How to Make an Informative Speech Longer

With a few simple techniques, you can extend the duration of your speech.

Audiences for informative speeches hold the speakers' clarity and brevity in high regard. However, there are times when the speech does need to be longer. You don't want to leave out key information just to beat the clock. Or you may have to fill a preset amount of time that's longer than expected. In both instances, there are several ways to further develop your message while keeping it pertinent and clear.

Study all the details pertaining to your subject. The more you know, the more information you will be able to include in your presentation. If you don't possess extensive knowledge about your topic, you may be forced to employ useless filler that could cloud your message.

Use the traditional "introduction/body/solution" format for your informative speech. The more carefully structured your speech is, the easier it will be to modify the length if need be. If you decide to eschew organization and wing it, you run the risk of expounding too long on one topic while neglecting another. When you have to make your speech longer, remember to add to each each subtopic equally in order to maintain balance.

Employ visual aids. Powerpoint, projection slides and videos allow you to both lengthen and enhance your presentation without going off on tangents and losing your audience. Visual aids should add to your message, not distract from it.

Repeat all the main points of your message and reinforce it by employing an anecdotal technique, giving plenty of personal stories and examples. Not only will this lengthen the duration of your speech, but it will also enable your audience to relate to you, providing you with an additional way to drive your message home.

End with a question and answer session. This is useful for both the audience and you because it takes the guesswork out of what you need to address again. Plus, if you have exhausted all the other means of extending your informative speech, audience participation will help you avoid resorting to extraneous filler.

Dave Stanley has covered sports, music and hard news since 2000. He has been published on and various other websites. Stanley is also a feature writer for "WhatsUp!" magazine in Bellingham, Wash. He studied journalism at the University of Memphis.