21/10/2022
Dear Entrepreneurs; you'll never be given enough time to explain.
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There was a time some years ago, I was asked to explain an innovative idea to a comprehensive level in 2 minutes on a podium facing over sixty audience. In my mind, I wanted all the audience to understand what I've already prepared on my PowerPoint and that was my biggest mistake - yes, because I tried too hard, trying to beat the time and conveying my points as succinct as possible.
It was an innovative idea, it's a new idea, new things are not easy to understand and yes, it'll be difficult to quickly grasp for people especially when they don't know anything about the industry you're talking from.
I did my best, I fumbled as I could but out of the over sixty audience I was talking to in that hall on that day only one person, just one of the judges was able to understand exactly what I was talking about, he even called me after the competition and told me never to let the idea die, he was the only one who gave me my deserving scores.
Here is what baffles me, on this same podium where innovative ideas were supposed to be explained in 2 minutes, the hired MC was talking nonstop for over 45 minutes at least at every interval he picked the microphone.
We spent more than 5 hours in the hall, we were 10 selected contestants out of 300 entrepreneurs who submitted their ideas, and we only collectively spoke for 45 minutes max plus the 5 minutes time given to the final 3 contestants picked from the 10 of us.
An MC was allowed all the time to speak, but the people who were supposed to actually speak were given just 2 minutes - to make sense out of something new to people who have no idea about what you're talking about.
I learnt something on that very day and it was the fact that you'll never be given enough time to explain, it's your responsibility to use the time available to make your points and that could change everything.
