YOU CAN’T SAY EVERYTHING

In just eighteen minutes, David Christian told the history of everything. From the Big Bang to the internet, his TED Talk, The History of Our World in 18 Minutes, covered 13.8 billion years.

He didn’t include every detail. He couldn’t.

Instead, he chose what mattered most to his audience so they could understand the big picture.

That’s what great presenters do.

If everything is important, nothing stands out.

The real skill lies in deciding what to leave out.

Many presenters take the opposite approach. They fill every slide with content – just in case. They try to cover everything, worried someone might ask, “Why didn’t you include that?”

But clarity requires selection.

You only have so much time and attention to work with.

If you’ve got twenty minutes, use them well. Focus on the few points that matter most.

Ask yourself: Why these? Why now?

Choosing what not to say is part of the job.

In fact, it is the job.

Timeless Presenter, my new book on the principles of communication that never expire, will be released soon.

If you’d like to be notified when it’s out, you can join the early access list here.