Quote
“Stick to the 18-minute rule.”
— Carmine Gallo, in Talk Like TED (2014) · Talk Like TED →
Why it was said
One of the rules Carmine Gallo sets out in Talk Like TED. Gallo takes the rule from TED itself, where talks are capped at 18 minutes, a limit TED's curator Chris Anderson has defended as long enough to be serious and short enough to hold attention.
What it actually means
The rule is less about the number than about the discipline it imposes. A hard limit forces the speaker to decide what the one idea is and to cut everything that does not serve it. Gallo draws on research into cognitive load to argue that audiences tire as information piles up, so a shorter, tighter talk is often remembered better than a longer, complete one. The limit also shows respect for the audience's time. For most business presentations the exact figure matters less than the principle: set a firm limit below the slot you have been given, and build the talk to fit it. If the message cannot be made in 18 minutes, it may not yet be clear to the speaker.
How to use it
- 1For your next presentation, set a limit well below your time slot and cut until the talk fits it.
- 2Write the one idea of your talk in a single sentence before you build any slides.