A speaker needs to see time passing without being distracted by it. This page shows a big, calm countdown and changes colour as the end approaches.
Features for speakers
- Amber at two minutes, red at one. A short message ("Two minutes left", "One minute left: wrap up") appears above the digits.
- Overtime counter. At zero the display counts how far you have run over, in red (+00:30). Switch this off under More options if you prefer it to stop.
- Silent mode. Switch the sound off for a talk. The colours still change.
- Full screen. Show it on a laptop on the lectern or the screen at the back of the room, where the speaker can see it but the audience is not distracted.
- Presets from 2 to 20 minutes and any custom length.
Practising a talk
- Run it once out loud with the stopwatch to learn your natural length.
- Cut to fit. If you are two minutes over, cut a section, not words from every sentence.
- Mark your slides with the time you should reach them.
- Run it again with the countdown and notice where you are when each warning appears.
- Plan the ending. Know your last sentence. Many talks overrun because the ending is improvised.
Running a timekeeper role
If someone else keeps time, give them a copy of the share link from More options (with the length and label), for example a 7 minute timer labelled Speaker 1. They can start it when the speaker begins and show the screen or give hand signals. For a quick timed activity in a lesson, use the classroom timer.
Fixed lengths: 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes.
Traffic-light timing and this timer
Many speaking clubs signal time with green, yellow and red lights. As described in club timer scripts (details differ between clubs), for a 5 to 7 minute speech the green light is at 5 minutes, yellow at 6 and red at 7. Those lights usually count up from zero.
This timer counts down and uses two warnings instead. To match a 5 to 7 minute speech:
| Club signal | Time elapsed | Time left on a 7:00 countdown |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 5:00 | 2:00 (amber warning appears) |
| Yellow | 6:00 | 1:00 (red warning appears) |
| Red | 7:00 | 0:00 (alarm, then overtime counter) |
The colours do not map one-to-one, but the moments match. Check your club's rules before relying on any timer in a contest.