Speaker Timer
Countdown for presentations, speakers, interviews, and live sessions.
Countdown for presentations, speakers, interviews, and live sessions.
Set the minutes and seconds for your speaking slot and press Start. The timer counts down and plays an audio alert when time expires. Use Pause to stop mid-countdown and Resume to continue.
The Reset button returns the timer to its starting value. This is useful between speakers at events and panel discussions.
| Presentation type | Recommended length | Q&A time | Slides suggested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning talk | 5 minutes | None | 5–7 slides |
| Conference demo | 10–15 minutes | 5 minutes | 10–12 slides |
| TED-style talk | 18 minutes | Optional | 15–20 slides |
| Business pitch | 20 minutes | 10 minutes | 10 slides (Kawasaki rule) |
| Training session | 45 minutes | 15 minutes | 30–40 slides |
| Keynote address | 45–60 minutes | 10–15 minutes | 40–60 slides |
| Panel discussion | 90 minutes | Throughout | No slides |
A speaker timer is a countdown timer used to manage presentation and speaking time. It alerts the speaker when their allotted time is up, helping keep events, conferences, and panel discussions on schedule.
Research on audience attention suggests 18 minutes is the optimal length for an engaging presentation — long enough to develop a complex idea, short enough to hold attention. TED Talks use this as their maximum. Lightning talks are typically 5 minutes. Conference breakout sessions run 20–45 minutes.
Guy Kawasaki's 10-20-30 rule: no more than 10 slides, no longer than 20 minutes, no font smaller than 30 points. It is a guideline for pitch decks but applies broadly to business presentations.
Use this speaker timer to practice. Set the exact duration of your allotted slot. Run through your full presentation and stop when the timer sounds — whatever is unfinished needs to be cut. Plan to use 90% of your time; leave 10% for Q&A buffer.
Skip to your final slide and deliver your key conclusion. Never rush through content — rushing confuses the audience and makes a poor impression. Know which slides you can drop if time is short.
10–20% of total session time is standard. For a 30-minute session, 5 minutes of Q&A is appropriate. For a 60-minute session, 10–15 minutes is better.