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Lightning talks agenda template (60 minutes)

Seven minutes goes fast. The hard stop is the point. Each talk gets the full time, and the room moves on whether or not the speaker finished. The real conversation is the open floor afterwards, where people can ask the questions the seven minutes didn't allow.

Topic Minutes Running total
Intro Set ground rules: seven minutes, hard stop, no questions during talks. Note the open floor afterwards. 3 3
Talk 1 Hard stop at seven minutes. Speakers know this. The boundary is what makes the format work. 7 10
Talk 2 Hard stop at seven minutes. Speakers know this. The boundary is what makes the format work. 7 17
Talk 3 Hard stop at seven minutes. Speakers know this. The boundary is what makes the format work. 7 24
Talk 4 Hard stop at seven minutes. Speakers know this. The boundary is what makes the format work. 7 31
Talk 5 Hard stop at seven minutes. Speakers know this. The boundary is what makes the format work. 7 38
Break Movement helps. Folks check their messages. You reset the room energy. 5 43
Open floor Questions, conversation, follow-up ideas. This is where the real discussion happens, not in the talks. 12 55
Close Thank the speakers. Note the ideas that landed. Say what happens next. 5 60

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Using BriefMe, create a 60-minute lightning talks session for 30 people: a 3-minute intro, five 7-minute talks with a 5-minute break in the middle, a 12-minute open floor, and a 5-minute close.

Questions

How long should lightning talks be?
The standard is five to seven minutes per talk. Seven minutes is generous enough for a real idea with one or two examples. Five minutes is tight but doable if speakers prepare. The hard stop is not a suggestion; it is load-bearing, so enforce it.
How many speakers should we have?
The number depends on your total time. Five talks of seven minutes each plus a three-minute intro and a twelve-minute open floor is one hour. Four talks with more break time suits a shorter slot. One or two talks works for a thirty-minute slot.
Where does the real conversation happen?
Not in the talks; in the open floor afterwards. Seven minutes is not nearly enough time for real questions, so protect the open floor. If your meeting ends when the final talk ends, people will come away with half-formed questions they never got to ask, and you miss the real value.

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