Thinking about whether the projection screen at an upcoming speech was the proper size for the size of the group or room may have crossed my mind once or twice, but to be honest, I pretty much assumed that the event planner would know the right size based on the intended audience. I guess I should have been more circumspect, since I have had to make last minute adjustments (fortunately, only minor in nature) to a screen’s location to accommodate my presentation.

After seeing a recent post by Tom Antion of Great Public Speaking that contained a screen size approximation chart, based on the size of an audience, it gave me a whole new perspective. He credits B&H Photo for the chart.

Here it is:

3-5 people – 21 inches diagonal (53.34 cm)
5-9 people – 29 inches diagonal (73.66 cm)
10-15 people – 37 inches diagonal (93.98 cm)
16-35 people – 60 inches diagonal (152.4 cm)
36-50 people – 72 inches diagonal (182.88 cm)
51-140 people – 120 inches diagonal (304.8 cm)
141-220 people – 150 inches diagonal (381.0 cm)
221-390 people – 200 inches diagonal (508.0 cm)
391+ people – 300 inches diagonal (762.0 cm)

I definitely plan to add it to my “speeches” file for future reference, and to share with my host organizations. Thanks for the tip, Tom.