Overview

No speech can be entirely bad, if it is short enough.

—Irving S. Cobb

In workshops, when I ask, "too much information is...?" and open it up to the audience, everyone answers "BORING."

Faced with an expectant audience, speakers feel they have to provide as much detailed information as they can. This overabundance of information makes some speakers feel secure, and soon becomes their security blanket.

This love of information is understandable; as a country, we have been programmed toward overabundance—more is best. Not so with speeches. Although your speech should be rich in examples and illustrations, it should be thin in facts, figures, and lists. This is especially true for technical presentations, which tend to be overloaded with information.