Just like you only get one chance to make a first impression, the same is true about leaving a lasting impression with your closing. How you open determines whether the audience is likely to listen to the rest of your speech. How you close determines what they are likely to remember (and do) after it.
What not to do
Let’s start with the things you shouldn’t do:
Be cut off – it is important you stick to the time you’ve been given. Practice to make sure your presentation can be delivered within the time limits. If you run out of time, you won’t get that chance to make that lasting impression.
Don’t end – having gone to the effort of presenting, it’s surprising how many people do not conclude effectively. They have spent all their time passionately talking about the topic, then end with something along the lines of “erm…yeah…that’s about it”.
End with “thank you” – you are giving a presentation for a reason. In most instances, because you have been asked to do so. Generally the audience don’t need to be thanked for listening to you. They should be thanking you. If you really feel the need to thank the audience, make sure it is not the very last thing you say. Often people feel the need to say thank you to signal they’ve finished. If you finish strongly, and then stop speaking, the ending should speak for itself.
Closing strong
Remind the audience what you’ve said – one of the most common ways to end is to summarise the key points of what you’ve just presented. What are the most important things that the audience should remember from your presentation? Repetition is a important method of learning. Repeating the core messages throughout your speech will make it more likely the audience will remember it.
Call to action – what is it that you want your audience to do as a result of the presentation? Tell them! It might be “you should award me the contract…”, “you should change the way you do this…”, “you should sign up to do that…”.
Link back to the start – Just as there are many ways to open a presentation (statistics, stories, jokes, quotes or shocking statements), there are many ways to close. Ensure that the way you close matches the tone of the rest of the presentation. It can be powerful if you’ve opened in a certain way, to mirror that in the way you close.
How you close your presentation will depend on its purpose, core message and style. Ensuring your finish is congruent and strong will mean your audience remembers you. They are therefore also more likely to act as you would like them to do as a result of what you’ve said.
Photo by Mikkel Jönck Schmidt on Unsplash
