A detailed guide on how to end a speech with impact and leave a lasting impression on your audience, with several strategies to craft your ending.
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Do you want to make a strong impression on the minds of your audience? Do you want you to be remembered positively in the long term? Then plan your last sentence! Yes, it is just that simple. Because what you say at the end of your presentation clearly decides what your audience will take away and how you feel about releasing them from the speech. The end of a lecture is therefore very important!
“Thank you for your attention. Do you have any questions? ”Many presentations end like this or something like that. Let’s be honest: It couldn’t be more boring, right? We want to make the best impression. Especially at the end of a speech you can really score again; create an effect that sounds positive. Maybe even win new customers or draw attention to you personally. So what should you avoid? And how can you finish your presentations and make the best impression?
So that you can use this valuable effect accordingly, here are a few tips on what it is better not to do.
Termination
It’s a shame if you die at the end of a presentation. The air is out, the energy has evaporated. “That was it!” or even a shrug with “Yes!” leaves a stale taste. Almost as if you yourself were very happy that the lecture is now over.
Not only the beginning of your speech is an important part. Listeners want to be entertained until the end – or to be shaken up again. Especially for your personal impression, you should think carefully about the ending of your speech or presentation before you even finish writing it.
Just like the beginning of your speech, the end of your presentation is also decisive for your impact. Even the last impression remains – stronger than the actual speech – in the memory of your audience.
Phrase of horror
“Thank you for your attention!” Do not use such an empty phrase. What do you say thank you for? If you’re good, the listeners are paying attention anyway. If you are not, then it is rather poor to say thank you that they did not run away.
Limitation
Don’t apologize and make yourself even smaller in the process. The sentence “Unfortunately I was only able to… ..” seems like a self-devaluation and you certainly don’t need that.
Uncertainty
“I hope I was able to give you at least one idea …” seems just as unsure and gives your audience the idea, that you may not be an expert in your field after all.
Counterproductive
“Thank you for coming.” Don’t hide your light under a bushel. Did your audience actually have to come? This rather shows how much or how little you think of yourself.
There are far better ways to finish your speech. Especially at the end you have the opportunity to direct the thoughts of your audience in a desired direction. So ask yourself: What should my audience do / know / think after the speech? What is my key message?
Depending on this, you can now formulate the desired exit from the presentation.
Strong sentence – core message
True to the motto “The first impression counts, the last impression remains.” Find your core message. If you want it to get stuck in your head, repeat it several times during the speech and then at the end. Barack Obama made a slogan out of this that will always be associated with him. “Yes, we can!”
Quote, picture
“Quotes that fit, always fit.” Find a quote or a picture that reflects your core message again. The advantage: You shine in the shadow of a recognized person – that in turn underlines your credibility.
Spark a thought
You can also send your audience home thoughtfully. If you manage to touch the hearts of your audience and trigger a thought process, then you have achieved something great. Then the conclusion can also be very quiet. It is therefore no less powerful.
The common thread as a tension arc
A thread that runs through your entire speech and that you refer to again and again is particularly suitable. This makes your speech look cohesive and also helps your audience to orientate themselves.
At the end, pick up the beginning again, echo the same words, finish telling the story you started with, or use the same example and complete it. You can also answer a question you asked at the beginning.
Appeal
f you want your audience to do something specific after the lecture, then say it specifically at the very end. An appeal is particularly effective through the power of the reverberation. However, do not persuade its effect by saying thank you or continuing to weaken the conversation afterwards. End powerfully and with a bang! “So I urge you to stand up and sign here today.”
Summary and wish / outlook
Combine your core statement with a wish for afterwards. “Now you have heard how … I wish you every success with it tomorrow”. Or “You now know the 3 secrets for … pay attention and get home safely.”
How to end a speech: case study examples
The following five ideas are illustrated using a small example. Let’s assume that we are giving a speech on environmental protection. Our core statement is that even small, individual measures can have an impact on improving environmental protection.
1. Take-home message
A classic but strong finish: you formulate a clear and precise take-home message that summarizes the core message of your presentation. In short: if the audience is supposed to remember one thing, this is it! It becomes particularly impressive if you clearly emphasize your take-home message and, for example, present a well-designed final slide.
Example: Environmental protection concerns us all! Even if it doesn’t seem like it sometimes, even small measures and changes can have a positive effect on the big picture!
2. A call-to-action
A similar approach is to ask the audience to do something. Clearly urge your audience to take the next step. In the case of a business presentation, whether that is the purchase or, for example, your own experiment, is up to you. It is only important that the audience knows what they should or can do now.
Example: Find a habit in your life that you can change to protect the environment!
3. Tell a story
We humans love stories and anecdotes. A final short story that takes up an individual case, for example, can be incredibly powerful. It will be particularly cool if you start the story in the introduction and only finish it at the end. In this way, a certain level of tension remains during the presentation.
Example: You could tell the story of a group of friends who started a cleanup during the #TrashTag Challenge .
4. Answering a question
This format works particularly well if you structure your presentation with key questions. At the end of the lecture, you consciously take two or three minutes to answer the question or questions that you raised during the lecture. In this way, you give your audience a little clarity and the good feeling of having found answers.
Example: During the lecture, you could ask the question whether saving paper, for example, can really change something. At the end of the presentation you answer this question again with a small statistic or a concrete example.
5. An impressive picture or video
Another, more creative, way to end a presentation is to show an impressive picture or video. This image should reach the audience on an emotional level and underline the core message of the lecture. Ideally, you don’t have to say much about the picture or video. One or two concise and explanatory closing sentences should suffice.
Example: At the end of the presentation, you could show a timelapse video of a changing region. Combined with a take-home message, this image could show that it is time to act.
When the end is not the end…
No matter how you end your speech: it must be clear that the speech is now over!
However, there is one exception, especially in the academic environment. If your presentation is followed by a question and answer session, your speech must work in such a way that the question and answer session can follow naturally. In order to do this, there is a conclusion that raises questions and encourages the audience to discuss.
If you want to play in the premier league, you design your ending in such a way that it throws questions and discussion impulses into the room that suit you.
… and the end that comes after the end.
If you talk to your audience after your speech or take part in a drink with canapés, this is part of your speech. Your audience still sees you as the speaker. You’re still in the middle of the show. How you behave and what you say goes on your speaker rating account. You should only switch off completely when you are in another place.
The way a good speech begins, it should end. The best impression doesn’t happen by chance. It needs preparation. Because it works. Don’t we all want to create a lasting memory of ourselves – a positive one, of course?
