I’m often asked, “How long should my presentation be?” I believe the Goldilocks zone is 18 to 20 minutes. If it’s shorter some members of your audience (especially investors, clients and customers) might not feel as though they received enough information. Any longer, however, and you risk losing the attention of your audience. I often use John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech as a guide. If Kennedy could inspire a nation in a speech scripted for 18 minutes, then you should be able to pitch your product or idea in the same amount of time.
Some people might argue, “I have too much to say. I can’t possibly deliver all the information in twenty minutes.” Try to do it anyway. Your presentation will be far more impactful and creative simply by going through the exercise. Matthew May’s new book, The Law of Subtraction, explains the science behind it. According to May, “Creativity thrives under intelligent constraints.” May persuasively argues that by establishing a boundary or limit to the presentation, it provides a focus and a framework for creativity to flourish. “Recent studies offer evidence that, contrary to popular belief, the main event of the imagination—creativity—does not require unrestrained freedom; rather, it relies on limits and obstacles.”
May quotes Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer who also believes in the power of constraint to make products and messages stronger. According to Mayer, “Creativity is often misunderstood. People often think of it in terms of artistic work—unbridled, unguided effort that leads to beautiful effect. If you look deeper, however, you’ll find that some of the most inspiring art forms—haikus, sonatas, religious paintings—are fraught with constraints.”
The rest of the 6 “laws of subtraction” that May reveals go well beyond messages and presentations to demonstrate that in nearly every aspect of business and in our lives, what isn’t there often trumps what is. “When you remove just the right thing in just the right way, something good usually happens,” writes May.
As a communications specialist, I’ve learned that a “constrained” presentation is often more inspiring, creative, and engaging than longer, unbridled presentations that are boring, confusing, and convoluted. I was once asked to give the keynote presentation for sales professionals at a very large travel company. A member of the audience asked me, “What’s the ideal length of time for a presentation to a potential consumer of our product?” Twenty minutes, I replied. If the customer wants to ask you questions for an hour, that’s up to them. But I wouldn’t advise delivering a presentation that’s much longer than twenty minutes or so.” Some people in the audience turned to one another with a slight, knowing smile. I later figured out why they reacted the way they did. The company’s CEO insisted on presentations that lasted an hour-and-a-half. The sales professionals believed that they were actually losing customers because many people left before the presentations were done!
The only person who could get away with 90-minute presentations was Steve Jobs. But as I’ve mentioned in previous articles, Jobs and other Apple executives are very good about breaking up presentations into 10-minute sections—slides followed by videos, demonstrations, etc. Unless you’re introducing a revolutionary product on par with the iPhone, please stick to 20-minutes. Your audience will thank you.
This summer I produced a short video for Forbes.com on the topic of “How to pitch anything in 15 seconds.” Readers emailed me with their revised pitches. Some people said it was the first time they had “clarity” about their brand story. Others reported an immediate increase in sales once they unveiled their new messages. The “15 second pitch” works because of the law of subtraction. In the age of excess, what isn’t there often trumps what is.