5 Tips For A Successful Ending To Your Presentation

Although every part of a presentation is important, the ending is especially relevant for how the audience will remember you. Even the very best presentations are only as good as their ending.
Here are 5 helpful tips to make the ending of your presentation outstanding.

1.) Focus on your audience – they are the center of your presentation

Your presentation should convey something new to the audience so that they learn, internalize and then share with others. Consider yourself to be like a yoda, guiding your audience through various obstacles and leading them to draw a final conclusion. For your audience to own the conclusion it is much more effective to include them by using a phrase such as, “We can conclude that,” instead of “I conclude.” Make sure that your ending doesn’t merely revolve around you and avoid the first person singular. Consider the following questions:

• What do I want the audience to understand? What is the main message and how can I present it in the most understandable way?
• How do I want the listener to feel?
• How can I convey a sense of unity to help make my audience feel more included?
• How will the audience remember my presentation? Address the audience personally and use phrases like “now we know that…” or “now we can be clear that.” The more you empathize with the audience, the more you’ll be able to transfer your content.

2.) Let the speech talk for itself

Be confident of yourself and of your presentation! The people won’t listen to you if they aren’t interested in what you have to say. Avoid phrases like, “I hope you liked my presentation,” or “I hope you learned that,” or “I hope it wasn’t too boring for you.” Even if you’ve gotten a good response in the past with using such comments, it won’t work in your favor. Fishing for affirmation will make you seem unprofessional and will give the impression that you depend on outside acknowledgment. Even the best presentation faces the risk of ending on a negative note.

3.) Don’t announce the end – it’ll reveal itself

Try not referring to the ending, for it will seem like…

…you want your presentation to end
…you want to release the audience from listening to you
…you are not even convinced about the topic of your presentation and are bored yourself

The audience will lose interest in your presentation as soon as you call attention to your ending. Instead, focus on summarizing the essentials and leading them to a conclusion.

4.) Develop an effective and powerful final sentence – don’t end with thank you

Many people end with thanking their audience and inherently, there is nothing wrong with being appreciative of the audience’s time. However, it is a weak close and often only used because the speaker didn’t prepare an ending, so it is the only way to signal to the audience that they’re finished.

Your final words will be food for your audience to chew on. It is your final chance to convey your message and leave a lasting mark. If the closing were to be the only thing the audience remembered, you probably wouldn’t want to leave behind a thank you, but rather some kind of call to action after your presentation, like “invest in your future” or “join our organization.” To make your last sentence influential, consider these tips:

• Keep the last sentence short and clear.
• Check the consistency in style of the last sentence and the rest of the presentation.
• Try to evoke a positive atmosphere with your final words.
• Give a lasting send-off that sticks with your audience.
  
  

5.) New thoughts cause trouble

Avoid introducing something new! After an almost successful ending, you don′t want to cause confusion at the very last moment by bringing in new aspects. This will only distract from the leading conclusion you are trying to convey. If there are further thoughts that are important to your topic, just integrate them before the end of your presentation. That way, new aspects won′t be wasted and the ending will be focused on the essential topic.

A good presentation functions while a great ending convinces.