2 Minute Talk Tips

    2-Minute Tip: Restrict Your Practice Time   Two of the biggest sins of public speakers are going overtime and rambling. Both disrespect the audience, When you go 5 minutes over, you're not just taking 5 minutes. You're taking 5 minutes from everyone in the room. If there are 20 people in the room, you've actually taken 100 minutes in total.   To address both these issues, restrict your rehearsal time. That doesn't mean rehearse less. It means that if you have 45 minutes for a talk, practice as though you have only 38-40 minutes. In all likelihood, the audience will take up that extra time reacting to you and asking questions.   If you ramble when you tell a story, time how long that story takes. If it's three minutes, set a practice goal to get it down to 2:45. Practice until you get there, and then set a new goal of 2:30. When you get there, go for 2:15. Then 2:00. It may take you a lot of practice to get there, but by the time you do, you'll have shaved not just a minute, but 1/3 of the ramblin