First off, practice in the mirror a couple times.You’re probably talking too fast. So think about it, slow down, and work on your pauses. This is not just to draw out how long it takes. On the contrary, your audience needs time to process what you are saying.

Now, if you’re still hovering around 3 minutes, think about what info you’ve actually covered. Did you talk about his bands contribution to ‘grunge’. Compare or contrast his life with Eddie Veder and the success of Pearl Jam? What about Courtney Love? Did you go into their dysfunctional relationship. How about suicide and how heroin pushes mental unstable people to act on those emotions. Hell, just talk about how he brought back the brown button up sweater!

Sounds like you need to do some research. Try outlining the speech too. Don’t F this up…Kurt deserves your best effort. Good Luck.

Without reading your speech, or knowing what you have said about Cobain, it’s a little difficult to suggest how to expand it. However, what have you said about his music? Have you discussed the themes that he favors? Have you talked about his background, his early performances, and how he got his start? Is anything in his suicide note reflected in his music or in the lyrics he favored or wrote? How has his death affected those around him – his loved ones, his musical comperes, his fans?

If you go back through your speech, you may be able to include a few bars of his music in it – not that you have to play and sing, but perhaps you could use a 15 second clip from a video or a tape as an intro?

A few suggestions:

Slow it down. If you’re a fast talker, people might not understand you well and it will take longer

Bring in an object or visual aid that connects with your subject, and explain its significance.

Go into more detail, if this is just a biography about Kurt Cobain, add more information about backround, etc

Add a clever intro or closing. That will add up to a minute, I would say!

Good luck