How can you confidently end a speech on a high note?

I recommend leaving with something that makes people smile. Not necessarily a joke, but something that leaves them remembering you contributed to joy, and added value to their lives. I always think you should end a speech with a smile because it's the last thing someone will remember about what you delivered.

Avoid overwhelming your audience with unnecessary details or introducing new information. Instead, focus on reinforcing key takeaways, leaving them with a solid understanding of your message that they can remember and apply. This not only enhances your credibility but ensures that your audience leaves with a clear and impactful understanding of your speech.

Recently I tried a new way of ending a presentation and that was to use a quote. It wasn’t a quote from a historical figure or someone in the legal profession I am in. I pulled a quote from the lyrics of a song by BTS! I found that landed well with such a great reaction amongst the attendees and they repeated it later to me. Subsequently when the host posted an article about the event on LinkedIn, that quote was a key part of what was mentioned. I ended on a high note and made me a more memorable experience.

My favourite formula for a successful speech is hook-story-CTA. Strong and inspirational CTA is essential to wrap up your speech and be remembered by your audience. People naturally tend to forget the middle part, but they remember the beginning and the end more vividly. Use it! I, for one, love to challenge the audience to do something as my CTA.

Appealing to their intellect matters, of course, but by experience, I’ve learned that a lasting walk away impact needs to be something part visceral, part heartfelt. IOW, make ‘em “feel” it to their gut.

Here’s a tip that took me way too long to realize. Before you give your last story/point, tell people how to reach you or contact you (I like to put up a slide with a QR code). Then close with your last point. That way, you can close with a memorable thought rather than a “here’s how to keep in touch with me.”

I find ending a speech with a question has been effective in not only making the event memorable, but also encouraging attendees to reach out after the event ends. This invites them to continue the discussion, perhaps with more confidence as they aren’t taking center stage to ask questions. I’ve made many friends this way as well!

One of my favorite techniques is to use a callback. Finish a story you began earlier in the talk, and you'll close a loop and make the audience feel like they've been on a journey with you.

A great speech feels like two way conversation. Your audience wants to feel connection and be part of the conversation. People want to feel the passion and be moved. Create a safe place for people to engage, ask questions, and value their feedback. There is even an opportunity for you to learn too!

When you invite feedback, you need to ask open-ended questions. Don't ask, "Did everyone learn something today?" That's most likely a leading question and people will often say yes just to be kind. Ask something along the lines of, "What's something interesting you learned from this speech and what's something that wasn't clear from this speech"? If you want answers, you need to ask questions where you'll actually get answers.

Make sure you know the rules of engagement: how much time do you have? One of the worst things that can happen to you is that you are rushed in the end, forced to condense your carefully crafted speech, takeaways and conclusion in just 1-2 sentences… that you probably deliver stumbling over the words. Rehearse and time yourself. It might be better to end early, but posed and graceful, than to use up every second and leave your audience stressed!

Always have an *adaptable* exit strategy. Time schedules change, technical difficulties occur, etc. Ensure that regardless of those issues, you are able to graciously close out your speech and walk away. Always alway always (!) thank the audience for listening and the event team for trying to solve the issue – even if they didn't try! To the best of your ability, always come up with some contingency endings: 5 minutes for a 45+ minute presentation, 3 minutes for 20-45 minutes, and 1 minute or 30 seconds for anything shorter are often decent benchmarks to prepare for closing out the presentation quicker than you may have liked or planned!

The beginning and the ending of your speech are the parts you need to practice the most. Most people understand the importance of the first impression and how hard it is to change it. However, very few people truly understand the importance of the LAST impression. You want to make sure that your ending is flawless. It is not the time to stumble on your words and then politely utter: "I guess that's it, thanks so much" - as it ruins everything you've built to that point. You want to make sure that you finish your talk confidently and on a high note. You also want to make sure that your last words are so clear and purposeful that every single person in the audience knows that it's the actual end, increasing your chance of big applause.

Once your speech is drafted, copy/paste your conclusion by your opening assertions. - Do your conclusions pair to your opening questions/assertions? - Does your roadmap accurately describe the requisite steps from opening to conclusion? - Is your conclusive portion aligned to that with which you should open, and be able to draw additional points. Additionally, be sure to include what further investigations would add to the support of, detract from, or if it is unknown how such further data or insights would affect your conclusions. This will help you get in front of and prepare for questions and critiques, as well as demonstrate your competency on the subject matter and acknowledgment that if further work that would benefit the topic.

End with a memorable image, and caption, literally and/or describe it, either a new one or one you used in your talk if you used slides.

A perfect way to end a speech is by closing the loop of your presentation. i.e. you summarise key takeaways or concepts shared in the presentation, followed by an action item(s) and a story that has a relatable lesson for each person in the audience. This helps your audience to refresh your presentation, connect it with an action item i.e how they can implement it in their daily life with a dose of inspiration through story.