Have you ever attended an event with speakers who spoke too long? Well, I attended one recently. The event was held outside on a beautiful sunny day. The audience stood around listening to each speaker as the sun beamed on them and they grew noticeably impatient. It appeared as though no one set a time limit on speaking. Politicians and others acknowleged their counterparts in the audience, made inside jokes, and provided too many details about the purpose of the event. It should have been obvious to the speakers that people were tired of standing in the sun but instead they selfishly took advantage of the limelight and their gift for gab by extending the program beyond its planned 30 minutes. It became painfully obvious that people were tired of waiting for the conclusion when at least 10 people in close proximity to each other walked away from the event.
As a public speaking educator and practitioner, I hope to file the event tightly into my memory and never fall into the long-winded speaker trap. Even a great speaker can lose favor with an audience when he or she talks too long!
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