presentation 20 minutes how many words

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How Many Words Are in a 20 Minute Long Speech?

Answer: At the normal speaking rate of 130 words per minute (wpm), a 20 minutes long speech will have about 2,600 words .

Speech and publication coach Daphne Gray-Grant  found that, on average, people speak at a rate of 125 to 150 wpm so a 20 minutes long speech uses between 2,500 to 3,000 words.

You can use our word counter tool to see how long on average your text will take to speak.

How can you measure your spoken words per minute?

To quickly know what your speaking rate is, write a 650-word essay and then get out a stopwatch. Time how long it takes you to speak all of the words in the essay.

Once you’ve finished, divide the word count (650 words) by the number of minutes in decimals (30 seconds = 0.5 minutes) and you’ll get an estimate of your words per minute speaking rate.

For example, if it takes you 4.5 minutes to speak 650 words, you would do 650 divided by 4.5 and get 144 words per minute.

Word Count per Speech Length

To quickly find out how many words a typical speaking length requires, see the table below. You can quickly map word counts to typical speaking rates:

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convert words to time .

How long will it take to read a speech or presentation?

Enter the word count into the tool below (or paste in text) to see how many minutes it will take you to read. Estimates number of minutes based on a slow, average, or fast paced reading speed.

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Reading speed

Common conversions (average speed)

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Do you wonder how long it takes to deliver your speech?

This website helps you convert the number of words into the time it takes to deliver your speech, online and for free. This tool is useful when preparing a speech or a presentation. The number of minutes you will take is dependent on the number of words and your speed of speech, or reading speed.

Note: This calculator provides an indication only.

Enter details below

The overview below provides an indication of the minutes for a speech (based on an average reading speed of 130 words per minute):

• Words in a 1 minute speech 130 words
• Words in a 2 minute speech 260 words
• Words in a 3 minute speech 390 words
• Words in a 4 minute speech 520 words
• Words in a 5 minute speech 650 words
• Words in a 10 minute speech 1300 words
• Words in a 15 minute speech 1950 words
• Words in a 20 minute speech 2600 words
• How long does a 500 word speech take? 3.8 minutes
• How long does a 1000 word speech take? 7.7 minutes
• How long does a 1250 word speech take? 9.6 minutes
• How long does a 1500 word speech take? 11.5 minutes
• How long does a 1750 word speech take? 13.5 minutes
• How long does a 2000 word speech take? 15.4 minutes
• How long does a 2500 word speech take? 19.2 minutes
• How long does a 5000 word speech take? 38.5 minutes

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• How many words per minute in a speech

How many words per minute in a speech?

A quick guide for slow, average and fast rates of speech.

By:  Susan Dugdale  

If you're preparing a speech or presentation with a strict time limit it’s useful to have an estimate of the number of words you’ll need to fit the number of minutes you've been given.

And it's even more useful to have those guidelines before you rush into writing, only to discover when you’re done, you’ve written far too much. Something I used to do on a regular basis! (And then, I had the tedious job of pruning to fit.)

What's on this page:

How many words are there in a 1-minute speech, how many words are there in a 2-minute speech, how many words are there in a 3-minute speech, how many words are there in a 4-minute speech, how many words are there in a 5-minute speech, how many words are there in a 6-minute speech, how many words are there in a 7-minute speech, how many words are there in an 8-minute speech, how many words are there in a 9-minute speech, how many words are there in a 10-minute speech, how many words are there in a 15-minute speech, how many words are there in a 20-minute speech, how many words are there in a 25-minute speech, how many words are there in a 30-minute speech.

• How to calculate your own speech rate: 2 easy methods
• How many pages is a 4, 7 or 20-minute speech?     

About this quick reference guide

The following table (below) shows the average number of words spoken per minute for speeches from 1 to 30 minutes long. It's a quick reference guide: one only intended to provide general information.

Who, and what, is truly average?

An average word count for any timed speech (one minute, two minutes, three, four, five, six...or more, minutes) is impossible to give. As there really is no such thing as an average person, who uses an average rate of words per minute when they speak.

We are individuals: each of us different. Speech patterns and speech (speaking) rates vary considerably between person to person for a great many reasons. The best you’ll ever get is an educated guess.

Use as an estimate: test yourself to be sure

That aside, the following estimates will give you a handy indication of the number of minutes it takes to say x number of words depending on whether you talk at a slow speed, a medium speed or you're one of the world's fast talkers.

(And, no, it's never a good idea to gabble at a mile a minute to fit everything you've prepared into the length of time you've been given!)

To be absolutely sure what you've done will fit the time allocation you've been given it's a good idea to test yourself to establish your own speaking rate or speed of speech .

How many pages is a 'x' minute speech?

Multiple variations on the question how many pages are needed for a speech are frequently asked. For instance:

• How many pages is a 4-minute speech?
• How many pages is a 7-minute speech?
• How many pages is a 20-minute presentation?

Unfortunately, the answer is not simple. Calculating the number of A4 pages of text you need for a speech of any number of minutes long is tricky for two reasons.

How many words are on an A4 page?

The first reason is that the number of words on an A4 page depends on how the page has been formatted. The answers to the questions below make a very big difference to the total number of pages needed to print a speech.

• What is the font family being used? (Different fonts take up differing amounts of space because of the shape/design of their characters.)  
• What is the size of the font? (The font size you're reading right now is 20px.)
• What is the spacing between each of the letters in a word?
• What is the spacing between each line of text? Is it single spacing, 1.5 or double line spacing?
• What spacing has been set for paragraphs?
• What size have the margins of the page been set at?
• Are there headings? Sub-headings or lists?

On average if the font is plain, (sans-serif, without embellishment), like Arial or Verdana, its size is set for 12px, and the line spacing is set for 1.5, then a page may have between 400-500 words on it.

Speech rate changes how we calculate the number of words we need

The second reason why using the number of pages to gauge how long a speech will take to deliver is problematical is because we speak at different rates. 

A 500-word page may take someone speaking at very slow rate 4 minutes to get through.

Another person, who has a much faster speaking rate, may take about 2.5 minutes to deliver exactly the same text.

Using the number of pages as a guide for a speech that has to fit a time limit is completely unreliable.

If you need to use a 'guesstimate' use the speech rate table below. Forget about counting the pages! 

If you are a slow speaker, less than 120 words.

If you speak at an average speed between: 120 - 160 words.

If you are a fast speaker between: 160 - 200 words.

If you are a slow speaker less than 240 words.

If you speak at an average speed between: 240 - 320 words.

If you are a fast speaker between: 320 - 400 words.

If you are a slow speaker less than 360 words.

If you speak at an average speed between: 360 – 480 words.

If you are a fast speaker between: 480 - 600 words.

If you are a slow speaker less than 480 words.

If you speak at an average speed between: 480 – 640 words.

If you are a fast speaker between: 640 - 800 words.

If you are a slow speaker less than 600 words,

If you speak at an average speed between: 600 – 760 words.

If you are a fast speaker between: 760 - 1000 words.

If you are a slow speaker less than 720 words.

If you speak at an average speed between: 720 – 960 words.

If you are a fast speaker between: 960 - 1200 words.

If you are a slow speaker less than 840 words.

If you speak at an average speed between: 840 – 1120 words.

If you are a fast speaker between: 1120 - 1400 words.

If you are a slow speaker less than 960 words.

If you speak at an average speed between: 960 – 1280 words.

If you are a fast speaker between: 1280 - 1600 words.

If you are a slow speaker less than 1080 words.

If you speak at an average speed between: 1080 – 1440 words.

If you are a fast speaker between: 1440 - 1800 words.

If you are a slow speaker a little less than 1200 words.

If you speak at an average speed between: 1200 – 1600 words.

If you are a fast speaker between: 1600 - 2000 words.

If you are a slow speaker, a little less than 1,800 words.

If you speak at an average speed between: 1,800 - 2,400 words.

If you are a fast speaker between: 2,400 - 3,000 words.

If you are a slow speaker, a little less than 2,400 words.

If you speak at an average speed between: 2,400 - 3,200 words.

If you are a fast speaker between: 3,200 - 4,000 words.

If you are a slow speaker, a little less than 3,000 words.

If you speak at an average speed between: 3,000 - 4,000 words.

If you are a fast speaker between: 4,000 - 5,000 words.

If you are a slow speaker, a little less than 3,600 words.

If you speak at an average speed between: 3,600 - 4,800 words.

If you are a fast speaker between: 4,800 - 6,000 words.

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Find out more about speech rate

• How to calculate your own words per minute speech rate - two easy methods
• The factors influencing a faster rate or slower rate of speech
• How to develop an ideal rate of speech : one matching content, speech purpose and your audience: six exercises for flexible speaking rate

Words per minute calculator

Lastly here's the link to a useful online words per minutes calculator . Once you've completed your speech enter the total number of words, and select whether you want it to give you an average for a minute of your speech at a slow rate, average or fast rate. Again, it's a 'guesstimate'. ☺

The only really safe way to find out whether your speech fits your time allocation is to say it aloud at an ideal rate or pace: one taking into account the content, and the audience who is going to listen to it, while timing it.

(Use the record function on your phone. It will assist in lots of other ways too! You'll hear where you need more vocal variety, where your pronunciation is blurred ...and, so on. It's super helpful.)

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Breathtaking 20 Minute Presentations: Write, Design & Deliver 

Hrideep barot.

• Presentation

20 Minute Presentations can change the world, not exaggerating. You have your big idea, the game changing message. All you have to do now is convince and win over your audience. It’s crucial for your presentation to be air tight. You need to REALLY grasp your audience. You cannot afford a single member zoning out when you convey this revolutionary idea. You CANNOT enlist yourself with the crappy presenters of the world. What would you then do? 

Read along to learn how to write, design and deliver breath-taking 20 minute presentations!

How many words/slides makes a 20 Minute Presentation?

A 20 Minute Presentation makes up approximately 2,600 words. In order to keep your content clean and concise, you can estimate up to 10 slides including the title slide. This means each slide gets 2 minutes devoted to it, which is more than enough to make a point. You can play around with the number of slides as long as you finish your presentation within the time constraints.

Writing 20 Minute Presentations

Writing a presentation is an art. You can’t just read it, you need to communicate it. You aren’t just presenting information, you’re crafting an experience. And the best way to provide your audience with an experience is to tell a story. You know what they say: facts bore but stories sell. The most impactful presentations are in fact stories. Before you actually start writing your idea, let’s look at a few guidelines you need to keep in mind in the prewriting stage.

Simplify Your Goal

At this stage, I assume you already have your big idea in mind. Even if it’s not too organised, you vaguely know what you’re trying to convey. All you have to do is define your goal. The best way to do it is to simplify your idea into one sentence.

Albert Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.” Simplification of your big idea is one way you can know whether you have understood the concept. When you’re clear about the goal or the agenda of your presentation, it takes a smoother flow. 

For example, let’s say your vague revolutionary idea is to create sleeves for dresses that can be detached. One plain black dress can have a variety of four sleeves that can be attached to it. Whether it’s a dinner party or a business meeting; one black dress can strike a different vibe to match any occasion. These sleeves could be puffy, netted, long sleeves and even beaded accessories to your shoulders. Your company can also branch out into manufacturing broaches to accessorise your dress. 

If I were to boil this entire idea down to one sentence, my goal would be to produce detachable accessories for your garments so that one piece of clothing can serve many looks and suit multiple occasions. Likewise, what is your goal? What are you trying to sell? What is the bare minimum form of message that you want to communicate through this presentation?

Defining your Success

The defining factor of success in your presentation is what you want your outcome to be. Tailoring your presentation has a different formula depending on what your goal outcome is. Do you want to motivate your audience? Do you want to pitch your idea to investors? Do you want to prove yourself right? When you have decided the metrics of your success, you can start by weaving together a tapestry of content that will help you hit the goal.

In the previous example, your definition of success is that you convinced your investors that your idea has potential in the market. You have foreseen the concept of detachable clothing as the next big thing of the fashion industry. You have gotten shark investors on board and it is time to put this groundbreaking idea into effect. Learn how to Prepare for a TED-Style Talk with us!

Knowing your Audience

You cannot communicate with your audience if you don’t know who your audience is. Knowing your audience doesn’t mean knowing them inside-out personally. Just keep in mind what kind of things as a group of people would they find interesting. 

For example, World War 2 is a rather heavy topic to explain. It carried on for years with multiple causes, events and consequences. A YouTube Channel called Oversimplified decided to break it down into a very simple humorous story for its audience. 

The creator understood their audience. World Wars are essential chapters in all our history books. They’re gruesome, complicated, and theoretical. But everybody is expected to know what they are because they have majorly contributed to the shape of their current reality. The creator therefore decided to narrate it in layman’s language (the goal). The presentation reached a wide audience and the understanding was made easier with the excellent humorous storytelling (the success). It has so far received 72 million views making it appealing and helpful for a significant fraction of the world’s population.

The Narrative

Nobody wants to hear a long academic paper being read out without any gripping element. Nobody is interested in the complexity of your presentation. Simplifying your presentation doesn’t only mean presenting cold, hard facts. It means tapping into the emotional bucket and focusing only on your goal. 

Everybody loves a good story. Whether it is how you defeated all odds of a poverty-stricken childhood and emerged a superstar, or how you came up with a company called Apple. Allow your presentation to connect with your audience emotionally. Flatter them, humour them, inspire them and stimulate them mentally. Check out our guide on how you can become a better storyteller!

Ruthless Editing 

“Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify, simplify!”   -Sir Henry David Thoreau

Think about your audience. Think about all the information that they have to grasp. You can’t use “The architecture has been ignited with flames” when you mean “The building is on fire.” It’s a writer’s power to write intelligent literature. But it’s also a writer’s responsibility to make it understandable for their readers. 

The written word is not the same as the spoken word. While converting your writing into a presentation, you need to be a ruthless editor. Here’s the rule book of a ruthless editor:

• Your goal is clarity, simplicity and elegance.
• Use short sentences.
• Get rid of normatives.
• Never use “emolument” when you mean “tip”
• No passive voice.
• Don’t lose the essence of your story. 
• Scrap all unnecessary words and phrases.
• Building a narrative and beating around the bush are two very different things.
• Prepare a bare minimum account. The bare minimum account is the information that you absolutely cannot afford to cut out under any circumstances.
•  Use bullets whenever you can.
• Share a handout with further details if you need to.
• One liners are your best friends.
• Base your content on visuals. A single picture speaks a thousand words. 
• Write conversational lines. Interact with your audience.
• Segregate your information using “Hell yes!” or “No.” Do you need it? If the answer is “Maybe” or a hesitant yes, then remove it. You’re either absolutely sure or you’re not. 

The Rule of Thumb

The most unfortunate conference incidents would be when the first speaker talks for 30 long minutes but the second speaker can only speak for 2 minutes because the time is up. As a speaker, never ever ever let that happen. It is your responsibility to wrap up your presentation within the given time.

20 minute presentations are 9-10 pagels long. A pagel is one side of a paper. This is a regular letter sized paper with regular margins and double spacing. It adds up to around 2600 words. 

When you write your presentation, try not exceeding 2000 words just in case you need time for a question-answer round. The corporate world also has a popular 10-20-30 rule. It’s not hard and fast to apply it. The creative freedom is all yours! However, if you’re looking for a guideline: here you go.

The 10-20-30 Rule 

The 10-20-30 Rule means: 10 Presentation Slides that run for 20 minutes and have font size no less than 30 points. According to this calculation, you can have 2 minutes to each slide. 

Guy Kawasaki introduced and proved this formula as most effective for an average presenter. The logic behind this is that an average audience cannot gauge more than 10 slides worth of ideas and information in one go. Limiting yourself to 10 slides will also motivate you to keep your information compact. When your font size can’t be less than 30, you have to pick and choose your words wisely too. A brief explanation of these ideas will then add up to 20 minutes.  

Drawing an idea inside a box with instructions is easier than having a blank space staring at you. Some artists may find solace in being in control of their structure. But there’s nothing wrong with borrowing Kawasaki’s structure. 

Organising the Content

After you have filtered out all your content, it’s time to organise. You can organise it in so many ways! The best organisation comes from adding visual elements. You must remember: show, don’t tell. Let’s look at some examples of organising chunks of content. 

Raw Information: From the area’s lowest point on the Karakash River at about 14,000 feet (4,300 m) to the glaciated peaks up to 22,500 feet (6,900 m) above sea level, Aksai Chin is a desolate, largely uninhabited area. It covers an area of about 37,244 square kilometres (14,380 sq mi).

Organised Information:

( Source ) 

The organised information in the above example is much more systematic than the first paragraph. You can employ so many such tools to present chunks of data methodically. You can use:

Anything that suits your content best. Remember, the content on your presentation slides is merely a reference piece. Your audience is there to listen to you. If they wanted to read the powerpoint presentation, you could have just emailed it to them. 

Designing 20 Minute Presentations

The modern day presentations take away the burden of vividly descriptive words to communicate. They have equipped you, or rather blessed you with the feature of visual storytelling. You can now only tell but also show your big idea. The new powerful visual storytelling tool has impacted the way you can write your presentation. You have so many possibilities now! 

The human eye is always attracted to aesthetically pleasing visuals. Despite this inbuilt urge to look for patterns, alignment, symmetry and beauty, very few can actually produce it. It is a TASK for a non-designer to make sure their presentations are visually engaging. While you can hire a professional to help you with design, here are some basic rules of designing presentations.

Why your Presentations Look Crappy 

Microsoft’s PowerPoint Presentation and MacBook’s KeyNote templates are overrated. There you go, I said it. Every newbie will pick out the default, pre-made themes and call it a day. Which is perhaps why their presentations look boring. They have not put in the effort!

What makes a theme? Even when you notice the pre-cooked themes for you, the one thing they have in common is their similarity. Each theme has a common colour palette, font family and elements. This means, you can design your OWN theme too! 

Don’t worry if you feel you lack the aesthetic sense to pick it all out on your own. Here’s a step by step tutorial on how to design your theme. 

Colour Palette

You can look for colour palettes on websites like Color Hunt or Coolors . You will find a variety of colour palettes. Browse through them with leisure and decide on one. Picking the all-time-favourites will never go wrong.  

Now that you have a colour palette, pick out fonts. While typography is a whole subject on its own, Canva provides an insight on How to Put the Best Fonts Together. You can skim through and understand as much as you can.  It’s essential to not use more than 2 fonts in your presentation. Trust me, the more is not the merrier this time.

Elements refer to objects or highlights to your presentation slides. Elements are a highly design-centred concept but generic ones won’t go wrong. You can have binding elements like:

• Writing all your titles in a white box with a black borders.
• Adding labels and stickers at the bottom.
• Writing page numbers in a star.
• Doodle PNG’s. 
• Colourful bands at the bottom.
• Same borders on all slides.

There are so many possibilities! Go through Pinterest to find ideas. You can even ditch the element part and just play around with colours. If you’re not in the mood of designing from scratch, you can pick templates from

• www.slidescarnival.com
• www.24slides.com  
• www.slidesgo.com
• www.googleslidestheme.com  
• www.slidemembers.com  
• www.plantillaspower-point.com  

Your Information

You are not giving a document. You are giving a presentation. Do not, I repeat: DO NOT vomit every single bit of your information on your slides. You can ramble all you want while speaking, but the reading material should be bare minimum. 

Your audience cannot multitask. They will either listen to you or read your slides. If there’s an entire Wikipedia page copy pasted on your presentation, the audience will definitely roll their eyes and fall asleep. They won’t even bother listening to you. Remember, what you choose to put on the slides also determines whether you have hooked your audience into listening. 

If your slides contain three vague yet understandable pointers, the audience can quickly skim over it and then wait for you to elaborate. You have then also caught their interest. On the other hand, if you put everything you’re going to speak on your slides, the audience will just help themselves and ignore you completely. 

Tips and Tricks

• Keep One Main Point Per Slide: For example, you’re enlisting the properties of your new automobile. Write your first exotic feature on one slide, then elaborate it in speech. After that move to the next slide to your next feature. Do not use bullets here to write down all your features on the same slide. You will take away the mystery of it. 
• Be Same Page With the Audience: As an add on to the previous point, you need to keep the audience on the same page as you. This will let you have command over them. If you have too much content on one page, one portion of the audience will be lingering on the third point and another on the fourth. Whereas, you will still be explaining the first point. This is going to be chaotic and gateways to miscommunication. 
• Terms and Conditions Sheet: Remember, you’re not dealing with paralegals who will read the fine text. Even if you are, there’s plenty of important fine print to read for them. Do not make your slides look like a terms and conditions sheet. Be generous with your font size, consider the last possible row. PPT’s are like highway hoardings, and you can’t have small fonts and illegible text on the highway hoardings can you?

Your Visuals

Presentations are multimedia tools. You need not just add text. They are your opportunities to communicate visually. Your visuals begin with a jaw-dropping opening slide. The title of your presentation is what grabs 70% of the audience’s interest. It sets the “first impression” and communicates a lot more than you think. Learn how to Design Strong Opening Slides for your Presentation!

Good images in your presentations take away 50% of the “boring.” Your audience only has to look, saving them a lot of hard work. They add on to your aesthetics too. Although good images are seldom free of cost. Be generous, the photographer has worked hard to make your presentations stunning. You can buy royalty free images on www.istockphoto.com or www.compfight.com . 

A good collection of visuals absolutely does not include Microsoft clipart or cheesy corporate stock photos. Avoid using the cliche corporate art style of exaggerated bubbly features and plain solid colours. If you want to connect with your audience, give your presentation a little bit of personality. Your images and visuals hold the power to make your presentations astronomically engaging. Even funny for that matter!

White Space

Maximalism in Powerpoint Presentation is more often than not, a very bad idea. It connects to the point of not adding a disgusting amount of text on your slides. Embrace white space and empty brackets. Even not filling up the entire slide can convey a message. 

For example, imagine a presentation slide with a single Apple in the centre and nothing around it. No text, no context, no subtitle- nothing. Wouldn’t it pique your interest? You can be as cryptic as you can with your presentations as long as you’re answering your questions one way or another. To answer your question, that slide would be a funny way to introduce the audience to your presentation “How Apple got its name.”

Jesseedee and Scott Hoag on www.slideshare.com explain the principles of design in a very demonstrative fashion. If you want more tips on Designing a Presentation , Mistakes While Designing a Presentation and Slide Design Made Easy , be sure to check their work out! 

Delivering 20 Minute Presentations

ALRIGHT THEN, you have completed the pre-production and production stage of your presentation. Your presentation has been cleverly written. You have also put in long hours to make it look fancy and appealing. It’s now time to tie it all together by crafting a standing ovation worthy performance!

If you were to follow the 10-20-30 rule, each slide could be given a total of 2 minutes. This would never imply speaking so fast, nobody understands a thing you’re saying.

Start your presentation with an introduction. Introduce yourself and your topic. After that you slowly address all the points you had planned in a way that’s connected naturally. It’s one big monologue that sounds like a thought process. The smoother the flow of your content, the better are your engagement chances. You can check out our Ultimate Guide to Opening Remarks.  

Rehearsing for a speech can be stressful. The following are a few DO’s and DON’Ts for preparing for your great presentation. 

Rehearsing Your 20 Minute Presentations

You can read our blog post about 13 Tips for Rehearsing a Presentation for a clearer insight into delivery of your presentation.

In short, you can go over the following steps:

• Take presentation notes.
• Understand and accustom yourself to the material.
• Rehearse with your slides alongside.
• Time your presentation.
• Read your material and pointers out loud.
• Rehearse in front of the mirror.
• Record yourself speaking.
• Tape yourself on your phone camera. 
• Present before a single person and take their recommendations. 
• Present before a group of people.
• Rehearse presentation without your PPT. 
• Go to the location where you’ll be presenting.
• Give yourself a PEP talk!

In conclusion,

A 20 minute presentation needs days and days of writing, designing and rehearsal. The more you present, the better you get at presenting. Remember, everything is a learnable skill. Channelise all that you have got into making your 20 minute presentation as revolutionary as possible. Good luck and more power to you!

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How to prepare a 20-minute ted-like talk.

More and more the call is for short speeches.  Of course, the popularity of TED and TEDx talks is one cause, but the impatience of the times is another, along with our shrinking attention spans and all the other distractions competing for our mindshare.  Keynote speeches, which used to be 90 minutes, are now 60, and our clients regularly report that they are often asked to give a 20- or 30-minute version of their keynote speech – and sometimes on the fly.

So you’d better have a short version of your talk ready to go, along with that splendid, full-bore, detailed, 60-minute masterpiece.  How do you shrink what you have to say into a 20-minute miniature version of itself?

The secret to saying something memorable in 20 minutes is to resist the urge to say too much.  Changing lives in 20 minutes takes focus.  And that’s something that most people have a hard time doing.  In 20 minutes, you can say roughly 2500 words, give or take, and that’s not very many if you’ve set yourself the task of changing the world.  So you’ve got to narrow the field, resist the urge to say it all, and pick your details judiciously.

A good 20-minute talk presents one idea, tells one story, and asks one question. 

Begin by choosing one idea.   Try to make it an idea that has universal interest, but where your specific expertise can usefully be applied.  Then, narrow it down and focus it until you can sum it up easily in an elevator pitch of a few sentences:

As a neuranatomist, I study the difference between normal brains and the brains of the mentally ill.  One morning, I suffered a stroke, and experienced a mental disorder of my own. I was fascinated to learn from the experience.  Here’s what I learned while I was dying, especially about the differences between the right and left hemisphere’s experiences of reality. 

That, roughly speaking, is what Jill Bolte Taylor might use as a guideline for preparing her TED masterpiece on her “stroke of insight.”  It’s one idea, her expertise is highly relevant, it’s focused and it’s inherently interesting.

Next, pick one story to go with the one idea.   Make it a story only you can tell.  And make it a story with a point, or lesson.  In the Taylor example, her story focuses on the drama surrounding the moment of the stroke, and what follows from that.  The insight Taylor brings to bear on her stroke lets her tell the story in a way no one else can.  The lesson she derives from the story is all about learning to live, especially in that right-brain, non-judgmental world of affirmation, and in the end it’s her affirmation in the face of such a harrowing life-event that makes her perspective powerful and unique.

Note that your story doesn’t have to be as dramatic or life-threatening as a stroke, but of course it doesn’t hurt.  The further down you are on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the more viscerally you will grab your audience.  The safety level is the best place to be, but don’t fake it.  If your speech is not about life and death, don’t distort it to try to make it so.  Just tell it in the way that only you can.

Finally, ask one question.   A good talk poses a question, for which it has an answer that might be sketched quickly at the beginning of the talk, but for which the talk itself is the fuller answer.  Don’t be afraid to make it a big question.  In Taylor’s case, the question she asks is “Who are we?” – plenty big – and the answer is that we are boundless beings that channel and embrace the energy of the universe – but that have the physical body to do something with that energy.

Audiences always start out asking why – why should I care, why is this talk important, why should I listen – and it’s good to give a provisional, brief answer at the top of the talk, so that the audience relaxes and listens to the whole talk as the fuller answer.   Taylor cheats a little on this one, opening with the statement that she studies the brain because her brother suffers from mental illness.  So she studies the differences between brains like hers that allow her to dream her dreams and yet bring them into reality, whereas her brother’s dreams never become reality.  That does answer the question why, but her speech is not really about normal v mentally ill brains.  Rather, it’s about the universal and differing experiences of reality offered up by the left and right brains.

But by the time we get to the end of the speech, most of us have forgotten that entry point, so compelling is her story.

One idea, one story, one question.  That’s  how you focus your thoughts to produce a coherent, potentially powerful 20-minute speech.

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About the author: nick morgan.

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35 Comments

A good 20-minute talk presents one idea, tells one story, and asks one question – that’s a great piece of advice. I have always found that it takes much longer to prepare and write a short speech than longer. The art and skill is knowing what to include, what to leave out and how best to structure the key points. I also think your point above, (The further down you are on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the more viscerally you will grab your audience.) is really helpful in learning how to significantly engage the emotional level of the audience. Pathos Is such a powerful tool in making our speeches stand out. Thanks for the reminder.

Thanks, Peter, for the comment and point about pathos — it is also a good reminder! If we don’t touch the emotions of our audience, we don’t touch them at all.

Hi Nick, This is such a helpful post. I’m just in the midst of transforming my 45 minute talk into a 20-minute version. I understood the idea about getting down to the most essential content, but the “one idea, one story, one question” is so valuable. Putting my thinking hat back on, but feeling very focused! Thanks.

Hi, Liane — great to hear from you and glad it was helpful! Break a leg….

Thanks, Liane — when you focus, the results are always amazing!

Nick – I’m a bit late coming to this. Nontheless – This is particularly helpful. Brilliant! I’m using it right now for an informal talk I have to give. I’ve been asked to “share my wisdom” with a group of people at a dinner gathering and have been trying to determine 1) if I have any and 2) how best to impart what I’ve learned in a brief and pithy way that can be useful to others. Thanks!

Ruth, you do have wisdom to share, as anyone who knows you will attest, so good luck with the process!

Ruth Mott. Loved your post – “1) If I have any…” I think you make a great life coach.

Here`s a thing. Who coaches the coach? Best of luck.

liane, I loved your post too – it was succinct.

I have an hour to an hour and a half talk to give in 20 mins on. . . .Global Warming.

Thank you for this. Very helpful. While I am a presentation trainer, training people every day on presentations and public speaking, it is good to be reminded of the basics. I need to give two big talks in the next few weeks and will use this process. Completely agree about the use of pathos. The greater the emotional buy-in the more powerful the talk. And that is often the hardest part of a talk to get right.

Hi, just stumbled upon this link! Very informative. I have been asked to share my story to grade 5-6’s about being vision impaired. I have spoken to adults before, but how would you approach talking to kids for 20-30 minutes?!

Hi, Nessa — glad you found the post helpful. For kids, involve them, keep it action-oriented, and pick one point and stick to it.

One powerful tool with kids (and adults if done really well) is repetition of the key aspects of a story from different perspectives…

Eg (crap simple draft version…) I was on my way to work when realised that I had forgotten my keys. No keys. Uh, oh… What will I do… When I got to work I said to my boss “I was on my here and do you know what? I forgot my keys. I don’t know what I going to do. Then I asked my friend “I found out that I don’t have my keys. I don’t know what I am going to do” etc… builds up the excitement bit by bit, and all the kids start to see the pattern… kids love the sense that they know what is going to come up… and then the surprise when something changes…

(this comes from years of practice with my 7 year old daughter, no guarantee that it will still work when she is 8 or 12 or 16…)

Love this, Conor — great tip, and thanks!

Hi Nick! I’m a big fan of your writing and ideas – they are thoughtful and grounded and I share them often! I just ran across this particular post, which jumped out because I too just wrote something about the awesome Jill Bolte Taylor talk! Thought you might get a kick out of it: http://www.thismovedme.com/talk-review-jill-bolte-taylor-my-stroke-of-insight/ Thanks again for your work!

Thanks, Sally — I appreciate you continuing the conversation!

Hello, I am a beginning professional motivational speaker and I just have to say thanks. This post was definately a confidence booster for my 1st speech tomorrow.

Thanks, and good luck, Keith.

I found this page on google. Such a brilliant article. I’m preparing a TED like speech for freshmen at the faculty of Engineering. As a guest speaker and alumni, I want to draw their attention, share my experience, and leave them aome thought. Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us.

Thanks, Chayathorn, and good luck.

I really appreciate this advice, Nick. I am speaking soon about stuttering, a subject about which I am passionate. I was so tempted to try and fit ‘everything’ in but I will focus on how my personal (and hopefully powerful) story can encapsulate the main issues and on communicating my main argument. Thank you.

Katy, thanks for your comment and good luck!

sweet advice bruv

Thanks, Ryan.

I have found that most talks lasting under 45-60 minutes are a total waste of time to attend. With severely linited time, speakers are unable to present their hypothesis and the underlying subject matter properly. They resort to platitudes and uninformative statements that cannot be followed up and verified.

Of course I am referring to proper academic presentations of serious topics. It seems though that most talks nowadays focus on deathly boring, human-(non)-interest anecdotal drivel about the speaker’s personal experience, which has no scientific value whatsoever. I avoid that sort of crap like the plague anyway.

Thanks for your comment, Ammut. I wish you the best of luck in finding talks that fit your description of what’s worthwhile. They are increasingly rare.

This was c00L m8 XD

Ha – very useful. Ive just been asked to convert a 13,500 word first chapter of a book about Laozi (written by a Chinese academic that I proofread the English for) into a 30 minute speech. WTF? Anyhoo I found these 3 ideas skimmed the chapter and BOOM there was the outline of the speech I have to write. Check how many words 30 minutes is on Google – Aiming for 2500 and within 30 minutes the speech is on its first draft. Thanks so much.

Thanks for the comment, and good luck with the speech.

This was a wonderful “focus” lesson to help me better prepare my thinking. I am working on writing a proposal that would encompass a 90 minute period to a group of educators. What are your thoughts as to doing 3 of these “mini” 20 minute sessions into 1 – 90 minute period? It would be like having 3 mini TED Talks with time for questions at the end and/or time for participants to practice what I am presenting. I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks in advance.

Hi, Mary — breaking up a 90-minute session into 3 20-minute sessions, with interactive time in between is an excellent idea. When in doubt, get the audience to work with you!

[…] At the start of this post, I said many speaking professionals advise you to use emotion. Here’s another example of that – speaker-coach Nick Morgan puts it this way: […]

Really great post and what a speech! I need to give a 20-minute speech for Toastmasters and am struggling with finding something to talk about for 20 minutes! Whereas you talk about cutting an hour speech down to 20 mins. I’m looking at it from the opposite direction where we normally give 7 minute speeches and I need to come up with 3 of them! I agree that there needs to be a single central theme to bring it all together and Dr Jill’s speech certainly is a great example of doing that. Thank you for sharing this great info and story. Very helpful.

Thanks, Joe — interesting perspective for me, given that the people I work with are almost always trying to find a way to fit their message into a shorter time-frame. The trend over my working life has been from 90-minute keynotes when I started my business in the Dot Com boom, to 60-minute to 45-minute, and now (thanks to TED) often a 20- minute version. Can 7-minute keynotes be far behind?

I have typed my talk, but am uncertain whether to memorize it, read it (with looking up, gesturing, etc.), or something in between. What do most good speakers do?

Most people do best by knowing the structure and flow of the speech well, so that they can speak without notes, but not memorizing every word. The danger there is that a memorized speech can sound sing-song. Ideally, it should sound conversational, but you should know (unlike a conversation) where you are at every moment.

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Table of Contents

The 20-minute presentation checklist.

If you’ve been given only 20 minutes, 10 minutes, or even 5 minutes to make your point, you don’t need to jam everything you ever learned into that precious time.  It won’t make you look smarter. Let’s take a look at what’s possible.  Below are three TED Talks that I find to be amazing examples of short presentations.

How many slides should be in a 20 minute presentation?

There is a lot of advice about slides and it usually starts with a rule about what you should or shouldn’t do. My experience tells me that people often rely too heavily on slides. Don’t think of your slides as your content.

20-minute Presentation Example

Take a look at this example from a compelling presentation by Jane McGonigal titled The Game That Can Give You 10 Extra Years Of Life .

Did Jane make her point? Just like in her presentation, you should think about your slides as your co-facilitator.

In 2018 ATD published my thoughts on this in a booklet called PowerPoint: Your Co-Facilitator . When you design your slides, ask yourself how many times you want your audience looking at the slides and not listening to you? Years ago, my company, Endurance Learning , worked with a manufacturing company and reduced their slide deck from hundreds to 13 for a day and a half training session. This training program continued to be successfully implemented for years with 13 slides. The number isn’t as important as what work the slides do for you.

How many slides should you have in a 10 minute presentation?

Shorter presentations come with new challenges. In a 10 minute presentation, you should be very careful. Conventional wisdom would say that you can have roughly 5 slides at 2 minutes each. Just like when you had to edit your essay down from 3 pages to 1, a shorter presentation will challenge you to only show the slides that matter. Even the slightest change of pace or adjustment to your talking points could have you leaving slides on the proverbial cutting room floor.

10-minute Presentation Example

Take a look at this compelling presentation by Marla Spivak: Why Bees Are Disappearing.

How many slides should you have in a 5 minute presentation?

Now we’re talking! You may have gotten the sense above that the rules aren’t as important as why you’re using the slides. When you get to a 5 minute presentation (and maybe even on the 20 and 10 minute presentations), you should ask yourself why you are using slides.

5-minute Presentation Example

How important are slides in this 5-minute presentation by William Kamkwamba titled How I Harnessed The Wind ?

There are, of course, examples where you can take a short presentation with rapid-fire slides. I talked about Pecha Kucha before and showed how you can make it incredibly fun and engaging. That said, Pecha Kucha is a very specific format that is often used at events where a group of people are presenting in this format. For your 5 minute presentation, think about what you want to achieve and ask yourself if slides will be a critical part of supporting that message.

Designing Slides for Short Presentations

How can you emulate great short presentations the next time you’re asked to make a short presentation – in a staff meeting or in a public symposium?  Try incorporating the following elements:

• Give Your Presentation a Compelling Title : Who doesn’t want to know more just by reading the title?
• Find a Hook : Within the first minute, there’s a reason for me to pay attention – whether it’s looking at photos of an empty grocery store or how I can increase my lifespan. There’s something in these presentations for me .
• Remove Physical Barrier and Crutches : There’s no podium between the speaker and the audience. The speaker just feels more accessible.
• Focus on Making Attractive Visual Aids : Though PowerPoint is used, there’s not a single template. There are no bullet points. The slides have vivid, dramatic images and few words. Even statistics and scientific evidence is easy to digest. If you want to learn more consider checking out the podcast with Connie Malamed about visual design . In it she says, “When the visual design is poor, when there’s a lot of extraneous information, when things aren’t aligned, when it’s sloppy, it detracts from the learning. It makes it harder for people to visually process the screen or the slide in terms of e-learning and in terms of job aids or manuals, books, it’s the same story.”
• Encourage Active Listening : The Jane McGonigal presentation especially uses this strategy by giving the audience an assignment at the beginning (“I want you to think about how you’ll spend your extra minutes and hours of life”). She also intersperses questions throughout, inviting the audience to think for a moment before she proceeds. You should also check out the discussion with Melissa Marshall about creating engaging technical presentations . In it, she says that “… the concept of being a tour guide for the slide is even more important than it’s ever been, which is to very methodically walk people through what they should be noticing, what’s important about it.”
• Provide Concrete, Real-life Examples : We could have been exposed to the numbers of people without power in Malawi or mind-numbing charts on the science behind gaming, but the presenters instead chose to share stories and make an emotional connection. Since we live in the real world (and not in theory or in books), presentations are more gripping when they’re about what we do and how the numbers or the theories actually impact us.
• Share Your Passion : Each presenter shared their passion through their obvious preparation, their voice intonations and they allowed their personalities to show. They’re not just smart, but they care about both their topic and their audience.
• Tie It All Together : The speakers didn’t simply end by saying “thank you.” Their thank-you to the audience came in the form of a brief summary, wrap-up and call to action.

The next time you have a chance to present, don’t just do what’s easy. Use some of these tips and deliver a meaningful presentation!

What inspiration have you gotten from TED talks? Have you used this formula to sharpen your 20-minute, 10-minute or 5-minute presentation?

Brian Washburn

Brian has over 25 years of experience in Learning & Development including the last 7 as CEO of Endurance Learning.

Brian is always available to chat about learning & development and to talk about whether Endurance Learning can be your training team’s “extra set of hands”.

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How Many Words Should Be in My Speech? (Based on Number of Minutes)

Crafting a speech? Typically, individuals speak at 125-200 words per minute. For instance, a 5-minute speech is about 625-1000 words. Keep this pace in mind to tailor your speech’s length to your time limit. Familiarity and nerves can also influence speed.

You can use our handy guide to find out how many words should be in your speech, based on the number of minutes you have to speak. We will also discuss the ideal word count for different lengths of speeches. Let’s get started!

At a Glance:

• Average speaking rate is 125-200 words per minute.
• Word count for a 5-minute speech is typically 625-1000 words.
• Speaking speed varies based on personal style, familiarity, and nerves.
• Several factors influence the ideal word count for a given speech duration.
• Regular rehearsal ensures effective speech delivery.

Speech Duration vs. Word Count

Estimating speaking time for a manuscript, factors affecting the word count in your timed speech, number of words based on the number of minutes.

The average person speaks at a rate of about 125 to 200 words per minute, but this can vary depending on your natural speaking style and the context of your speech. Other factors like how well you know your material and how nervous you are can also affect your speaking rate.

When it comes to speeches, many people worry about how many words they should use per minute. The truth is, there is no specific number. However, knowing the average word count for different speech lengths can help you plan and pace your words more effectively.

Here is a breakdown of the average word counts for speeches of different lengths.

To simplify things, let’s look at word counts for standard time intervals:

1-minute speech: 125 – 200 words 5-minute speech: 625 – 1000 words 10-minute speech: 1250 – 2000 words 15-minute speech: 1875 – 3000 words 20-minute speech: 2500 – 4000 words 30-minute speech: 3750 – 6000 words 45-minute speech: 5625 – 9000 words 60-minute (or 1-hour) speech: 7500 – 12000 words

For intermediate minutes, you can use the average rate of 125-200 wpm to estimate.

If you have a written speech or manuscript, you might be curious about its duration when spoken.

Here’s a quick guide based on word counts:

100 words: About 0.5 to 0.8 minutes 200 words: About 1 to 1.6 minutes 250 words: About 1.25 to 2 minutes 500 words: About 2.5 to 4 minutes (And so on, using the average speaking rate of 125-200 wpm.)

Several factors can impact how many words your speech should ideally have for a given time frame. Understanding these variables can help you deliver a presentation that’s both engaging and perfectly timed. Here’s a breakdown of these influential factors:

• Natural Speaking Rate: Every individual possesses a unique speaking pace. Some naturally express thoughts swiftly, clocking in around 200 words per minute or even faster. In contrast, others may speak more deliberately, averaging around 125 words per minute. This inherent rhythm greatly influences the word count of a speech for a given time frame.
• Audience Demographic: Your audience’s age, background, and familiarity with the topic can dictate the speed at which you should present. For example, a technical presentation for industry experts might proceed faster than one for novices, even if the word count remains consistent.

• Topic Complexity: More intricate or challenging subjects demand a slower pace to ensure comprehension. In such cases, even if the speech’s duration is lengthy, the word count might be on the lower side to accommodate pauses and explanations.
• Use of Visual Aids: Incorporating slides, charts, or videos can mean fewer words spoken. Visual elements often require pauses, allowing the audience to process the information visually rather than just auditorily.
• Nervousness: Unsurprisingly, nervousness can speed up one’s delivery. A speaker might rush through their material when anxious, resulting in a higher word count in a shorter time frame.

Crafting a speech that’s both engaging and appropriately timed is an art. While the word count provides a framework, considering the factors above ensures your speech is not just well-timed, but also effective. As you prepare, always prioritize clarity, engagement, and resonance with your audience over sticking rigidly to word counts.

It’s important to know how many words your speech should be so that you can plan and structure it accordingly. We hope this guide will help you determine the number of minutes your speech should be based on the number of words. Keep in mind that this is just a general guideline, and you may need more or less time depending on your content.

So use this as a starting point, and then adjust as needed. And most importantly, practice, practice, practice! The more you run through your speech beforehand, the smoother it will go when you’re up in front of an audience. Thanks for reading!

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Your complete guide to writing a better speech

Reading time:  Just over 6 minutes

Here is everything I know about how to write a better speech and some detailed thoughts on how to deliver a better one as well….

I love TED talks,  and perhaps you do as well, but be aware of the significant problem they’ve created in our society. Everyone now expects  all  public speakers to be as charming, interesting, funny and breathtakingly articulate.  Ken Robinson ,   Elizabeth Gilbert   and  Susan Cain  have set a mighty high bar for the rest of us to try to clear.

I run lots of workshops  and I try to make them engaging and informative but I don’t consider myself the  ne plus ultra  of public speakers. Still, I have written many speeches for industry leaders and CEOs. I’m also a debate coach at my local high school and spend two hours each week helping grade 8 to 12 students become more comfortable with speaking — arguing, really — in public. So here is my comprehensive guide on how to write and deliver a better speech or presentation:

10 ways to write a better speech

1-Learn your time limit and calculate your word count.  The average person speaks at somewhere between 125 and 150 words per minute. It’s almost always better to speak more slowly than too quickly. Thus, if you’re speaking for 20 minutes, you want a total word count of somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 words. Be careful! I once got the math wrong and saddled a good friend with a 48-minute speech when he was trying for 30. Yikes!

2-Once you have experience as a speaker,  work hard to avoid word-for-word speeches unless you have a teleprompter. Your delivery will be more interesting and more natural if you speak from notes or an outline rather than a script. Memorize an introduction if you like, to help get yourself going but use just notes for the rest. Yes, your speech may not be “perfect.” But having a few mistakes is okay if they help you improve your delivery. Your ability to be interesting and to engage with the audience will make up for any small lapses.

3-No matter how long the speech, always divide it into five parts:   an introduction, point 1, point 2, point 3 and a conclusion. Or, in other words, tell people what you’re  going  to tell them, tell them what you  want to say  and then wrap up by telling them  what you just said.  This format is adaptable to a speech of just about any length but I’d divide a 20-minute speech as follows:

Introduction: 2 minutes (250 words)

Point 1: 5 minutes (625 words)

Point 2: 5 minutes (625 words)

Point 3: 5 minutes (625 words)

Conclusion: 3 minutes (375 words)

Total word count: 2,500 words (20 minutes)

If you’re thin on ideas for the three points, consider using a  mindmap  to help you. Mindmapping is the best way for you to make your speech more interesting, more personal and more coherent.

4-Shower your audience with  stories  rather than drown them in facts.  If you have a story (anecdote or example) to illustrate each of your three points, so much the better. Stories are “sticky” — that is, people remember them. I once interviewed a CEO for whom I’d been hired to write a speech. The man was utterly  bereft  of stories. I was at my wit’s end until I decided that I’d have to lard his speech with some stories of my own that I could carefully repurpose to make them sound as though they’d come from him. Don’t tell me that business people don’t want to hear stories. Of course they do! Have you ever listened to  Warren Buffett   speak? Or  Bill Gates ?  Or  Josh Linkner ?  Stories are the spoonful of sugar that make the medicine (facts) go down. Think about the worst speech you’ve ever heard in your life. Now, reflect on the best. I can guarantee that the former was filled with facts and the latter with stories. Human beings are hardwired to appreciate stories and the sooner you stop fighting that fact, the sooner you’ll be able to write a memorable speech

5-Have a purpose but make it a modest one.  Don’t expect your audience to be able to walk away reciting your 10-point corporate plan. Instead, express the  single  key message of your speech — the one important thing you want your audience to be able to remember, for sure — as a single sentence. Write it on a piece of paper and stick it to your bulletin board so you can see it as you’re writing your speech. Keep this purpose at the top of your mind at all times.

6-Understand that repetition is mandatory  because speaking is analogue, not digital. People don’t listen to speeches in the same way they read books. You talk, your words travel into their ears and if they happen to be thinking about what to make for dinner that night, your message will not get through. Worse, your audience has no “rewind” button they can hit. (If their attention has strayed while reading, they can flip back in the book.) This is why you MUST repeat the points you are trying to make at least three times: once in the intro, once when you make them and once again in your conclusion. It may seem overly repetitious to you, but it won’t to your audience.

7) Don’t waste your opening.  I see speakers do this in three primary ways. First, they spend too much time shuffling paper. Don’t do this! Be organized and ready to go as soon as you take the stage. The second mistake is they spend the first 45 seconds thanking an endless number of people. No! Don’t do that! The first 45 seconds are your most precious chance to grab the attention of your audience. Thank the person who introduced you with one brief sentence and then dive into an attention-getting opening. (You can give thanks to others, if you need to, towards the end of your speech.) Finally, some people feel obliged to begin with lame opening jokes that are unrelated to the actual speech topic. These always feel fake and tacked on. You want humour to be organic — that is, related to the topic you’re covering. The best way to begin a speech is with an interesting fact or an attention-getting story. No exceptions!

8-Write for the ear rather than the eye.   Make sure the language you use is easy to say — even if you’re writing the speech for someone else. Say it out loud many times, so you can check to ensure there are no stumbling blocks. For example, the line “a lower-cost alternative to traditional plans” is harder to say than it looks (try it). Change that kind of language, fast. Use concrete, everyday words (for example, “use” instead of “utilize”) and make sure your sentences are short enough that you don’t have to gasp for breath in the middle of them. Be sure to use contractions, because that’s how real people speak. And throw in the occasional rhetorical question (“Why would I say that?”) to engage the audience.

9-Be yourself.   Barack Obama   and  Winston Churchill  are/were both excellent speakers. They’re also totally different. While you can gain pointers from observing great speakers, you need to be true to yourself. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. And if you are writing a speech for someone else, it’s important you spend significant time interviewing them and learning  their   speech patterns — as well as their stories. Are there any expressions that they use regularly? Can you work them into the speech?

10-Be brief.  If you’re asked to speak for 60 minutes, make it 45 or 50. If the goal is 20, make it 18. If the target is five, aim for 3.5. In the history of the world, no one ever complained about a speech that was too short. Your audience will love you for this.

7 ways to  deliver  a better speech

1-Practice more than once.  I know this is hard, particularly if the speech is long, but I spoke once with a TED talk deliverer and she told me that she’d spent more than three weeks, full time, writing and practicing her speech. In fact, she had delivered it more than 48 times before the big day. Was she confident? You bet! (For anything less than a TED talk, you don’t need 48 practice times. Three times might be enough for a long one; five to seven times for a short one.) Whatever you do, remember the expression: Professionals practice in private; amateurs practice in public.

2-Record yourself.  Many of us pad our speeches with verbal filler such as “umm,” “ahh,” “you know,” “like,” etc. The prime minister of my own country,  Justin Trudeau  does this with “uh” and I cringe almost every time I hear him speak. To ensure you don’t make this mistake, record yourself using your cell phone. If you discover you’ve used verbal fillers then slow down your speech and try to be mindful of  not  using them. Slow, careful speaking is the answer. This is been a project of mine for the last two years. I used to be addicted to “umm” and now I use it dramatically less frequently.

3 – Arrive early on delivery day.  Don’t rush to the podium at the very last minute. Instead, get to your venue a good 15 to 30 minutes early so you can scope out the room, become familiar with it and maybe test the sound system. Then — this is the important advice — position yourself in the audience and start talking to people  as they arrive . This will surprise and disarm them and give you a chance to get to humanize them a little bit.

4-Calm your nerves.  For many people, public speaking is more fear-inducing than the idea of death. Here’s how to get over that idea: Practice your speech beforehand. If you have practiced adequately then your body will already know what to do, even if your nervous system is vibrating. Pay attention to your breathing when speaking. If we take shallow, inadequate breaths then our bodies start to panic — I can’t breathe! I might die! Talk yourself through slow, deep belly breaths to help calm your nerves. Have your notes on firm paper so it won’t shake. (Cardstock is better than regular paper for this reason.) Finally, many people have discovered that pressing their index finger to their thumb is also a calming manoeuvre (it’s known as  gyan mudra ). No one in the audience will ever notice you doing it.  

5-Use your eyes effectively.  We all have the same two powerful public speaking tools in our arsenals: our eyes. Many speakers waste this ammunition by looking directly  above  the heads of their audience or by fanning their eyes vaguely across the group as a whole. Instead, I suggest you look directly in the eyes of ONE of the people in the audience. Do this for at least a full sentence at a time, longer if you can bear it. Then switch to another person and do exactly the same thing. Be sure to move to different parts of the room as you do this. And what happens if the person becomes embarrassed and looks away? Move on to someone else. This human-to-human contact should be every speaker’s secret weapon. Also, remember to smile. People enjoy seeing cheerful speakers.  

6-Vary your speaking speed.  Audiences sometimes get bored listening to speeches — even good ones — and that’s why you should try to make your delivery as interesting and varied as your words. One of the ways you can do that is to change your speed. If you have a story or statement that excites you then speak quickly so that the speed of your talking matches your excitement. If you’re saying something important or dramatic, then S-L-O-W down for emphasis.

7-Be careful with your volume.  Some speakers seem to like to shout or shriek. Recently, I was obliged to watch a debate where the speaker spoke far too loudly for the rather small room. I spent the entire time thinking, “please, dial back your volume” and I missed almost all of her content because my ears were too busy quivering. This is another good reason for arriving early in the room so you can test your volume. Just remember that once the room becomes stuffed with people, their bodies will act like a sound buffer and you may need to speak up.

Becoming an effective speaker  can increase your sales, improve your effectiveness and boost your career. It’s worth investing your time to develop this crucial skill.

* My video podcast last week  answered a question about how to budget your writing time effectively. See it  here  and consider subscribing. If you have a question about writing you’d like me to address, be sure to send it to me by  email , twitter or Skype and I’ll try to answer it in the podcast.

How do you keep your speeches or presentations interesting and relevant? We can all learn from each other so, please, share your thoughts with my readers and me in the “comments” section below. Anyone who comments on today’s post  (or any others) by March 31/17, will be put in a draw for a copy of  Ifferisms , by Mardy Grothe. Please, scroll down to the comments, directly underneath the “related posts” links, below. Note that you don’t have to join the commenting software to post. See  here  to learn how to post as a guest.

Introducing Speech Time Calculate

Estimate how many minutes your speeches, presentations, and voice-over scripts will take based on your words per minute rate!

How To Speech Time Calculate Using This Tool?

If you have a certain number of words or a piece of text you want to time, you can either type in the word count or paste the text into the provided area. This tool will then calculate how long it would take to read that text out loud.

The talk time estimate is calculated using the average speaking speed of adults, which is determined to be 183 words per minute based on scientific studies. If you’re interested in how long it would take to read silently, it’s estimated at 238 words per minute ( This data is also backed by research )

You can adjust the slider to change the words per minute value, which will affect the talk time estimate. However, the silent reading time estimate remains fixed at 238 words per minute.

For ease of use, we’ve also provided reference points for slow, average, and fast reading rates below the slider.

To begin anew, simply click the ‘clear text’ button to erase the content and restore the slider back to its original setting of 183.

Who is This Words to Minutes Converter Tool For?

If you are a student wondering how long is my essay or you’ve been tasked with writing a speech and need to know how many words to aim for and how many minutes will it take to deliver or perhaps you are a podcaster, just starting out, who wants the ability to easily synchronize music and spoken word without having to painstakingly calculate seconds between them, then this Speech Time Calculate is precisely for you!

From now on, instead of spending long hours in front of the computer trying to figure out how many seconds it takes for one phrase or section of dialogue to end and another to begin, you can let our innovative tool do all the work and convert your text to time quickly and accurately. With this powerful tool at your disposal, whether you’re giving a TED talk or just need to nail a business presentation, your life will become a little bit easier.

So keep reading to learn more about what this fantastic words to minutes converter has in store for public speakers, aspiring students, and professional radio producers alike!

Whether you want to read the text silently or speak aloud, you can use this tool as both:

• Reading time calculator
• Talk time calculator

Explanation of the Reading Time

Reading time refers to the duration it takes for an average person to read a written text silently while still comprehending its content. Based on an extensive analysis of 190 studies that involved 18,573 participants , research conducted by Marc Brysbaert in 2019 suggests that the typical silent reading speed for an adult individual is approximately 238 words per minute .

To convert word count to read time for a specific text, you can do so by dividing the total word count of the text by this established value of 238. Here is the mathematical equation for determining the duration of reading time in minutes:

Reading Time = Total Word Count / 238

Explanation of the Speech Time

Speech time refers to the duration it takes for an average person to read a text out loud. Based on data from 77 studies involving 5,965 people , it’s been found that most adults read aloud at a speed of approximately 183 words per minute ( research conducted by Marc Brysbaert in 2019 ). To figure out how long it will take to read a specific piece of text aloud, you can divide the total number of words in the text by this average rate of 183 words per minute.

Of course, it’s important to note that talk time can vary depending on factors such as clarity of speech, pauses for emphasis, and use of visual aids. However, using this tool for converting the number of words to minutes can still provide a helpful guideline for planning and practicing your presentation. By having a better understanding of speech rates, you can ensure that your message is delivered effectively and efficiently.

Benefits of Using a Speech Time Calculate

Time management in presentations.

Effective time management during presentations is crucial to ensure the audience remains engaged and the information is accurately conveyed. This is where our words to speaking time converter comes in handy. By using this tool, presenters can easily determine how many words they need to include in their presentation to stay within the allotted time frame.

Not only does it help with time management, but it also ensures that the pacing of the presentation is consistent, making it easier for the audience to follow. With the use of this presentation time calculator, presenters can confidently deliver their presentations without the worry of running over time or rushing through it.

Estimated speech time for public speaking

Public speaking can be nerve-wracking, especially when you have too little or too much information to fill your time slot. You wonder only if there were an accurate public speaking time calculator available so that you could be able to allocate the appropriate amount of time to each section of your presentation, ensuring that you cover all the necessary points without rushing or going over time.

Effective pacing is key in ensuring your message is delivered with clarity and impact.

Most public speakers target an average of 130-150 words per minute for their spoken content, meaning you should aim to limit your speaking time to roughly one minute per 130-150 words. While this may take some practice to achieve, the end result is a confident, well-timed delivery that keeps your audience engaged from start to finish.

Remember, in public speaking, less is often more—take your time to breathe and emphasize key points. Your audience will appreciate your thoughtful and measured approach. For that, you can use this tool and adjust your words to speech time.

Accurate estimations for audiobooks and podcasts

As more and more people turn to audiobooks and podcasts for their entertainment and information needs, accurate estimations of listening time have become more important than ever. After all, there’s nothing worse than settling in for a quick listen only to find yourself trapped in a story that goes on for hours longer than you anticipated.

That’s why it’s great to see publishers and podcast producers taking estimated reading time seriously, providing listeners with the information they need to choose the right content for their schedule. Whether you’re looking for a quick listen on your daily commute or a lengthy distraction for a lazy Sunday afternoon, accurate estimations using this words to speak time calculator make it easier than ever to find the perfect content.

Some Popular Speech Times

how many words in a 2 minute speech

Almost 300 words

how many words in a 3 minute speech

Almost 450 words

how many words in a 4 minute speech

Almost 600 words

how many words in a 15 minute speech

Almost 2250 words

The speech time is calculated taking 150 words per minute as reference value

Common conversions (average speed)

How long does it take to read 500 words?

3.8 minutes

How long does it take to read 750 words?

5.8 minutes

How long does it take to read 1000 words?

7.7 minutes

How long does it take to read 1200 words?

9.2 minutes

How long does it take to read 1500 words?

11.5 minutes

How long does it take to read 1800 words?

13.8 minutes

How long does it take to read 2000 words?

15.4 minutes

How long does it take to read 3000 words?

23.1 minutes

As the world becomes more fast-paced, time is a precious commodity. Determining how long your script will take to read, whether for a presentation or a video, can make a significant difference in engaging and retaining your audience’s attention.

That’s where our Words to Time Converter comes in handy. It’s a valuable tool for anyone working in various professions, from broadcast journalists to teachers to executives. No matter the industry, time is of the essence, and knowing how long your speech or presentation will take is crucial for effective communication.

How Many Words Are in a 20 Minute Speech?

Answer:  At a typical speaking pace of 130 words per minute, a 20 minute speech will be about 2,600 words.

Speech and publication coach  Daphne Gray-Grant  says that the average person speaks at about 125 to 150 words per minute (wpm) which means a twenty minute speech uses about 2,500 to 3,000 words.

Use our online word count tool to quickly count how many words are in your speech.

How can you measure your spoken words per minute?

An easy way to measure how many words you can speech per minute is to write a 650 word essay. Then get out a stopwatch and measure how long it takes you to speak all of the words.

Divide 650 words by the number of minutes in decimals and you’ll get how many words per minute you speak.

For example, if it takes you 4.5 minutes to speak 650 words, you would do 650 divided by 4.5 and get 144 words per minute.

Word Count per Speech Length

The following table will tell you how many words a typical speech has depending on the length. If you’re looking to quickly understand how many words you need to write for a speech depending on your speaking speed, just check the table below:

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Convert Words to Time

Calculate how long it will take to read a speech or presentation

Enter the word count of your speech below to see how long it will take you to read. Estimate the number of minutes based on a slow, average, or fast speaking pace.

Number of words

Reading speed, common conversions (average speed).

Speech calculator:  how long does it take to deliver your speech?

With this speech calculator, you can easily calculate how long it will take you to deliver a speech.

How many words per minute?

In the English language, people speak about 140 words per minute. A fast speaker will get to 170 words per minute, a slow speaker will use around 110 words.

Professional speechwriters use this speech calculator to find out how long a speech takes.

Copy your full text and paste it in the box below:

The entire analysis happens within your browser. The text will NOT be stored and NOT be sent over the web.

Word count:

Your speech rate:

Speech duration:

FAQ’s

How many words is a 3 minute speech  .

A speaker with an average speaking speed will need 420 words for a 3 minute speech. A fast speaker will need 510 words while a slow speaker will only need 330 words.

How many words is a 5 minute speech?  

A speaker with an average speaking speed will need 700 words for a 5 minutes speech. A fast speaker will need 850 words for the same speech length. A slow speaker will only need 550 words.

Is this a word count calculator?  

The speech calculator is a word count calculator. Insert your text and the tool will automatically calculate the word count.  It will then also calculate the speech length depending on the selected talking speed.

How to best select the right speaking speed?

Fast, average or slow? The answer depends on the speaker, the speech type and the speech setting.

The speaking speed of the speaker

Some speakers are natural fast or slow speakers. The best speakers keep a variance during their speeches. They speed up to keep momentum and slow down to put special emphasis on other parts.

The speech type

The type of speech matters a lot in selecting the right speech speed. If you read the whole speech word for word from paper then your average speech speed will be lower. If you intend to use the written speech as speaker notes then your average speaking speed will be much higher.

The speech setting

An informal setting will have a faster average speaking speed compared to a more formal setting.

Keeping all three factors in mind you will able make a better judgement about selecting the right speech speed in the speech calculator.

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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• Presentation

How many slides in a 20-minute presentation?

• April 19, 2022

Presentations—whether they’re for business or school, they’re a part of life. One of the first things you may wonder about when you’re assigned a presentation is how long it needs to be. You may also wonder how many PowerPoint presentation slides to use per minute.

How many slides for a 20 minute presentation? This is a question that often confounds business professionals and students alike. The answer, however, is not as complicated as you might think. In this blog post, we will discuss how to create a presentation that is both effective and engaging. We’ll also provide tips on determining the correct number of slides for your PowerPoint presentation design services!

Table of Contents

1. How long is a 20-minute presentation?

The average person speaks at a rate of 125 words per minute. This means that a 20-minute presentation should be around 2500 words long. If you’re using slides as part of your presentation, you’ll want to keep this number in mind when determining how many slides to use.

If you’re unsure how long your presentation should be, you can always ask your audience how much time they have for it. This will help you to gauge how long your presentation should be and how many slides to use.

2. What are the average slide lengths for different presentations?

The average slide length for a business presentation is 40 seconds. For a student presentation, the average slide length is 50 seconds. These numbers will help you to determine how many slides you should have in your 20-minute presentation.

If you’re not sure how long your slides should be, you can always ask your audience how much time they have for your presentation. This will help you to gauge how long your presentation should be and how many slides to use.

3. How to figure out how many slides you need for a 20-minute presentation?

Now that you know how long a 20-minute presentation is and what the average slide length is, you can start to figure out how many slides you need for your specific presentation. To do this, simply divide the total number of words in your presentation by the average number of words per slide. For example, if your presentation is 2500 words long and you’re using an average of 40 words per slide, you’ll need 62.50 slides.

4. Tips for creating effective slides

Once you’ve determined how many slides you need for your presentation, it’s time to start creating your slides. When creating your slides, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind:

– Use images and graphics: People are more likely to remember information that is presented visually. Adding images and graphics to your slides will help make your presentation more memorable.

– Keep it simple: You don’t want to overwhelm your audience with too much information. Stick to the essentials and leave out any unnecessary details.

– Be clear and concise: Make sure your slides are easily understood. Use short sentences and bullet points to make your information easy to digest.

Tips for Creating a Short Presentation

The “Rule of Three,” a renowned writing principle, suggests that when things come in threes, they are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. Think of a famous phrase or slogan and chances are it’s structured in three.

Tell them those three takeaways at the beginning.  Flush them out in the middle.  And at the end, remind them of those takeaways.  Sticking to the power of three will make your short presentations memorable and incredibly effective.

Tell A Story

Telling a story is a surefire way to wrap your audience into your message.  We do not suggest telling your story for the entire 5 – 10 minute talk.   You may tell your audience you want to share a story that will drive home your point.

Stick To Your Purpose

Many times, speakers will go over the 10-minute mark of a short presentation because they’re not staying true to the purpose of the presentation or they’re adding in too many details that really aren’t vital to the purpose. At the beginning of any presentation, you create, think about the purpose and remind yourself of it so you’ll remember exactly why you’re giving the talk, to begin with.

tips to make a good presentation

1. create an easy-to-follow structure.

• A compelling introduction . Your introduction needs to briefly sum up what you’re going to talk about and why it’s useful or relevant to your audience.
• Offer a body of evidence . The body of your presentation is where you hit ’em with the facts, quotes, and evidence to back up your main points.
• Sum up with key takeaways . The conclusion is where you loop back to your original statement and give the audience some key takeaways on how they can put into practice what they’ve learned.

2. Limit the number of copies on each slide

• No more than six words per slide . Marketing king Seth Godin says we should have just six words per slide – that’s not a lot of copy. Choose your words carefully and rewrite them until you’ve got it just right.
• Think of ‘bite-size’ information . We called ourselves Biteable for a reason: studies have shown that information is retained better when it’s broken down into bite-sized chunks. Video is a great way to learn and research suggests it’s 95%more compelling than text.

3. Have a plan for a smooth delivery

• Have a practice run-through . There’s nothing like reading it out loud to ensure your message makes sense before you actually deliver it. Try recording your presentation on video — this way you’ll be able to review it with an accurate eye and notice whether your speech matches up with your slides. It’ll also help you sort out your run time.
• Use a remote . A clicker or remote will help you face the audience and not have to keep turning back to your laptop. Sought-after public speaker Garr Reynolds says a remote is essential to pause and advance your presentation so you have time to be spontaneous and control the flow of your delivery.

As a general rule, PowerPoint slides should contain brief, useful and simple information and cannot be used without the provider of that action. Proper timing for each slide can improve your presentation as a whole, and the final result is the impact of the presentation.

How many slides are in a 20-minute presentation?

The average person speaks at a rate of 125 words per minute. This means that a 20-minute presentation should be around 2500 words long.

What are the average slide lengths for different presentations?

The average slide length for a business presentation is 40 seconds. For a student presentation, the average slide length is 50 seconds.

How to figure out how many slides you need for a 20-minute presentation?

To do this, simply divide the total number of words in your presentation by the average number of words per slide.

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Words To Time Converter

Estimate how many minutes your speeches, presentations, and voice-over scripts will take based on your words per minute rate!

Words per Minute: 183

How To Convert Words to Minutes Using This Tool?

If you have a certain number of words or a piece of text you want to time, you can either type in the word count or paste the text into the provided area. This tool will then calculate how long it would take to read that text out loud.

The talk time estimate is calculated using the average speaking speed of adults, which is determined to be 183 words per minute based on scientific studies. If you’re interested in how long it would take to read silently, it’s estimated at 238 words per minute ( This data is also backed by research )

You can adjust the slider to change the words per minute value, which will affect the talk time estimate. However, the silent reading time estimate remains fixed at 238 words per minute. 

For ease of use, we’ve also provided reference points for slow, average, and fast reading rates below the slider.

To begin anew, simply click the ‘clear text’ button to erase the content and restore the slider back to its original setting of 183.

I. Who is This Words to Minutes Converter Tool For?

If you are a student wondering how long is my essay or you’ve been tasked with writing a speech and need to know how many words to aim for and how many minutes will it take to deliver or perhaps you are a podcaster, just starting out, who wants the ability to easily synchronize music and spoken word without having to painstakingly calculate seconds between them, then this words to time converter (or speech time calculator-you may call it if you are a public speaker) is precisely for you! 

From now on, instead of spending long hours in front of the computer trying to figure out how many seconds it takes for one phrase or section of dialogue to end and another to begin, you can let our innovative tool do all the work and convert your text to time quickly and accurately. With this powerful tool at your disposal, whether you’re giving a TED talk or just need to nail a business presentation, your life will become a little bit easier.

So keep reading to learn more about what this fantastic words to minutes converter has in store for public speakers, aspiring students, and professional radio producers alike!

Whether you want to read the text silently or speak aloud, you can use this tool as both:

• Reading time calculator
• Talk time calculator

II.I Explanation of the Reading Time

Reading time refers to the duration it takes for an average person to read a written text silently while still comprehending its content. Based on an extensive analysis of 190 studies that involved 18,573 participants , research conducted by Marc Brysbaert in 2019 suggests that the typical silent reading speed for an adult individual is approximately 238 words per minute .

To convert word count to read time for a specific text, you can do so by dividing the total word count of the text by this established value of 238. Here is the mathematical equation for determining the duration of reading time in minutes:

Reading Time = Total Word Count / 238

II.II Explanation of the Speech Time

Speech time refers to the duration it takes for an average person to read a text out loud. Based on data from 77 studies involving 5,965 people , it’s been found that most adults read aloud at a speed of approximately 183 words per minute ( research conducted by Marc Brysbaert in 2019 ). To figure out how long it will take to read a specific piece of text aloud, you can divide the total number of words in the text by this average rate of 183 words per minute.

Of course, it’s important to note that talk time can vary depending on factors such as clarity of speech, pauses for emphasis, and use of visual aids. However, using this tool for converting the number of words to minutes can still provide a helpful guideline for planning and practicing your presentation. By having a better understanding of speech rates, you can ensure that your message is delivered effectively and efficiently.

III. Benefits of Using a Words to Time Converter

Time management in presentations.

Effective time management during presentations is crucial to ensure the audience remains engaged and the information is accurately conveyed. This is where our speaking time converter comes in handy. By using this tool, presenters can easily determine how many words they need to include in their presentation to stay within the allotted time frame.

Not only does it help with time management, but it also ensures that the pacing of the presentation is consistent, making it easier for the audience to follow. With the use of this tool, presenters can confidently deliver their presentations without the worry of running over time or rushing through it.

Estimated speech time for public speaking

Public speaking can be nerve-wracking, especially when you have too little or too much information to fill your time slot. You wonder only if there were an accurate public speaking time calculator available so that you could be able to allocate the appropriate amount of time to each section of your presentation, ensuring that you cover all the necessary points without rushing or going over time. 

Effective pacing is key in ensuring your message is delivered with clarity and impact.

Most public speakers target an average of 130-150 words per minute for their spoken content, meaning you should aim to limit your speaking time to roughly one minute per 130-150 words. While this may take some practice to achieve, the end result is a confident, well-timed delivery that keeps your audience engaged from start to finish.

Remember, in public speaking, less is often more—take your time to breathe and emphasize key points. Your audience will appreciate your thoughtful and measured approach. For that, you can use this tool and adjust your words to speech time.

Accurate estimations for audiobooks and podcasts

As more and more people turn to audiobooks and podcasts for their entertainment and information needs, accurate estimations of listening time have become more important than ever. After all, there’s nothing worse than settling in for a quick listen only to find yourself trapped in a story that goes on for hours longer than you anticipated.

That’s why it’s great to see publishers and podcast producers taking estimated reading time seriously, providing listeners with the information they need to choose the right content for their schedule. Whether you’re looking for a quick listen on your daily commute or a lengthy distraction for a lazy Sunday afternoon, accurate estimations using this speaking time calculator make it easier than ever to find the perfect content.

IV. Some Popular Speech Times

V. conclusion.

As the world becomes more fast-paced, time is a precious commodity. Determining how long your script will take to read, whether for a presentation or a video, can make a significant difference in engaging and retaining your audience’s attention.

That’s where our Words to Time Converter comes in handy. It’s a valuable tool for anyone working in various professions, from broadcast journalists to teachers to executives. No matter the industry, time is of the essence, and knowing how long your speech or presentation will take is crucial for effective communication.

How Many Words Should a 20-minute Conference Paper Be?

Crafting an effective conference paper is an art, and one of the key elements in this process is determining the optimal word count. You might be wondering, how many words should a 20-minute conference paper be? It’s a critical question, as getting the word count right can make or break your presentation.

A 20-minute conference paper typically ranges from 2,500 to 3,000 words. This allows for effective presentation and engagement with your audience while conveying your research concisely.

In this blog, we’ll delve deep into the world of academic and professional conferences, helping you understand the ideal length for your paper. Whether you’re a seasoned presenter looking for a refresher or a first-time conference-goer seeking guidance, we’ve got you covered.

Concept of Conference Paper

A conference paper is like a concise talk where researchers share their discoveries and ideas. It’s limited to around 20 minutes of presentation time and plays a vital role in academic and professional gatherings by promoting knowledge sharing.

These papers capture the core of research projects, explaining how things were done, what was found, and why it matters. With the word limit, authors must aim for clear, simple, and impactful communication. Even though they’re short, these papers help researchers spread their findings, spark discussions, and encourage further exploration.

In a world overflowing with information, knowing how to create a great conference paper is essential for both academics and professionals. It allows them to effectively share their work and make an impact on a global scale.

So, whether you’re a scientist, engineer, or any professional in between, mastering the art of the conference paper is a valuable skill worth honing.

How Many Words Should a 20-Minute Conference Paper Be?

Curious about crafting the ideal conference paper length? “How many words should a 20-minute conference Paper Be?” is a question that frequently arises among researchers. Striking the right word count balance is essential for a successful presentation.

In most cases, a 20-minute presentation corresponds to a conference paper spanning approximately 2,500 to 3,000 words . This range offers a sweet spot for presenters, allowing them to effectively communicate their research findings within the allotted time frame. It promotes clarity and engagement with the audience, two critical factors in any conference.

However, it’s vital to acknowledge that word count guidelines can vary significantly depending on the conference and the academic field. Some conferences may impose different word limits or request specific formatting. Thus, it’s imperative to thoroughly review and adhere to the conference’s unique guidelines while preparing your paper.

While there exists a general word count range for 20-minute conference papers, adaptability is key to success. Focus on delivering a coherent and impactful presentation within your allocated time, customizing your paper’s length to match the conference’s requirements and cater to your audience’s needs. This approach ensures your research takes center stage and leaves a lasting impression at the conference.

Factors Influencing Conference Paper Word Count

Understanding the factors that influence word count is crucial for crafting effective and engaging content. While there’s no fixed formula, considering these five key factors can help you strike the right balance between briefness and perfection in your writing. Let’s explore deeper into how these factors shape your word count decisions.

Topic Complexity

Understanding the complexity of your subject matter is vital. Complex topics often necessitate more extensive explanations and examples, naturally resulting in a higher word count. Conversely, simpler subjects may allow for more concise and straightforward language.

Audience Understanding

Consider your audience’s familiarity with the topic. Expert audiences may require less introductory information and can delve directly into in-depth content. In contrast, novice or general audiences may benefit from additional context and explanation, potentially increasing your word count.

Research Depth

The depth of your research significantly impacts word count. Extensive studies generate more data and insights, potentially requiring a larger word count to convey your findings adequately. For more concise presentations, focus on the most critical and relevant aspects of your research.

Presentation Timeframe

The duration of your presentation is a crucial factor in determining word count. Shorter presentations, such as 5-minute lightning talks, demand brevity and precision. Longer formats, such as 30-minute keynotes, offer more flexibility to explore topics in greater detail. Adjust your word count accordingly to fit your allotted presentation time.

Conference Guidelines

Each conference may have specific word count requirements based on its format and objectives. These guidelines must be followed diligently to ensure your submission aligns with the conference’s expectations and evaluation criteria.

The right word count depends on your topic, your audience, your research depth, your talk time, and conference rules. Balancing these makes your document informative and engaging.

Different Types of Conference Fields And Their Word Count Standard

Conferences serve as vibrant hubs for knowledge exchange across a multitude of fields. Each domain has its unique requirements for conference paper word counts. Here’s a glimpse into some major conference categories and their corresponding word count standards:

Science and Technology Conferences

• Short papers typically range from 4,000 to 6,000 words. These concise papers often focus on a specific aspect of a broader research project.
• Regular papers usually vary between 6,000 to 10,000 words. These provide a more comprehensive exploration of research, including methodology, results, and discussion.

Medical and Healthcare Conferences

• Abstracts are concise, around 250 to 300 words, summarizing the key findings and significance of the research.
• Short papers average between 2,000 and 4,000 words, suitable for presenting preliminary results or smaller studies.
• Full papers can extend from 4,000 to 6,000 words, offering a detailed analysis of the research, including methods, results, and implications.

Social Sciences Conferences

• Abstracts are brief, roughly 150 to 300 words, providing a snapshot of the research’s relevance and contribution.
• Short papers tend to fall between 2,500 to 4,000 words, allowing for the presentation of focused studies or preliminary findings.
• Full papers often range from 6,000 to 8,000 words, accommodating comprehensive research with in-depth analysis.

Humanities Conferences

• Abstracts usually span 200 to 300 words, succinctly summarizing the research’s significance and scope.
• Short papers encompass 3,000 to 4,500 words, suitable for exploring specific aspects or themes within the humanities.
• Full papers may vary between 6,000 to 8,000 words, allowing for in-depth research and extensive analysis.

Business and Economics Conferences

• Abstracts are typically 150 to 250 words, highlighting the research’s relevance and potential impact.
• Short papers tend to range from 3,000 to 5,000 words, accommodating concise studies or case analyses.
• Full papers often span 6,000 to 8,000 words, facilitating comprehensive research with detailed insights.

Environmental Science Conferences

• Short papers usually range from 3,000 to 5,000 words, ideal for presenting research on specific environmental issues.
• Regular papers can vary between 5,000 to 8,000 words, providing room for in-depth exploration of environmental topics and their implications.

These word count standards provide flexibility to researchers, allowing them to tailor their contributions to the specific requirements of their chosen conference and the depth of their research findings.

Tips for Preparing a Successful Conference Paper

Preparing a successful conference paper is a multi-faceted task that requires careful planning and execution. To help you navigate this process effectively, here are some valuable tips presented as bullet points:

• Plan Ahead: Start early, organize your ideas, and set clear milestones for research, writing, and revisions.
• Understand the Audience: Tailor your paper to the conference attendees’ knowledge level and interests.
• Follow Guidelines: Adhere to the conference’s specific formatting and word count requirements.
• Clarity is Key: Write concisely and use clear, jargon-free language to ensure your message is easily understood.
• Visual Aids: Use visuals like graphs and diagrams to enhance comprehension and engagement.
• Practice Presentation: Rehearse your presentation multiple times to refine your delivery and stay within the allotted time.
• Engage with Feedback: Seek input from colleagues or mentors and be open to constructive criticism for improving your paper.
• Highlight Contributions: Clearly state the significance and contributions of your research in the introduction and conclusion.
• Proofread Diligently: Eliminate grammatical errors and typos to maintain professionalism in your paper.
• Cite Sources Properly: Ensure accurate and consistent citation of references following the conference’s preferred citation style.

Bottom Line

Crafting a winning conference paper is like finding the perfect recipe – it’s about striking the right balance. We’ve explored a variety of ingredients in this journey, from understanding word count nuances to grasping the unique needs of different fields. By following conference guidelines and adapting to your audience, you can cook up a paper that’s both concise and captivating.

Remember that your topic’s complexity, research depth, and allotted presentation time are key flavor factors. Season your paper with visuals for added spice and practice your presentation until it’s perfectly baked.

So, whether you’re a conference newbie or a seasoned pro, these insights ensure your conference paper not only meets word count expectations but also serves up your research in a delectable way. “How many words should a 20-minute conference paper be?” It’s a question we’ve answered with a recipe for success!

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Speaking time calculator

Type or paste your speech to instantly calculate your speaking time

How does this speech timer work

To begin, delete the sample text and either type in your speech or copy and paste it into the editor.

The average reading speed and speech rate is 200 words per minute and is the default setting above. Once you paste your speech, click “Play” and Speechify will analyze your speech by the number of words and generate a time to speak it at the default rate.

You can listen to your speech in various accents or languages. If you are aiming for a specific timeframe for your speech, click edit to either increase or decrease the number of words to see how long it would take to speak them.

You can also increase or decrease the speaking rate to gauge how fast or slow you should speak in order to get to a specific time with the number of words you have in your speech.

To get to that perfect word count to fit with the speech length time, you’ll have to keep editing between words per minute (WPM) and number of words.

The best part is that you can share your speech in audio format to your friends, relatives, or peers to review it. They can simply click play and listen to your speech.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many words are there in a 1 minute speech.

Based on the average speed of speech, there are 150 words in a 1 minute speech.

How many words are there in a 2 minute speech?

There are 300 words per minute in a 2 minute speech. 2 minutes isn’t a long time so when you speak, you could endure the average speaking rate.

How many words are there in a 3 minute speech?

On average there are 450 words in a 3 minute speech. This is based on the average speech rate of 250 words per minute. At the 3 minute mark, even a novice speaker could keep going at the rate they started – with some practice.

How many words are there in a 4 minute speech?

On average there are 600 words in a 4 minute speech. This is based on the average speech rate of 250 words per minute. Still, even a novice speaker could maintain the 150 words per minute rate. Try it in the Soundbite above. Set your words per minute and speak along to see if you could endure consistency over 4 minutes.

How many words are there in a 5 minute speech?

On average there are 750 words in a 5 minute speech. This is based on the average speech rate of 250 words per minute. While this is simple math, we after all are humans and 5 minutes can be pushing the boundaries of a consistent speech tempo and words per minute.

How many words are there in a 10 minute speech?

In a 10 minute speech aim for 1000 words. The math might tell you 1,500 words but consider your speech. You might need pauses, rest for your voice, dramatic effects, and perhaps even audience interaction. Also, it becomes quite difficult to endure a consistent 150 words per minute speech rate for 10 minutes. Consider your listeners. We doubt very few people would want to listen to a precisely 150 words per minute speech for 10 minutes. It wouldn’t be engaging. And in a speech, you should engage and communicate.

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