Boundaries that save you time, energy & stress

Speaking
Written By Liam Sandford
fence boundary

The word boundary can be branded around as some kind of constraint. Almost as if it is stopping you doing what you need to do. Or at least that can be how it feels. But setting boundaries is not just about putting ringfences in place, it is about keeping you focused on what needs to be done in the most effortless way for you.

Boundaries can save you time, energy and stress by:

  • Not doing more than you need to, which would lead to overthinking, overplanning, and overdoing.

  • Not wasting your efforts on doing more extensive preparation than you need to, which would lead to overwhelm and a busy mind.

This goes for setting boundaries in all aspects of your life, but lets focus on the application to public speaking. Boundaries are a way to ensure not just your delivery is effortless, but your preparation too.

Time parameters

This can be set for you or you may have to choose, for example, TED Talks have an 18 minute time boundary. If you get to choose the time you are presenting for, use it to your advantage. If you are a beginner, more time means you have more content to remember so instead choose to speak for 1–5 minutes rather than 10–15.

Even if you are a more experienced speaker more time does not equal more value. Consider how long you need to land your key messages, connect with your audience and deliver a call to action. Base your timings on that. Remember that with your key message, if you cannot deliver it in one sentence it is not clear enough. Don’t assume speaking for longer will help people understand as it will actually cause confusion.

Preparation time

How long do you need to prepare? Preparation expands to the time you give it. Consider how long you actually need. What is the optima point of preparation you can do that will make you feel ready and confident but without overthinking what you have to say?

The balance is key. It takes practice to truly know how long you need but think about how long it takes to create your materials, plan the key points and identify the stories you are going to tell. This way you can allocate plenty of time, rather than leaving it to the last minute which is likely to generate feelings of anxiety or panicking about not being ready.

You won’t get this right first time, but with every presentation you deliver you can fine tune your preparation and allocate just enough but not too much time.

Time stamps

How much ground should you have covered at certain times in your presentation. For example, it can be common to be told you have 5 minutes left — know how much material you need to have covered by this point. Having 5 minutes left with 10 minutes worth of material adds significant stress and will force you into rushing the final part of your presentation.

Using the 4-bullet point structure in your preparation will help with this:

  • How you are going to open

  • The main point you are going to make

  • The story that makes your key point memorable

  • How you will close

How long will each key point be (including all the 4 bullet points)? Use this to effectively plan time stamps throughout your presentation to ensure you don’t have more material to cover than you have time. A good principle to use is to cover all of your material in 80% of your allotted time — it provides you with a buffer and the audience love it when someone finishes early, either for Q&A or to beat the traffic.

Actionable takeaways

  • Where you set your time boundaries, use your experience level as a guide. Don’t opt for 20 minutes if you hate speaking in front of people.

  • Consider how you will best prepare — you need enough time to feel ready to deliver but not too much time that you start overthinking it.

  • Use the 4-bullet point structure to plan your time stamps. Aim to finish in 80% of your time — enough for a buffer with time to spare for Q&A.

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Liam Sandford
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