What are the best ways to end your speech and leave a lasting impression?

Summarizing can feel like going backwards. I like to spin forwards —?helping audiences think about how to implement everything I just told them. My final segment starts with a slide that says "WHAT NEXT?" —?and because my talk is about how to identify new opportunities in times of change, I talk to them about the challenges they'll face as they implement the things I discussed with them, and a practical exercise to use during times of doubt. In this way, I leave the audience thinking forward... and ready to put into practice what I shared.

You have to go out with a bang! Make sure you save your best story for the climax and then summarise your main thrust in 2 or 3 sentences. Leave the audience asking for more!!! And there is a well known saying, "Always finish speaking before your audience has finished listening!!!"

I like to end my speech with a call to action that is energizing and inspiring. I speak to advance gender equality in leadership roles and so I always end my speech by asking the women to opt into the leadership pipeline and never allow anyone or any circumstance to derail them from achieving their leadership potential so together we can achieve gender equality in leadership roles.

Because a true motivational or inspirational presentation/speech/keynote is designed to make people feel and/or think differently (vs an educational industry presentation), I like to close the loop on the story I opened with, adding a statement of conviction.

Summarize the entire speech in a way that it Connect with your audience and make a lasting impact. And then move forward to leave the audience think about your speech even after you and they have left....

I like to leave them with two things; first, something to do next, whether it’s a change in action or behaviour, and second, something to think about. This is meant to be something that gets internalized and often makes more sense after some self reflection.

Ich beende gerne mit "Hausaufgaben": Was jeder und jede ab Montag ?ndern kann. Hier fasse ich das Gesagte mit einfachen Ma?nahmen zusammen, die schnell umgesetzt werden k?nnen. Ob das geschieht oder nicht - ich rege zum Nachdenken an, dass Ver?nderungen bei jedem pers?nlich anfangen.

I like to empower my audience. To make them feel that now that they have a new knowledge they have a new responsibility too. “Knowledge is power only when is used in a meaningful way.” It's time for them to decide how they will use it…

I call this way of ending "The Charge". It's what you send them home with to take action on. It's the big idea. You recap or summarize the 3 main points. Then you transition to the charge. That's when you summon every ounce of your energy & charisma. You are completely engaged in the present moment. You speak with conviction. It's the epic moment of the speech. You are sending them home on a high note. That's the high note in the keynote. If done right, you will get a standing ovation. In my case, I would guarantee a standing ovation, especially after the 911 attack. That's said, spend hours practicing the ending. In fact, start with that. Then you construct the body of the speech. As the saying goes, start with the end in mind.

Big fan of ending talks with gratitude and actionable takeaways. Always try to show a quick thanks to the platform giving an opportunity to share your perspective and direct audience to support them in addition to anything you might be promoting. That should be a very small piece though. The bigger emphasis should be on some tangible tasks or shifts in behavior that the audience can use to further the ideas you shared in your talk. "A specific mindset shift in Y when doing X activity" OR "find a few minutes to incorporate Y into your workflow so you can achieve X results."

The best way to wrap up a speech is to inspire your audience and give them an action to take that will change their life in a small but impactful way. So, it's not about me, but about them. It's the best way to leave a lasting impression and build a bond with them.

I Always end my workshop with a story of my experience. In fact I also start with a story as well. That end story full of emotional connection will surely stay in the audience mind while the starting story makes sure it rings a knowledge Bell in their mind.

One thing i found impactful when ending a speech is to reinforce an inspiring personal quote through a slide with a strong visual of myself speaking and delivered with expressive body language. This combination of visual and auditory while sharing an inspirational quote can close a speech with power and can make you more memorable.

Everyone gets enough information. Almost none of us gets enough inspiration. Many times I'll use the last few sentences to give a mini-motivational message.

Yes and no. Yes, end on a quote. Great advice. No. Don't use someone else's quote. Then you are remembered as the person quoting someone else rather than an original thinker. Being an original thinker will generate you a greater following and give your words more impact. Here's the thing... it's not hard to create your own quote. Bring up a great quote that you admire. Quote it. Then add 'You know, that might work well for others but for people like us, if we just change one word it becomes much more effective for us.' Make your small change. You have now added value and connected your name with a well-known name. It's a win-win.

As a coach first, I like to end with a question where it fits. This allows the listener to think of how everything they have heard now applies to them in specific ways. When we hear or see things our subconscious mind has registered information. Having questions to tackle allows the mind to use "information for transformation". As a coach first, transformation of the listener is my ultimate goal.

Put your rhetorical question on steroids! Here's how... Make your rhetorical question the key message that you want your audience to take away. Now keep repeating throughout the talk. It doesn't have to be in question form though. It could be phrased -as a statement. -as an action then finally as a question. You can have fun with this too by encouraging/orchestrating your audience to join in with you saying it. You start off saying your key phrase then stop actually saying the words, now encouraging the audience via hand gestures and facial cues to finish the sentence.

I like to end with a rhetorical question and/or a challenge especially when talking about advocating for your health. Health is so important so I like to challenge the audience to think about what I said and take action. Your health is so important!

Ask Thought-Provoking Questions: Stimulate reflection by posing thought-provoking questions that encourage your audience to consider new perspectives or take action. Engaging with your listeners through questions can spark dialogue and deepen the impact of your speech.

Trigger the human side with an emotion-inducing link between your topic and the impact it will make on their lives. If the audience feels like the time they just invested will have an impact on their future beyond exiting the room, then you’ve succeeded.

The crux of a motivational talk is to instill lasting thoughts in the audience, spurring reflection and action. Utilizing the Peak-End Rule, a psychological notion by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, is key. This rule posits that people assess experiences by their peak and end, not their entire span. It's a prism for retrospective evaluation, anchoring memory to the talk's climax and conclusion. Implementing this rule, sculpting a resonant peak, and crafting a memorable end amplifies your message's impact. Whether it's 'Closing the Loop', sparking engagement with a strong 'Call to Action' or encapsulating key points succinctly, aligning your finale with the audience's emotional and intellectual pulse leaves a lasting, transformative imprint.

I'm a believer in a bookend approach. Having a strong opening and close that connect tends to have a strong effect. I like a set up, pay off. So if I open with "Finding your place in the world is like finding the right pair of shoes...." Then wraping with "You will find your path. And when you do, you'll know you've found a shoe that truly fits!"

...and there is one thing to remember after your final words... STOP face the audience directly and S-M-I-L-E -whether you are bowing -whether you stand with hands extended (called the applause cue) -whether you press your palms together in the universal thankyou gesture You must smile. This is your final snapshot in people's minds. Just think for a moment; which photos do you respond to more positively... smiling or unsmiling? :-)

Remind them of the one takeaway. "if you don't recall anything about this talk other than the following, you'll be ahead of the game..." You could then throw in something that will get a laugh. And follow up with the true key takeaway. Adding humor will get them to pay more attention to the next thing you say.

I like to end with the working method: Triple What. The audience must first decide for itself: What?; what have I heard that I take away from this lecture? Then: So What?; why am I taking this with me, why is it so important? Finally: Now What?; What am I going to do with this now? This takes about 2 minutes. I then let them discuss this with the neighbor or, depending on the time, in groups. Advantage: people specifically determine what they are going to take with them and what they are going to do next. But even more important: they also hear from fellow listeners what they bring with them and the reason for it, which can then also teach them lessons. I finish by asking the audience their lessons.

I like to add here one parting reminder of the one big point that I want them to walk away with. "If there is just one thing I want you to remember from this presentation, it's this..." Reinforcing this at the end helps them walk away not just entertained, but with the most important point I made to them.

I like to start the speech with a story and a challenge. I remind the audience how valuable their time is and that this can be 30-45 minutes that is wasted or they can truly make it productive by focusing, being here, and looking for 1-2 things they can do differently after my talk. Then, I conclude by asking them to think about how they will use those 1-2 things to improve their leadership.

I always end with empowering the audience - "What stuck with you?" And encourage them to write it down on a sticky note, text themselves, share on social media, etc. All too often we attend an inspiring talk or workshop and walk out feeling changed. And, then, life happens and we forget and we fall into the same old - sometimes within moments. So, helping them CHOOSE what they are taking away and figuring out how to help it stick a smidge and lead to more sustainable change is how I like to wrap it up - or rather, let the audience wrap it up for themselves.

Forget summarizing. If you did your job they know your main points. Instead, and taking a note from great comedians, end with a great emotion driven story that leaves the audience on a high with a compelling point. Right when the story ends say “Thank you” to signal that you are finished. It may seem abrupt but if your last story is great it will leave the audience wanting more as opposed to begging for it to end.