It's been declared that Senator Obama is the democratic nominee. In politics or sports, when one person's numbers exceed his opponent's scores it's customary to bow out gracefully. This was not the case for Hillary Clinton. She continued to command the spotlight without any mention of an end to her campaign. So when is it to time to leave the stage? And how do you stop a speaker who exceeds the time limit?
Time is valuable to any audience. When a speaker ignores the clock, the audience feels frustrated and disrespected.
There are a few reasons why speakers don't end on time:
Lack of Preparation-They didn't rehearse out loud and time themselves and they have too much material.
Ego-They love the sound of their own voices and take advantage of a captive audience.
Time Cut Short-The previous speaker spilled over to the next time slot and the speaker doesn't know how to shorten the speech.
Nobody complains when a speaker finishes early.
But when a speaker drones on and hogs the spotlight it's time to get the hook. Here's what the moderator can say:
"Thank you, John. What's one thought you'd like to leave us with ?"
"Please help me thank Katherine." (applaud)
"Bill we're coming up on the one minute mark. Do you want to continue and skip the Q&A;?"
"What a great presentation. Thank you" (start applauding)
Say out loud, "One minute is left."
Play loud music or lower the lights to let them know the time is up.
If you find that you're running out of time, finish your point and fast forward to your conclusion. Come to an end and look for the nearest exit.
Don't let them get the hook.