Why & How To Speak To Time - In Your Local Club, Venues Away From Home Or Overseas

Why be early? You might find that people who arrive early are given a free drink. Or get first go at the buffet food.

You might miss the deadline for a contest. They might award a prize to those entering early.

Should you speak to time? Should a meeting start on time?

It helps to know the culture of a country. Some countries keep strictly to time. Eight a clock means start at eight and not one minute later. Eight means eight prompt, not after eight. 

In other countries time is elastic, rubber time, and eight means not before eight. Rubber time is also called Arabic time, Jewish time, and Polish time. 

In the USA, Californian cities are more relaxed, summer or holiday time. East coast USA, especially New York, is more businesslike, on time.

To clarify for attendees, it would help to say, doors open at 7.30, for a prompt start at 8. Alternatively, specify: doors open for 8, for a start around 8.30, when all speakers have arrived.

You also have to know whether proceedings will be delayed for latecomers. For having the majority present. To allow for the later arrival of an essential person, or VIP. 

Advantages Of being On Time

It is easier to list the disadvantages of running late. Some clubs and cultures start at the stated time. Why? For the benefit of those who are being collected on time, catching buses, last trains. Taxis might charge double after midnight, or be unobtainable. Other audience members need to get home because babysitters plan to leave on time. (The babysitter might charge double for an extra half hour, leave a baby or child alone in an empty house, or never work for you again). 

If you are a member of Toastmasters Internation fulfilling a 5-7 minute speech project, in theory it should be kept to time. However, occasionally the timing is absurd for the subject. Why is the speech on blogging only 3 minutes! You have to spend the first minute explaining what a blog is. After writing 8 posts, you are left with two minutes to talk about blogging.

However, as a general rule, the timing is a good discipline. In a contest if you are one minute over time, you get disqualified.

If a real life if a venue closes on the hour, you could upset the caretaker. You might be deliberately or accidentally locked in.

Outside Toastmasters, you have to know whether it is possible to go over time, or not. When I used to speak about travel on the radio, my section had to finish before the news which started on the hour. If I went over time, my microphone was cut off and the newsreader came on!

Solutions To Lateness & Absence

If you are running late, it is a courtesy to phone the organizer - also any others who might need to know.

If you fall ill, you could give a speech or slide show to somebody else to present.