Presentation Length: Does It Really Matter?

Some say that presentation length should be kept to a specific amount of time. Even the government performed a study in the 1970’s that resulted in 17.4 minutes being identified as the ideal timeframe. We find that putting a number to all presentations can be limiting, and that the duration should be determined by the presentation environment and what you are trying to accomplish as a presenter.

Need to pitch an idea in eight minutes? Are you given an hour to deliver a keynote speech? Do you need to quickly convey your information to website visitors? Every situation is different, and one size definitely does not fit all.

Put yourself in your audience’s shoes. Think about how long you would want to listen to yourself discuss the designated topic. Then factor in the medium in which the presentation is being made (i.e. live presentation, webinar, website demo) and tailor your presentation accordingly. 

Know your audience. If they’re well versed in the subject or familiar with your company, spend less time providing background information and get to the crux of your message faster. Customize your content to their knowledge level. For example, if your audience is technologically savvy, save the details for the appendix as supporting information when answering questions. If it’s the reverse situation, you will most likely need to spend more time upfront explaining technical concepts.

Know how much time has been allotted. Be mindful of your audience and never exceed your time limit. Correspondingly, don’t feel like you have to use every minute. People have short attention spans. Be efficient in your delivery and leave time for questions and for unexpected delays.

As a general guideline for sales and investor presentations, prepare for 20 minutes of speaking before Q&A. Webinars usually run 30, 45 or 60 minutes, depending on topic. Leave 10-15 minutes for Q&A.

For longer presentations, break it up every 10-15 minutes with a video or direct audience interaction. Regardless of the actual presentation length, it needs to be engaging.

Another tip is don’t wait until the end to make your point. Don’t risk your audience being tuned out to deliver the main objective of your presentation.

What about unattended presentations?

For unattended presentations, like marketing videos or product demos that are played on your website or at a tradeshow booth, most of our recommendations apply. Understanding your audience, for example, remains a must. You have to use language that is understood while effectively communicating your points. The key difference lies in the fact that this audience hasn’t assigned a designated amount of time to allow you to present your information. Attention spans these days are fleeting and you need to quickly captivate and engage the viewer. In most cases, you have a very short window to get your most compelling and critical information across.

We have found that unattended presentation lengths tend to fall into three categories depending on the purpose of your presentation: up to 40 seconds for a high level message that quickly pique the viewer’s interest; up to 2.5 minutes to provide an overview of your company and its products and services; and, usually up to 5 minutes for in-depth demonstrations or tutorials. These types of presentations are great at moving prospects to the next step- get people to call or complete a form. They don’t have to say everything.