Why Your Speeches Always Rush at the End: The Backwards Timing Method

Many speakers share this pain: spending too long on the intro, getting carried away, realizing time is short, and rushing the ending—or worse, getting cut off.

A weak ending is fatal. Audiences remember the beginning and end the most (Primacy and Recency Effects). A rushed conclusion ruins the entire speech.

Backwards Timing Method

Don't plan from the "start"; plan from the "end."

1. Total Time: E.g., 20 mins.
2. Lock the Ending: I need 2 mins for a powerful summary and Call to Action. This means I MUST finish the body at 18 mins.
3. Lock the Body: I have 3 points. Excluding intro/outro, each point gets ~5 mins.

Setting Up in PaceTimer

Use PaceTimer's segmentation to solidify this logic:

• Total Duration: 20 mins.
• Red Zone (End Warning): 18 mins.
  • When you see Red, stop expanding new content IMMEDIATELY and switch to summary.
• Yellow Zone (Progress Check): 10 mins.
  • Reminds you halfway through; you should be halfway done with your points.

With this setup, you place "road signs" in your speech. Seeing Red = Trigger Conclusion Routine. This becomes a reflex, curing "chronic overrunning" forever.