Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson's well-known sidekick, used to say that a good dinner speech should be no longer than around 17 minutes. I've written longer ones, shorter ones, and several around the length Ed suggests. The determining factor depends on the occasion, the caliber of the speaker and the topic being covered.

We deplore long wedding speeches, eulogies (unless they're really good), and Oscar acceptance speeches. Most wedding speeches I've seen, including ones I've done as groom and best man, are under three minutes. These speeches need to be warm, light, funny if possible, and contain that special emotional quality that distinguishes the occasion. Most of all, they need to be short. That's about a page and a half double spaced.

Writing a business speech can be different. So much depends on the amount of ground that has to be covered. One way I like to determine length is as follows. I'll write the draft of a speech, read it over and make corrections. Then I'll print out a revised version and set it aside for a while. I'll then come back to it with one aim. Cut it by 25%. That is a very interesting exercise. Can you reduce what you've written without losing any of the content or the essence? When you force yourself to be concise, it is amazing how much you can cut. So a 22 minute speech can come down to 17 minutes. Ed McMahon would be pleased.

Much depends on the audience. What can they handle? What can they tolerate? If you cannot hear a pin drop during a presentation, it means that the speaker has captured their attention. Coughs, shuffling chairs, glancing around, all indicate that attention is wavering. A great speech, full of interesting information and intriguing stories can hold an audience for half an hour or more. A speech that fails to spark attention is too long at eight minutes. What is your criterion?

I suggest that in crafting a business speech you aim for 15 to 17 minutes. If you've done your homework, and the speaker has played around with it to his or her satisfaction, and assuming that the speaker knows the audience, there's no reason why it cannot be done within that time frame. Under reasonable conditions it's not too long or too short, contains valuable information, and the audience doesn't have time to get bored or restless.

There are some who claim that a speech should be as long as it needs to be. I think that's dangerous. It allows writers to cover every possible argument without worrying about how the audience will react. They claim that the audience needs to have all the information. The inevitable result is that the audience tunes out. My suggestion is to follow Ed McMahon's advice. Keep it concise, keep it short, and keep your audience.

Neil Sawers develops books and e-books on business writing to help you grow your business. He is a strong supporter of entrepreneurs, small business and students in business and entrepreneurial programs. To discover how you can write more effective and compelling speeches for your business, begin by downloading the free chapter on The Discovery Process available at:=> http://www.how-to-write-proposals.com. This chapter contains key tools and concepts that are useful in any writing you're called on to do. Check it out.