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No one has ever
complained that a speech was too short. And at Speechworks, we
advise our clients to limit the length of a pure lecture
to no more than about 20 minutes. That’s because there is much
evidence that listeners’ attention spans drop off after 10 to 15
minutes.
But sometimes, you
have to speak for 45 minutes or longer. If that’s the case, the key
to holding the audience’s attention is to use “change ups” every 10
minutes or so.
By “change ups” we
mean interactive activities like group discussions that reinforce
the point of your message and break up the presentation.
Attention Span
is Limited
There’s been quite
a bit of research into how the audience’s attention span drops off.
Here’s how one study was described on the
National Teaching and Learning forum website.
"In 1976, A. H.
Johnstone and F. Percival observed students in over 90 lectures,
with twelve different lecturers, recording breaks in student
attention. They identified a general pattern: After three to five
minutes of "settling down" at the start of class, one study found
that "the next lapse of attention usually occurred some 10 to 18
minutes later, and as the lecture proceeded the attention span
became shorter and often fell to three or four minutes towards the
end of a standard lecture." Other studies appear to confirm these
findings."
To Revive
Interest, Be Interactive
What does all this
mean for the typical business presenter? You should either stop
talking after 15 minutes or find ways to recapture the lagging
attention. The best way to revive interest is with an interactive
element.
Let’s say that
you’re giving a presentation to the board of directors about a
series of diversity hiring issues. At the end of the first ten
minutes, why not stop the presentation and ask the board for their
input on a controversial issue? Letting them talk and engage on the
issue will reinforce the message and allow their attention to be
revived.
We worked recently
with an insurance agent who was teaching about the loopholes in
certain insurance contracts. To keep the audience’s attention,
we urged her to give the audience sample contract language and let
the audience members try to figure out how to “plug the loophole.”
The interactive
exercise engaged the audience and helped build the relationship.
Even the best
speakers have a tough time holding an audience for more than 20
minutes. So if you want to keep your audience’s attention, either
keep the presentation short, or throw them periodic "change ups".
At Speechworks we
help our clients learn how to communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a great communicator
give us a call at 404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net. |
