Back in 1988, Bill Clinton delivered an astonishingly long—36 minute—speech at the Democratic National Convention to endorse Michael Dukakis as the Democratic presidential nominee.
It was so long that in the final minutes when Clinton uttered the words, “In closing,” the crowd erupted with cheers. They were happy to hear he was on the verge of finishing. And that odd moment has not been forgotten.
We only have a short amount of time to land our message, to tell our story, and to persuade others. It doesn’t matter if you’re an employee, a CEO, or Bill Clinton, having a deep understanding of your audience is more than half the battle when trying to land a message.