The duration of a keynote speaker speech is a matter of intense speculation at a certain private school. At the annual prize giving ceremony teachers in academic garb gather behind a stage before trooping in ceremoniously in strict order of superiority. Before proceeding they all pay into a sweep stake, speculating on the duration of the main address by the guest of honor.
Eminent keynote speakers usually have much experience at public speaking and may even receive advice on how long they should speak for. Successful staff bets range from fifteen to twenty-five minutes. That is the time required to entertain an audience and say something significant.
At a prize giving a guest speaker has to respond to an audience with diverse emotions. Those who have been awarded prizes are thrilled and enthusiastic. Those who have not may be disappointed and most interested in an impending vacation. The context requires a wise and adept speaker who can judge just how long he needs to speak.
At an academic conference there will often be many world experts on a topic such as ichthyology but the theme of the conference might be quite arcane, summing up a current issue that concerns delegates. In this context the speaker will have an audience who should have extended concentration spans, especially when listening to words that touch on essential developments in their field. Most will expect a measured speech of longer than twenty minutes but less than an hour.
Politicians often have to deliver important speeches at rallies. In some areas the audience might be made of of ignorant conscripts dragooned out of the bush to demonstrate a show of support for a dictator. In other cases they may be party faithful in a genuine democracy. The speaker in either case might wish to stir emotion rather than rational thought.
Even in the world's most established democracies responsible statesmen with the destiny of millions in their hands, bow to the demands of rhetoric. They pause after a sound bite to allow crowd to clap, subtly altering the volume of their delivery in order to deliver the cue to start clapping. Rhetoric is one of the oldest human arts but in the twenty-first century some of the ancient Roman or Greek techniques can seem a little anachronistic.
Since the mid twentieth century the appropriate duration of a keynote speech has increasingly been determined by television cameras. It is said that the approximate concentration span of the average TV viewer is ten minutes, before he has to take a break. With this in mind veteran politicians try to speak in 'sound bytes'. They may go on for a long time to please delegates in the hall but produce an increase in volume, pace and pitch every ten minutes or so for the benefit of the media.
Key note speeches make special demands on orators. They are tasked with summing up important points that pertain to an issue, an opening up important points for further investigation. Summing up is such an important task that it is often placed high in the order of academic activities. The note that is struck should not be obscured by distractions or irrelevancies. Critical points should be cogently and then the speaker should stop as a wise guests leaves before overstaying his welcome.
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