Students tell me that their inability to edit material is a
major problem. Often they accumulate enough research material to talk for hours
even though they only have 10 minutes to do their presentation. Cutting this
down for your allotted task is a herculean task, leaving you feeling totally
overwhelmed.
It’s like a dream I sometimes have.
In this dream I go into my office and all of the files are turned upside-down
and emptied out on the floor. I need certain documents quickly, to prepare a
summation for a jury, and I don’t know where anything is. I feel rushed and
helpless. I don’t know where to begin. That’s what it’s like when I have to
prepare a summation or a speech, or any kind of presentation.
-Jason,
Attourney
Almost every presentation has a time limit. Since there are
approximately 150 words to 1 minute of speaking time, once you know how much
time you have for your talk you can keep track of the amount of material you
need by using a word count to limit yourself. This is how you do it.
If you are given 10 minutes to give a presentation, you will
have to prepare fewer than 1500 words, including time for pauses. The
combination of a time limit and word count gives you and approximate word
budget to work with (there area bout 250 words per double space type written
page, given 1-inch margin and a 12 point font).
If this idea seems radically different from your normal
procedure don’t panic. Writing a talk will become as familiar as driving to
work, when you understand the rules. Once students learn how to edit themselves
in terms of minutes and word counts, they are amazed at the beauty and clarity
of their talks. In addition, the time saving factor of using this formula is
considerable.
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