I’m sitting in the conference room, waiting for my turn to speak. Everyone is focused on the speaker on stage, but my gaze drifts to the moderator, who’s started pacing beside the podium. At first, I don’t think much of it. Moments later, I glance over again, and his pacing has turned more frantic, his body language more agitated. He checks his watch.
At this point, I notice others watching him too. One by one, people are pulling their attention away from the speaker and toward the moderator. A nervous energy settles in—there’s an unspoken tension, like an elephant in the room.
The speaker has clearly gone beyond their allotted time.
A few more minutes go by, and now it seems everyone is aware of the situation. Everyone… except the speaker.
When the speaker finally wraps up, you can almost feel the moderator’s palpable relief.
As a public speaker, going over your time can seriously undermine your credibility.
A common reason is that people who are knowledgeable—those who’ve studied a subject deeply and have plenty to share—often feel compelled to unload everything they know. This explains the bloated slide decks, jam-packed with information, and the tendency to cram too many points into each slide. It’s practically a recipe for running overtime.
Here’s a simple way to avoid this: say more with less. Reduce the number of points you include in your presentation. Ultimately, if someone asks you to articulate the main message or purpose of your talk, you should be able to state it in just a few words—or maybe 10 to 15 seconds. Once you’re clear on the “why,” you can fill your 20, 30, or 40 minutes with just the right amount of material to support that goal.
Not everything you know belongs in the presentation. In fact, by sharing fewer, carefully chosen points and delivering them effectively, you’ll not only make a stronger impact on your audience, but also avoid the awkward moment of being the speaker who makes the moderator panic.