>>How to control the time

1. Use fewer slides

Incorporating too many slides in a presentation package is always a killing mistake. Yet, beginners are making this mistake over and over again. Everybody prefers to listen to the presenter rather than reading the slides themselves. I have seen a presentation where the speaker tried to incorporate everything into the slide package and ended up with a 100-page PowerPoint presentation for a 30 minutes session. The audience was horrified! My advice for you is to use fewer slides and more graphics!

The ideal number of slides for a 30-minute presentation would be around 7 to 10. Remember, you need time to elaborate on your points and ideas.

2. Ability to summarize a slide quickly

Never skip a slide. If you run out of time, summarize your slide quickly. The audience will appreciate that. You can also choose to elaborate only on one specific bullet point on the slide and give an example.

3. End early

Be prepared to end early. If you are going to do a 30-minute presentation, prepare a 20-minute speech. Remember, you can always throw in additional examples if you have extra time. Your audience will love you if you end early. On the other hand, your audience will forget everything you say if you go overtime.

4. Be extremely cautious for break-out sessions and getting input from the audience

I personally prefer not to ask too many long questions. This is simply because it is very tough to control the crowd. If you ask your audience questions that expect long answers, sometimes, it is difficult to stop your audience from talking once he/she starts. Remember that only yes or no questions or questions with short answers can make your presentations more effective. Also, remember to keep track of time carefully. You don’t necessarily need to get everyone’s input.

5. Be prepared to turn down audience interruption

You can always turn down an audience who is asking a question in the middle of your presentation. Simply tell them you will address everyone’s questions at the end of the presentation. A more polite way to eliminate this problem is to state at the beginning of your presentation that there is a question session at the very end of the presentation.

Not going overtime sounds to be a very easy thing to do. However, if you take into account of all the uncertainties in a presentation, it is actually not. Keep these key points in mind next time you present. I am sure you will become a better presenter!