Call it an occupational hazard, or simply genuine curiosity, but I keep statistics on every single talk I watch. Alongside the numbers, I note down the kind of opening and the kind of ending each speaker chooses.
And here is the sad truth. The endings I am about to share with you are in the minority. Far more common is the great classic: the presenter who, fumbling and sometimes stammering, notes in some confusion that there do not seem to be any questions, and thereby brings the whole thing to a close. Based on the good presentations I have watched, these are the three most popular ways to finish, and they are worth stealing.
- Tie the bag shut. End by looping back to your opening. Say what you are going to say, say it, then say what you have said. When the last line answers the first, the whole talk feels complete.
- The quote. End with a quotation that frames your message and puts its finger on the single most important thing you wanted to say. A well-chosen line lends your point weight and lets someone else's words carry it home.
- The challenge. End by challenging your audience to do something, to change something. Send them out of the room with a task, and your message keeps working long after you have stopped speaking.
Any one of these beats trailing off into an awkward silence. So next time, decide how you will land before you ever stand up. The ending is the part they walk out remembering.
Want to become a better presenter?
This is a short piece from David's knowledge bank. To go deeper, the best places are a keynote, a course, or one to one coaching.