The number one problem in most communication of most people is that they data dump. Whether you are giving a speech, you are in a job interview, you are in a face to face meeting, or any place else, the number one problem most people have is that they just have too much information and points.
This is also the number one problem with PowerPoint presentations. The famous author Mark Twain once said, “ I am sorry I wrote you a long letter. I did not have time to write you a short letter.” He is absolutely right. It takes more time to think about what to say and what to leave out, what to edit out and what to write in.
This is one of the reasons that the TED talk series is so successful. It is because there is a time limit of 18 minutes so a lot of speakers who are smart and intelligent and used to speaking for an hour or two normally, give thought to how they can narrow things down and eliminate the fluff so they can focus on just one big idea and a few supplementary ones.
So whether you are giving a speech or a presentation you must always think about how you can narrow it down to the most important points. Do not give people a hundred reasons for why they are wrong or why they have to do what you want them to do. You can give some extra information through a memo, an email, or a book, but do not sit there and speak to them about it for hours.