The Secret to the 10-Minute (or Less) Keynote
Presentation
February 27, 2017
by Dan Solin
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I recently spoke to a large group of investors at a retirement conference. It was an
all-day event, with many breakout sessions, covering all aspects of investing for
retirement. I was the second of two keynote speakers during the lunch period.
Most keynotes speeches are 30 minutes or more, leaving time for only a few questions. That is the
wrong approach, especially if your goals are to engage the audience, have them remember what you
said and get invited to speak again.
The benefit of brevity
I’ve previously written about the benefit of brevity. It’s easier to be brief in written communications and
videos than when giving a presentation. For me, it’s even more challenging since I have to persuade
the firm sponsoring me of the value when I limit my talk to only 10 minutes. I make it clear that I will
answer questions for as long as there is interest.
At this event, the sponsor scheduled me for a breakout session later in the afternoon when I could
respond to additional questions after the one-hour cut-off for my keynote speech.
Presentation aids
The title of my presentation was “Beware of These Financial Frenemies.” I illustrated it with six slides.
They featured an image and very little text. Here’s one of them:
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At the beginning of my talk, I told the participants it would only last 10 minutes. There was an audible
gasp, followed by spontaneous, enthusiastic applause. I was off to a great start. I selected a volunteer
in the audience and asked him to let me know when my 10 minutes were up.
I used a lavaliere microphone, which freed me from the podium to stand directly in front of audience.
I had worked hard to distill my message into six actionable points. These points were featured on the
slides, so I had no need for notes. I was able to maintain eye contact with the audience and address
them in a conversational, non-scripted way.
After I ran through the slides, I concluded the formal part of my talk. The volunteer later told me I had
only used seven minutes of my allotted time.
Questions will follow
Like all speakers, I dread the part where I ask if there are any questions and am confronted by an
awkward silence. I hedged my bets by planting a few questions in advance.
In this case, my contingent plans were unnecessary. A torrent of questions followed. Here’s what I
found of particular interest: the vast majority of questions covered issues I didn’t anticipate.
This is the primary benefit of the 10-minute talk. Think about the assumptions inherent in the typical
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45-minute to one-hour presentation. You believe you know what’s on the mind of your audience. Why
are you so confident you do?
When you give a 10-minute talk, you know the balance of your time is devoted to responding to
questions that are actually subjects your audience wants you to address. You may find – as I did – that
your assumptions about their concerns were misplaced.
Engaging your audience
There’s another benefit to limiting your presentation to 10 minutes. Studies show that “91 percent of
business professionals admitted to daydreaming during the meetings they attend and 39 percent
confessed to falling asleep…” When members of the audience are talking – rather than passively
listening – they are fully engaged. As a speaker, you can increase energy in the room as the questions
flow.
When I used to give longer presentations, I noted high engagement at the beginning of my talk, which
tapered after 10 minutes or so and continued to decline.
The breakout session
Because I fielded so many questions during my presentation, I thought few, if any, participants would
show up for the breakout session. I was pleasantly surprised to find the room full. I answered
questions for the full hour, and stayed for an additional 45 minutes to speak to audience members
individually.
The last question was from someone who waited until everyone had left. She told me she was too
embarrassed to ask her question in front of others. Here’s her question: “Some of the speakers used
the term ‘equities’ in their presentation. I have no idea what that means. Can you explain it to me?”
Her question illustrates the disconnect between speakers and members of the audience. It’s the best
argument for keeping your formal presentation brief and allowing the audience to dominate the
discussion.
Dan Solin is a New York Times best-selling author of the Smartest series of books. His latest book is
The Smartest Sales Book You'll Ever Read. His sales coaching practice has expanded to include
advisory firms throughout the world. Dan is no longer affiliated with any advisory firm.
Get Dan's investing insights by signing up for his free, weekly newsletter here.
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