How To End A Presentation To Make A Lasting Impression (9 Techniques)
This blog provides creative ideas on how to end a presentation with a punch. Studies show that when people try recalling information, they usually recall the beginning and the end. Therefore, you must leave an impact on the audience with a strong closing statement. A weak ending can leave the audience unenthused and uninspired; they may even forget your message within a few hours. But a strong ending motivates and empowers. It encourages people to take action.
So how to end a presentation well? Here are a few techniques you can try -
- End your presentation on time
- Close with a clear cut ending
- Conclude your speech with a story
- Come full circle at the end of your presentation.
- Use the title close technique.
- …Always a high note, always the high road
- A sound bite
- A quick presentation recap
- End with a strong visual image
End your presentation on time
Sounds like a no brainer? You will be surprised how many people struggle with this seemingly basic idea. At the root of it lies a tendency to cram too much content and then hurry through to the end, often straying beyond the allotted time slot.
Being on time communicates to the audience that you respect their time and leave an impression about you being organized and well planned.
Some tactical tips
Remember, the professional presentation's ending time includes any Q&A and discussion time, so the audience has the space for interactivity.
At the beginning of the meeting, you should state your intention to end on time and ask for audience cooperation. This includes agreeing to put side topics/conversations into a parking lot, recognizing when the deviations from the core topic occur, etc.
In the end, when you do successfully end on time, be sure to remind the audience of the fact that you ended on time and thank them for their cooperation.
Close with a clear cut ending
It is indeed a weird moment when the audience is unsure whether you have ended the presentation and transitioned into a general drift of conversations or, worse, an awkward silence. Be sure to include a definitive statement to let the audience know that your presentation has arrived at its final destination. This can be a clear cut, ‘thank you!’,’ With this, my presentation comes to a close,’ a wave, a bow, but let it be a clear-cut indication that this is the end and the audience is free to leave the discussion.
Conclude your speech with a story
Storytelling is often underutilized as a tool to leave an impact towards the end of PowerPoint presentations. While there is a lot of literature on the art of storytelling (See our own post here), clever use of stories to conclude the presentation can powerfully and in emotional ways reinforce your core messages and make these memorable.
Towards the end, you do want the story to be relatively brief and can start with a statement like “Let me end my presentation on a personal note….”
Come full circle at the end of your presentation.
Give the audience a sense of closure by referencing your opening message at the end. It gives the audience a feeling of coherence and consistency.
You will need to plan for this ahead of time, though. Some tips and ideas:
- Pose a question which you answer at the end
- Tell a story in the beginning but leave it unfinished until the end.
- Repeat the first slide, this work especially well with powerful images or quotes
- Reference a comment someone in the audience made and connect it to the closure.
