1. I would say the only thing you need to clarify is the objective

2. Then yes, take your time to go through the exhibit and again ask questions if something is not clear to you.

3. You have this one backwards. You focus on what's relevant to the main goal and then you use top-down communicattion. This is not about finding something “interesting" and then hopefully tying it back to the goal - this is about finding how the exhibit supports (or not) the recommendation. If you focus on the objective right from the start I guarantee you will be fast!

[Another advice I have is to avoid describing the slide. That is the most time-consuming thing candidates do, and it is not necessary. You only do this when you are having trouble reading the slide and want to confirm your interpretation.]

If after doing all of this, you still think that you still take a lot of time, it may be that you just take too long to understand the exhibits, because you are not used to doing it. In this case, you have to practice.

However, let me tell you that it can just be that your own expectations are wrong. An exhibit necessarily takes a bit of time. Take your time. Better to do it right than to do the mistake of starting to talk without knowing the insight you want to communicate.