Do you know how long a minute is? Three minutes? Five minutes?
I don’t mean literally—I assume you know how many seconds will elapse in one minute. But when you’ve been asked to speak for minute, do you have a sense of how long that is?
As someone who frequently times people speaking, formally and informally, I can tell you this: almost no one has any idea of how long they’re talking. And they’re not a little off, they’re WAY off, usually talking much longer than they think.
We have all experienced the “quick round of introductions” that was on the agenda for 10 minutes balloons to 20 minutes, so at the very start we’re off schedule. And, at least in my life, that miscalculation won’t be the last. Someone else who had 20 minutes on the agenda will speak for 30, and by the time we get to the items at the end of the meeting, we’re out of time.
If you’re the one entrusting other people to stick to a time limit, I have some suggestions. If it’s the classic, “let’s all go around and introduce ourselves” situation, give very specific instructions, and model exactly how it should go. “We would love to hear your name, where you’re from, and a phrase that captures what you’re looking forward to today. For example, my name is Angie Flynn-McIver, I’m from Asheville, North Carolina, and I’m excited to begin!”
If you’re running a longer meeting and different folks have items on the agenda, you can try giving them unusual increments of time, like 11 or 13 minutes. This is surprising and makes people actually think about the time, but this probably won’t work more than twice. You might also show everyone the overall scope of the day, so they understand that their segment is part of a larger whole, and ask them to pull together to make sure that every speaker gets their promised time.
And if you’re the one speaking, remember: once you start talking, time goes much faster than you think. If you’re giving a prepared presentation, please time yourself. And if you’re speaking informally, remember this motto: “concise is nice.”
