Do you know the worst times of the day to make a presentation?

If you have been invited to speak to a group of people and plan to speak for 30 to 40 minutes or even longer, it is important to understand that different times of the day will result in different responses from your audience. 2 notoriously bad hours for a long presentation are the end of the morning, the hour before lunch, and the end of the afternoon, the last hour before the end of the workday. In both situations, it is not easy to hold the audience’s attention.

Your body definitely goes through rhythms of time throughout the day where there are times when you are most alert and times when you are tired or fatigued. While speaking at 7 a.m. is difficult because many people are still trying to wake up, the afternoon hours are usually good, especially for those in business who are used to attending meetings and other organizational events after dinner.

Where your presentation takes place is also another consideration. If you are speaking in Las Vegas, for example, the morning hours probably mean low attendance, so it would be wise to schedule your presentation for some time in the afternoon in the city that never sleeps. In Atlantic City, on the other hand, the morning hours would work well because many of those who attend workshops, seminars, and conventions in this coastal city come from the surrounding states or from New Jersey. Keep in mind that Las Vegas tourists or congressmen come from all over the country or even further afield and will stay overnight. Atlantic City traffic is different from Las Vegas in that the conventions in this coastal city, because they are more localized, often mean that many of the attendees may or may not stay overnight.

What should also be considered is whether you are the only speaker or one of the many on the list. Giving a persuasive or informative presentation to a group of people who have just heard a comedian may not be the smart thing to do. Speaking in front of the comedian, for example, would be a better place for you.

While you may not have the opportunity to choose the timing of your presentation, a lot will also depend on your topic and the type of audience you will be speaking with. If you are giving a presentation on maintaining a healthy heart to a group of retirees, it would be wise to avoid the late night hours. Keeping some of these seniors up after dinner with a serious presentation on heart health could be much more challenging than if you were to speak to them in the morning.

If, for example, you have been invited to speak at a women’s business group that meets on the first Monday evening of the month, then your time has been scheduled. If, on the other hand, the time has some flexibility, ask your host about the audience and discuss with this person what you think would be the best time to speak.

It may not always be possible to plan your presentation at an optimal time or on a good schedule. If you are invited to speak at a time when your audience may not be as alert as they would like, it is doubly important to speak with enthusiasm, enthusiasm and passion to keep their attention on you. If you know they are going to be tired, wake them up!