As uncomfortable as it may seem, as the event organizer, you need to take action. In the worst case scenario, a speaker will ignore the timeframes, ignore the signals, and keep talking well past the “safe-zone” (added extra time) of their presentation time. The time difference between these two cues is up to you, but most speakers find at least a five-minute warning to wrap up their ideas very helpful. Use two signals: for flawlessly smooth transitions, you can give your speaker two signals, one for when they should start to wrap up their talk and a second for when they need to end the talk.

Avoid using cues that make noise (like bells, alarms or buzzer) because they can be disruptive to the audience. Ensure that you communicate to the speaker before they get on stage what the cue card means, and that they should be looking out for it. Predetermined Cues: some event organizers use cue cards to signal to the speaker that their time is up. For lower key events, try to catch the eye of your speaker and let them know by tapping your wrist (this is universal!) that their time is running out or up. you gently knock a glass) - but remember to be professional.Įye Contact: even the most experienced speakers can run over or forget the time. Warn them what will happen when they go over their time frame (e.g. If there have been any changes to the time frames: clearly express it here and make sure that they are flexible to make any needed changes to adapt.Ĭonsequence of going over: right before the speaker gets on stage, review with them a final time how much time they have. This is also the perfect time to go over cues and signals with them. Review the timing: when the speaker arrives, review the timing with them again.

For example, “Your presentation will start at 10:05 and must end at 10:25.” Instead of saying they are scheduled to talk for 20 minutes, give the exact times you would like them to start and finish their presentation. How long you expect them to talk: you need to clearly communicate to your speakers how the schedule of the event will works, and how long you need their presentation to be.ĭo not be vague here, give very specific time frames. So, what are some foolproof ways to make sure your speakers stay on time? 1. You do not have to add speech if you do not want to.Although most speakers love the freedom of a hands-off approach from the event organiser, it is important for the overall conference that the sessions are on schedule. You can choose to add single voice alerts here and there, or to repeat speech at regular intervals as the timer counts down. Voice alerts are fully customisable: the speech to be spoken is completely up to you, and so is the time at which it happens - the app is optimised to make the process of adding these very simple. It fulfils this through its ability to deliver speech at any points you choose, its high level of customisability to suit your specific needs, and the ability to see multiple timers at once. SpeakTimer is a handy app that can be used as a personal assistant to keep you on track with a plethora of day-to-day activities in life, such as cooking, revision, workouts or taking a nap. Make timing as easy as it’s ever been with SpeakTimer: the timer that speaks.

Speaker timer clock