Conference Talk Planner & Timer

Conference organisers run strict schedules, and the most common speaker mistake is running out of time before the conclusion. The fix is planning: turn the slot into a budget, split it across sections, then rehearse against a clock. This planner does both, and checks your abstract against the submission limit too.

From slot to budget

Enter the slot length and the time reserved for questions. What remains is your speaking time. Multiply it by your speaking rate and you have the script budget: at the default 130 words a minute, a 15-minute slot with 3 minutes of questions gives 12 minutes and about 1,560 words. Divide it by the time you spend per slide and you have the slide budget.

Sections and templates

Talks are easier to time in parts. The research template follows the IMRaD shape — introduction and question, background, methods, results, discussion, conclusion — with most time on results. Lightning talks get a hook, problem, idea and call to action; poster pitches a short version for the minute or two you have with each visitor; product pitches end with the ask. Change any share or name; if the shares do not total 100%, they are scaled to fit.

Reading the plan

Each section shows when it starts, how long it lasts, how many words it can hold and how many slides. If your methods section is 250 words over budget, cut it before rehearsing rather than hoping to talk faster. One slide a minute is a common rule of thumb; data-heavy slides need longer and section dividers less, so set the seconds per slide to match your style.

Using the timer

Press Start talk at your first word. The large countdown shows the speaking time left and, underneath, the current section and the time left in it, so you know whether you are ahead or behind. The display turns amber with two minutes left and red with one, and keeps counting past zero so you can see how far over you ran. Put it in full screen on a device facing you; once it has focus, Space starts and pauses it.

Rehearsing

Run the talk at least twice against the timer. Most people speak faster when nervous, so a talk that fits exactly in rehearsal often finishes early on the day — or runs long if you add asides. Mark the time at which each section should start on your notes, and plan which slide to skip if you fall behind.

Fitting the abstract

Paste your abstract to count its words against the conference limit: 150, 200, 250, 300 or 500. The counter shows how many words you are over or have to spare, and how long the abstract takes to read aloud — a useful check, since many talks open with a version of it.

When you run short or long

Decide in advance what to cut if you fall behind: usually a second example in the results, or a slide of background. If you finish early, do not fill the time with new material; take questions sooner. Chairs remember speakers who finish on time, and the people in the next session do too.

Related tools

Read a script from the screen with the Online Teleprompter, use a simple full-screen Countdown Timer, count words in a script with the Word Counter, or write the speaker introduction in the Bio Template Builder.