Here's how you can end a presentation and make a lasting impact.

To end a presentation and make a lasting impact, I always summarize the key take-home messages concisely. Using relevant quotes also resonates with the audience. I aim to leave the audience with thought-provoking ideas to ponder after the presentation. Expressing gratitude is crucial, so I thank everyone who helped me in my work and the audience for their time and attention. This approach not only reinforces the main points but also leaves a memorable impression, encouraging further reflection and engagement.

Tying in something personal at the end can be very impactful. It can be your story or a story you found personally compelling. Connecting with your audience whether it's through someone you know, that has implemented something you were speaking about or that has been helped by it can really stick with the audience long after the rest of the presentation has faded away. Think about the best commercials you have ever seen - what made them memorable? A jingle, something that was funny? The situation and story that was shown? Figure out how to share that in the 15-30-60 seconds of a good commercial and you can wrap up on a high note!

The most important part of presenting is the opening and closing statements. Most well prepared presentations fail because of a lousy start and finish. Interestingly Many audiences remember mostly the opening and the closing statements. Psychologists term this the ‘primacy-recently’ effect which is the effect of remembering the first few words and the last words. If our minds have been developed that way , we must ensure therefore that our opening and closing statements are indeed catchy and resonating with the audience.

People will forget what you said, but they will recall stories you told and how they felt hearing them when they recall them later. Think about the story/stories you can share and how they make you feel - share them properly and your audience will feel and remember those feeling for a long time!

More important than your closing statement is your opening statement, that will dictate how the rest of the presentation will unfold. As a finishing line, you want to give room for discussing and, after exchanging ideas, wrapping up with clear next steps.