in front of your computer the whole time. My timer is usually on a table where I’m also keeping my props, handouts, water, etc., because who knows where the laptop is going to end up!

Good point about the laptop not always being in front of you. I make sure mine is. I take a 50M VGA cable with me in case the event organisers want the laptop to be somewhere near their projector – that way I can pretty much ensure having enough cable to keep everyone happy! 🙂

Mind you, 50M VGA cable isn’t a light thing to carry!

You Apple fanboy :-).

Good point about the countdown time being easier. Given Anke’s point it’s all about finding out what works best for you in the heat of the presentation.

great post! Two comments: 1) 25% for interaction in my opinion is no longer sufficiant. Attendants nowadays want to be involved and strive for a shared outcome, so interaction is key. I would suggest to take at least 50%. The real great speakers shorten their story to the lenght of a teaser and are willing to rely on the fact, that they will be able to deliver the rest of their content in response to questions and discussion. 2) take into account that when you try your speech at home, you might talk faster than on stage. That is because nobody is really listening and you allready know the stuff. I often write text for voice-overs and have to add at least 10% to be on the safe side.

It’s interesting that you suggest devoting 50% of the presentation time to audience interaction. I tend to agree with you for my own presentations, but I know that not everyone is ready for that, so for this particular post I stuck to the more conventional 25%. In other posts, I have encouraged people to consider taking questions throughout their presentation rather than making the audience wait till the end.

Good point to about talking faster and your experience with voice-overs. Of course, some people talk even faster during their live presentation because they just want to get it over and done with! So it can be quite individual.

Important post Olivia – going over time is one of the top annoyances for audiences, and it is so easy to avoid!

It is really important to schedule in time for questions, too. In any type of presentation, this is the point at which you can really understand what your audience wants, and justify your views to them. This opportunity should never be underestimated!

Thanks again for a great post.

Hi Jessica I agree with you about the importance of questions. We should also examine the convention of leaving questions till the end of a presentation. Olivia

Great post, as usual.

Among the technics I am using to respect my time, their is “hierarchical structure” and their is a printout plan of my presentation (most of the time, a mind map.)

On my plan, their is the timing of my presentation, and I am using A big iPod as a timer (their is a stopwatch built in).

This way, it is easy to know where I should be at any given moment and to adjust myself.

I wrote a post about this : How to respect allowed time. I explain what is the “hierarchical structure” technic. http://presentability.com/2010/01/29/how-to-respect-allowed-time/

For the questions: it depends of the situation. You have to be strategic. My preference is to have good interaction with the audience by accepting question anytime. I usually don’t have a dedicated question period at the end.

Denis Francois Gravel

Hi Denis That’s a useful post laying out your method for planning a presentation and keeping to time.

I arrive a little belatedly, but still wanted to thank you for the useful points and comments.

My ideal route is to have a time-keeper; at larger international events I find that the event organisers tend to have someone dedicated to this task; provided that you have timed your presentation reasonably well it shouldn’t be a shock when you get the 15 minute board (or whatever).

One very useful tip that’s related to time-keeping that I learned ten minutes before speaking at an event in Brazil; if you’re being ‘live translated’ you need to know how the translated language compares in terms of word density to your own; Latin languages are about a third longer to say the same thing. Fortunately I was able to adapt my presentation as I went, but it’s not an oversight I’ll ever make again!

On the back of reading your post I went to the App Store and downloaded ‘pClock’ for 59p (I have no affiliation to the product): it gives you a large countdown timer that changes colour at pre-specified timing points (it can also give a vibration or sound reminder too).

As for Keynote, I’ve heard it’s very good but I too use PowerPoint and provided that you don’t let it dictate your presentation format or style it’s a capable tool. It’s undoubtedly tarnished by association with the masses of people who, were they to have had access to it, would have made dreary presentations in Keynote too!

Prezi (www.prezi.com) looks really interesting; if I ever have the time to investigate it I could be tempted to switch to that because I think it could deliver an entirely different experience.

Philip Graves

I am sure that only professional help will solve this issue. For me, for example, examples are very useful, learn this here now https://writinguniverse.com/free-essay-examples/metaphor/ It is very convenient because you can get more information and it leads to new ideas and saves a lot of time.

Hi Philip Thank you very much for adding the benefits of your experience, especially, on the issue of being interpreted. I agree that latin languages use more words, but I wonder whether that actually makes the time longer. My mother is a simultaneous interpreter (English-French) – I’ll ask her. But it doesn’t make sense to me because otherwise the interpreter would constantly be falling behind. And a competent simultaneous interpreter is just that – simultaneous. Olivia

Hi Olivia – a couple of people who’ve had the duty of simultaneously translating me complain that I’m particularly hard to translate live because there is almost no redundancy in my speech and no filler words… they told me they typically use these times to catch up.

(That was into Japanese though, so many things are very different to French or (other?) Latin languages.)

Hello! If you are being interpreted try and talk to the interpreters beforehand. Have a script ready for them (this can be sent days beforehand through the event organiser). Even just a few notes give us a chance to adapt to your vocabulary and mode of thinking. We typically try and follow your trail of thoughts so it helps a great deal.

I would also recommend using less metaphors than usual. But more importantly as already suggested by Simon make a short pause between your sentences and this will give time for interpreters to catch up with you.

Just had a skype call with my mother (Florence above). She added some more useful thoughts.

Don’t slow down your rate of talking, just wait a beat between sentences. Different languages have different ways of ordering words within a sentence, so if you slow down or pause within a sentence, the interpreter may not have enough words to be able to carry on interpreting.

You don’t have to wait for the interpreter to finish interpreting before starting your next sentence. They’re trained to listen and to speak at the same time.

My experience is that unless you have extremely good simultaneous translation (like you get at big international meetings like the UN) you do need to insert a significantly longer pause between sentences – particularly sentences with technical content – than you would normally to let the translation catch up a bit. This is particularly the case if you are speaking English as our bigger vocabulary often makes things easier to say with fewer words. Agree with your translator before hand a signal for “slow down” to make sure she or he isn’t getting swamped by your speed of delivery (it is particualrly important to keep looking for this signal if the translators’ booth isn’t in your normal line of sight) and give them a copy of your slides and any notes so they can check for unfamiliar words or technical vocabulary ahead of time. Provided your audience are using earphones you don’t however need to wait until the translator has finished a sentence before starting the next. If your slides are in the wrong language for some of your audience don’t forget to talk through the slide – “this graphic shows average weekly family spending on xxxx in US dollars on the vertical axis against age of children on the horizontal axis, blue dots mean zzzzzz” and so on.

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This article on the importance of keeping to time during presentations is a true gem.

However, the journey of mastering presentation skills is not without its challenges. The pressure to perform and the fear of public speaking can take a toll on our mental well-being. It’s important to address these concerns and find support along the way.

That’s where online therapy can make a significant difference. Platforms like Calmerry offer accessible and professional assistance to help manage anxiety and stress related to public speaking. Engaging in online therapy can equip us with effective coping strategies, boost our confidence, and nurture our overall well-being.

If you’re looking to explore the benefits of online therapy, I recommend visiting this link: https://us.calmerry.com/online-therapy/

My experience is that unless you have extremely good simultaneous translation (like you get at big

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Natural Ways on How to Make a Presentation Longer Without Losing Your Audience

Don’t Just Tell a Story with Your Presentation, Entertain the Audience with It

Are you wondering how to make a PowerPoint presentation longer? Do you ever feel that a PowerPoint presentation is not long enough and wish there was a way to make it longer without having to add more slides or putting more details on each slide? We have good news for you! The trick is not to make it long but keep it interesting and up to the point.

The best speakers don’t talk for 15-20 minutes but can go for an hour or longer without people knowing it. How is that possible? Well, there is a little subtlety involved and it’s called pacing. The average PowerPoint presentation should be about 20 slides long. And for those twenty slides, the content should fit into about five basic categories. If you follow this rule you’ll have a good idea of how to lengthen a PowerPoint presentation and make it seem like time has just flown by.

Everybody likes a good presentation, but sometimes you need to make it longer. If a presentation is too short, people will not get enough information to fully embrace the topic. In this guide, we’ll show you how to lengthen your PowerPoint presentation naturally and easily. Please refer to these 15 tips on how to make a presentation longer naturally.

Table of Contents

• Introduction – Start by introducing your topic. – Prepare beforehand for a longer presentation – Expand on your logo and company information. – Expand on your agenda/timeline. – Tell a story. – Use a larger font size for all text, including bullets. – Use more pictures in your presentation. – Add music and videos. – Be the expert! – Show several examples of what you are presenting. – Add transition effects to every slide, no matter how short they may be. – Try to avoid using text on your slides if you can use a picture or graphic instead. – Layout a timed schedule for your presentation. – Present facts and quotes – Engage with your audience

Why would you need a longer presentation?

1 – start by introducing your topic.

First, start by introducing your topic. Begin with a clear statement of what you will be talking about and give a brief overview of the topic. Use an interesting and relevant story that engages the audience, followed by a list of bullet points highlighting key points in the presentation. Finally, end with an attention-grabbing title.

2 – Prepare beforehand for a longer presentation

• Prepare your material beforehand – you should have a good idea of what you want to say before the presentation starts. A good way of doing this is by writing down a list of points and subpoints, which will give you a good outline of your presentation.
• Practice makes perfect – When practicing your presentation, make sure that you practice it multiple times so that there are no mistakes in your delivery of the information. This is quite important if you are going to be presenting on a topic that is new to you. Read through all the slides two days before the actual presentation so that you can know what each slide says and how long each one lasts. Practice until your presentation flows smoothly without any hesitations or awkward pauses between slides. If you practice well enough, you’ll be able to make eye contact with your audience and keep their attention focused on you.

3 – Expand on your logo and company information

You can expand on your logo and company information by:

• Showing the logo at the beginning of the presentation.
• Showing a company’s logo and contact information on a slide before or after each section of your presentation (if applicable).
• Showing a company’s mission statement in one or more slides before or after each section of your presentation (if applicable).
• Sharing some history about how/why your business was started (if applicable).
• Sharing some values that guide decision-making within your organization (if applicable).

4 – Expand on your agenda/timeline

The purpose of your presentation is to inform, persuade or sell. You need to keep this in mind when you’re deciding how much detail to include. If you are presenting a training session, for example, consider including a detailed agenda with the time allotted for each topic outlined on it. For a product demonstration or sales pitch, go through your timeline step-by-step with the audience providing feedback along the way.

If you are presenting a business plan or strategy document, be sure to include details on how things will work from start-up until completion as well as growth projections and profitability expectations over time.

5 – Tell a story

You can use stories to help your audience understand a point and retain it longer. For example, if you’re talking about how to increase productivity and reduce stress, you could tell a story of how you used to work for a company that required long hours every week. You were stressed out all the time because of this and eventually decided that you needed to look for another job where they would let you take breaks when needed. This could help illustrate what happens when people are expected to work long hours without any breaks in between.

Another way that stories can be used is by telling them! It might sound obvious but one of the best ways to keep people engaged during presentations is through storytelling because they are more interesting than facts alone (and let’s face it: who doesn’t love hearing an interesting story?). If there is something interesting or funny about yourself or something relevant that happened with someone else, share it! Your audience will love every second spent listening to your story.

6 – Use a larger font size for all text, including bullets

The font size is another way to make your presentation seem longer. The larger the font, the more slides you can fit on a single screen, and therefore the longer your presentation will seem. But make sure it’s not too large!

Also, be consistent with your fonts throughout—if you’ve used one font for headings and another for text, you’ll get inconsistent results that aren’t as flattering as using just one throughout. And if you’re going big with everything else (bullets and titles), then go small with body copy—it’ll give people something to focus on besides all those slides of text!

7 – Use more pictures in your presentation

A picture is worth a thousand words. This is why you should use more images in your presentation. Images can help break up the text, illustrate your points, explain your points better than words could ever do, make your presentation more visually appealing, and make it easier to remember by forcing people to pay attention longer.

8 – Add music and videos

Adding music or videos to your presentation can help to keep the audience engaged, build up suspense, and even set the mood. It can also convey your message in a more effective way than spoken words alone.

It’s important that you don’t overdo it though! You want to avoid distracting your audience from your content or topic by using music that is too loud or too long, as this will make people lose interest. Likewise, if you add too many videos then it may be difficult for people to follow what’s going on!

9 – Be the expert!

You can also use your own experience and knowledge to make your PowerPoint presentation longer. Be confident in what you have to say. Tell stories that illustrate your points. Don’t be afraid to be enthusiastic about what you are saying, because this will help keep the audience engaged and interested in the topic at hand. You can also add some tips from other experts, if possible; this will help with credibility if it’s done correctly!

10 – Show several examples of what you are presenting

You can also use examples to make your presentation seem longer. Examples are a great way to show what you are talking about; however, if you have too many examples, the audience will lose interest and think that they know everything already.

The best way to use examples is by showing one example at a time and then explaining it thoroughly before moving on to the next one. This way, your presentation seems longer than usual because of all the explanations in between each example.

But wait! There’s more!

The most important thing about using examples is making sure they are relevant both to the audience and yourself as a speaker (or writer). The main goal of an example is not just providing information but helping people understand it better by providing real-life situations where these concepts have been applied successfully or unsuccessfully in the past.

11 – Add transition effects to every slide, no matter how short they may be

• Add transition effects to every slide, no matter how short they may be. The presentation will look more interesting and engaging, and it will help you avoid the problem of having an “all-nighter” with your audience.
• You can also use transitions to show a change in time or location: for example, moving from a house to an office building, from the office building to another building (your home), etc., or from a sunny day to a night time.

12 – Try to avoid using text on your slides if you can use a picture or graphic instead

Use pictures, graphics, charts, graphs, and tables instead of text if you want to make your presentation longer. A picture or graphic will take up less room on the screen than text. This gives you more time to talk about it and gives your audience more time to absorb what they are seeing.

Use a chart instead of text whenever possible! Charts are eye-catching and visually appealing. They also tell a story that can be difficult to convey through words alone.

If you have several points with numbers associated with them (e.g., 10% increase in sales) then try using a graph rather than listing them out one by one as bullet points in bullet slides within the presentation deck itself!

13 – Layout a timed schedule for your presentation

You can practice with a timed schedule to know how long your presentation is, and how much more time you need to add to it to make it longer. When you use a timed schedule to create a PowerPoint presentation, you will be able to focus on your content and not the time. Practicing with a timed schedule helps to develop your sense of pacing so that you can know when to pause for pictures or graphics and how much time to add to the rest of your content in order to make the presentation as long as you want it to be.

14 – Present facts and quotes

Start your presentation with a powerful quote, an interesting fact, or a story that will keep people engaged. This will not only make you seem knowledgeable about the topic that you’re presenting, but it can also catch your audience’s attention and keep them interested.

15 – Engage with your audience

Engage with your audience, ask questions, and get them involved. let them speak out about their opinions and write down short notes where necessary. This will engage your audience with the information that you are presenting, making it easier for them to remember what you said and also lengthen your presentation.

A longer presentation gives you more time to present the information and discuss your topic with the audience. Longer presentations also help you focus on what is really important about your topic and allows ample room for questions from the audience. If you have lots of figures, charts, graphs, or other types of data that support your presentation, then this is a good time to go with a longer one. Repetition allow you to explain complex information step-by-step, thus allowing the audience to better understand what you are trying to convey.

Hopefully, you found these tips helpful and are now better prepared to keep your audience engaged with your presentation. The key, of course, is to try and avoid getting too repetitive. Because whether you’re running through a slideshow, or moving your presentation towards a sale; it really doesn’t matter. In the end, you will have made your pitch–and that’s the goal, right?

A good presentation should captivate your audience, inspire them and make them want to listen to you. This is why the length of a presentation should always match its content. The idea of a presentation should be interesting enough for people to pay attention for an hour or two, so you don’t need slides that last longer than that. Some people say that a good way to lengthen your PowerPoint presentation is by including more information in each slide, but this goes against the purpose of using PowerPoint. If you want to get the best out of PowerPoint presentations, make sure you organize your ideas clearly to avoid having too many slides and wasting time on your talk.

In the end, your presentation length should be dictated by your audience and the content you have to share. You can never go wrong with being prepared for both a short and long presentation. In between a good night’s rest and some solid practice time, you can create an excellent presentation that will wow your audience!

At SlideBazaar, we help you create engaging and memorable presentations. Choose from our collection of professional templates or opt for our custom design services for a personalized touch. Your presentations deserve to be elevated to new heights, and we’re here to help you achieve just that!

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8 Bad Habits That Ruin Good Presentations

Even the best presentation can flop if you indulge in any of these common but avoidable habits..

I recently came across a fantastic article by the sales consultant and trainer Colleen Francis about common presentation mistakes that salespeople make in front of customers. As I read it, I realized that much of her advice applied to ALL presentations.

In particular, she identified in the article a set of very common bad habits that can turn even the best presentations into total disasters. Here's my take:

1. Starting with an apology.

The bad habit: You're late, your equipment malfunctions, you don't have your materials, or whatever. You apologize in advance for how this might affect your presentation.

Why it's a mistake : An apology sets a negative tone that may affect the entire meeting and makes you seem like a victim. Nobody wants to do business with a victim.

What to do instead: Start on an upbeat note, as if nothing is wrong.  This communicates that you're cool under pressure--the opposite of being a victim.

2. Asking for extra time.

The bad habit: You feel you don't have sufficient time to communicate your important information, so you request extra time to communicate it.

Why it's a mistake: If there's less time because you're late, you're adding injury to insult. If it's because your presentation is too long, well, your presentation is too long.

What to do instead: Adapt your presentation down so that it fits the allotted time. If you're late, end your presentation when it's scheduled to end.

3. Shooting slide barrages.

The bad habit: "I have 15 minutes left, and I'm through only 20 of my 58 PowerPoint slides, so I'm going to be going through this last bit a little fast."

Why it's a mistake: This usually happens when initial slides spark discussion so you lay a "guilt trip" on your audience members to keep them quiet while you finish up.

What to do instead: Adapt the remainder of your presentation so that it addresses what was discussed, because that's clearly what's important to your audience.

4. Making personal excuses.

The bad habit: You downgrade the audience's expectations by offering an excuse in advance for your poor performance. (E.g., "I'm so tired"; "I got in late last night.")

Why it's a mistake: You're giving yourself an excuse so you won't feel so bad if you fail. Plus, nobody wants to hear you whine about your problems.

What to do instead: Regardless of how you're feeling, show enthusiasm for being there and make your best effort.

5. Reading from your slides.

The bad habit: Your slides reflect your thinking on a subject, so you read your slides aloud to the audience in order to replicate your thought process.

Why it's a mistake: Presumably everyone in your audience can read, so you're not just being boring, you're insulting them.

What to do instead: Use slides as visual signposts for the points you're making rather than a written version or summary of those points.

6. Turning your back.

The bad habit: You keep turning around to read from your slides or staring down to read from your notes.

Why it's a mistake: You're compounding the mistake of reading by being rude and unprofessional.

What to do instead: Face your audience members and look at them while you're presenting. If necessary, take a quick glance, but keep your focus on where it belongs: them.

7. Talking too fast.

The bad habit: You've got a lot of material to cover, so you talk fast to get through all of it.

Why it's a mistake: If you need to talk fast, your presentation is too long. Plus, fast talk makes you sound either nervous or like a stereotypical "fast talkin'" salesperson.

What to do instead: Cut your presentation down so fast talk isn't necessary. If you're talking fast because you're nervous, write "SLOW DOWN!" on each page of your notes.

8. Fidgeting.

The bad habit: You keep fiddling with your papers, fingering your jewelry, scratching yourself, etc.

Why it's a mistake: Anything that distracts your audience from your message is making that message less effective.

What to do instead: As you rehearse your presentation, rehearse how you'll stand and where you'll put your hands. Rehearse enough, and your tics will disappear.

More on giving better presentations:

• 8 Ways Neuroscience Can Improve Your Presentations
• 5 Essential Rules for Great Presentations
• 7 Simple Secrets of the Best Presentations

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Avoid These 3 Pitfalls When Giving a Sales Presentation

• Terri L. Sjodin

Lessons from a study of almost 5,000 sales professionals.

A study examined the habits of almost 5,000 sales professionals whose livelihoods depend on their ability to build and deliver persuasive presentations. The findings revealed 12 common mistakes that were consistently self-reported among respondents. Here are the top three to avoid when giving a sales presentation: being overly informative vs. persuasive, failing to close, and “winging it.”

When you work in sales, no business skill is more essential than effective communication. This is especially true when it comes to giving presentations, whether you are presenting in person, over the telephone, or via a videoconferencing platform. Getting to the point, connecting with others quickly, and making a strong pitch can be the difference between moving a transaction forward or losing an opportunity.

• TS Terri L. Sjodin is an award-winning speaker who has specialized in helping people build and deliver more polished, persuasive, and effective presentations for over 30 years. She is the principal and founder of Sjodin Communications , a public speaking, sales training, and consulting firm based in Newport Beach, CA. Her latest book, Presentation Read y , (McGraw-Hill, March 2024) expands on this material.

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Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony: All you need to know

Picture by Florian Hulleu/Paris 2024

Ambitious, historic, spectacular – these are some of the words used to describe the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony since the first plans were unveiled three years ago.

Set to be the first Olympic Games Opening Ceremony held outside a stadium , the 26 July celebration will transform the French capital into a stadium and theatre as the traditional parade of athletes takes place in boats along the Seine, passing the most iconic Parisian landmarks.

Here is all you need to know about the Opening Ceremony.

• Paris 2024 day-by-day highlights: When to catch the top moments from the Olympic Games
• Twelve of the biggest athletes to watch at Paris 2024

When will the Opening Ceremony be held?

The Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place on Friday, 26 July .

The event will start at 19:30 CEST and is expected to last more than three hours.

Why is this ceremony historic?

Paris 2024 will mark the first time in history of the Olympic Summer Games that the Opening Ceremony is held outside a stadium.

Instead of familiar images of athletes marching out along an athletics track, guests and viewers will be treated to a colourful river parade through the heart of the French capital.

The Seine , the city’s main water artery, will substitute for the traditional track, the quays will become spectator stands , while the setting sun reflecting off famous Parisian landmarks will provide the backdrop for the event.

This outdoor concept also makes Paris 2024 the largest Opening Ceremony in terms of audience and geographical coverage .

What is the route of the parade?

The parade route along the Seine is a visual journey through Parisian history and architecture.

The Austerlitz Bridge next to the Jardin des Plantes is the starting point for the flotilla, which will then continue west for 6 kilometres along the Seine, passing under historic bridges and by iconic landmarks, such as the Notre-Dame and the Louvre , as well as some Games venues, including the Esplanade des Invalides and the Grand Palais .

Grouped on the boats with their national teams, the athletes will ultimately arrive opposite the Trocadero – the esplanade across from the Eiffel Tower – where the official protocols will be carried out, the Olympic cauldron lit, and the Paris 2024 Games officially declared open.

How many athletes will take part?

Almost 100 boats carrying an estimated 10,500 athletes will float along the Seine during the parade. The larger of the 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) represented in the parade will have boats to themselves, while the smaller ones will share boats.

Camera equipment set up on the decks will allow spectators to see the athletes up close and witness their emotions.

What entertainment performances can we expect?

Thomas Jolly , a French theatre director and actor, is overseeing the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies as artistic director .

While most of the entertainment acts remain under wraps, based on the hints so far, we can expect a show on a grand scale with an eclectic mash up of the old and the new. Speaking to the media in January, Jolly said that he wants to showcase the contrasting cultures of France, be that opera or rap, thus bringing together all the pieces that form the nation's diverse cultural identity.

For his part, ceremonies choreographer Maud Le Pladec promised that every bridge along the parade route will have dancers on it. Le Pladec will lead 400 dancers out of the total 3,000 artists who are set to take part in the Paris 2024 Opening and Closing Ceremonies, all decked out in one-of-a-kind costumes by Daphne Burki .

The French television presenter serves as the costume director for the show, leading a team of hundreds of dressmakers, hair stylists and makeup artists. Burki’s focus on sustainability also means there will be many vintage and upcycled pieces used in the ceremonies, mixed in with newer creations.

What will the athletes be wearing?

Artists will not be the only ones showing their style at the Opening Ceremony. With a line-up of luxury brands designing athlete uniforms, expect the Olympians to shine as well.

Team USA mix preppy jackets with jeans for a cool, all-American look, while Italian athletes will show up in casual, dark blue sets . Hosts France worked with a luxury brand to come up with vests and jackets that tie in with the general Paris 2024 look.

Other teams, such as Canada, Great Britain and Sweden , opted for a more athleisure look, all evoking the colour palettes of their national flags.

Some nations went even further with the patriotic details. Mongolian outfits have already created a buzz on social networks for their intricate embroidery and traditional silhouettes .

Brazil and Guatemala ’s looks are also sure to turn heads. Brazil’s denim jackets feature animals that are native to the country, while the Guatemalan athletes are dressed up in folkloric hats and bags to make a colourful statement on the Seine.

What are the different ways to watch the Opening Ceremony?

Almost 600,000 people will be able to enjoy the Opening Ceremony in person. True to its slogan, “Games Wide Open”, Paris 2024 tried to make the event accessible to as many people as possible by taking it outside of the traditional stadium setting.

There were 222,000 free tickets available to watch the parade from the upper banks of the Seine, in addition to 104,000 paid tickets on the lower quays. This marks the first Opening Ceremony where most spectators will not pay an admission fee – another historic milestone for Paris 2024.

Those in Paris who could not get tickets will be able to watch the Opening Ceremony on 80 giant screens set up throughout the city.

An additional 1.5 billion people from around the world are expected to tune into the television broadcasts of the ceremony.

Find the Paris 2024 Media Rights Holders in your country here .

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Here's what we know about CrowdStrike, the company potentially to blame for a global tech outage

A technical issue related to a US-based cybersecurity firm named CrowdStrike caused computers running Microsoft software across Australia and abroad to glitch on Friday.

The global outage impacted a raft of Australian companies and government agencies, causing many computers to attempt to restart and display a blue-screen error message.

Here's what we know so far.

What is CrowdStrike?

CrowdStrike is a US-based cybersecurity firm that helps companies manage their security in "IT environments" — that is, everything they use an internet connection to access.

Its primary function is to protect companies and stop data breaches, ransomware and cyber attacks.

It includes among its main customers global investment banks, universities and even the Australian betting agency TAB Corp.

The cybersecurity environment has changed rapidly in recent years due to the increased presence of threat actors targeting big business, including Ticketmaster, Medibank and Optus.

As a result, more and more companies are turning towards firms like CrowdStrike to protect their customers' information.

What is CrowdStrike used for?

One of the company's main products is CrowdStrike Falcon, which is described on its website as "providing real-time indicators of attack, hyper-accurate detection and automated protection" from possible cybersecurity threats.

CrowdStrike Falcon is used by thousands of companies across the world to protect data, and a software update released on Friday caused a global outage of Microsoft products.

Earlier this week, CrowdStrike announced an update of its Falcon product, saying it would provide "unprecedented speed and precision" to detect security breaches.

In a statement posted to its website following the outage, a CrowdStrike spokesperson said it was likely an issue with the Falcon product that caused the incident.

Who owns CrowdStrike?

The company was founded by former McAfee employee George Kurtz in 2012.

Its ownership structure is a mix of individual investors, institutions and retail.

The company's stock is broken down into two large investor categories. About 40 per cent is owned by institutional investors, and about 57 per cent is owned by public companies and individual investors.

The investor with the largest share is The Vanguard Group, a US investment fund, with about 6.79 per cent of the company.

The question of who owns CrowdStrike was part of a discredited conspiracy theory after the company investigated Russia's role in the 2016 US elections.

Former US president Donald Trump made reference to the conspiracy theory in a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2019.

"I would like to find out what happened with this whole situation with Ukraine, they say CrowdStrike. I guess you have one of your wealthy people," he said.

"The server, they say Ukraine has it … you or your people, and I would like you to get to the bottom of it."

What's next for the company?

Developer websites have already begun posting workarounds for the issue, and CrowdStrike the company offered a solution on its members-only platform until the incident resolves.

CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz released a statement on X on Friday evening, saying the outage was caused by a "defect" in a content update for Microsoft users.

He stressed it was not caused by a cyber attack.

Earlier, Reuters said those who phoned the company were met with a pre-recorded message.

"Thanks for contacting CrowdStrike support. CrowdStrike is aware of reports of crashes on Windows … related to the Falcon sensor."

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