The conclusion of a speech should be upbeat, robust, inspirational, and powerful. Often, an otherwise outstanding presentation becomes ineffective because of a weak or lackadaisical ending. As a speaker, making a lasting and positive impression on the audience is paramount, and a gigantic conclusion will go a long way in giving you the desired results.

I share with you here a few techniques you may use to close your speech (whichever type of speech) with impact:

Ask a rhetorical question. Ending an address with one or more questions relating to the topic brings the audience further into your speech, and they’re greater impacted by the content.

Tell a story. Stories are powerful. Good stories tied to your message are hugely impactful.
The story should be short; inspiring or humorous.

Utilize a quotation(s). A quotation adds authority (and a sense of research) to the subject matter. Say it with a strong voice; it validates you, as a speaker, to the audience.

Refer to the start of the speech. By doing this, you will remind audience members about the topic, and it reinforces the message you are delivering.

Call attendees to action. If the speech is intended to persuade or urge listeners to specifically do something, the conclusion is perfect for explaining what action the audience should take. An example of structuring the call to action could be: “In order to prevent _______________from happening, please______________today. I can guarantee that will result in__________________tomorrow and beyond!”

Summarize Main Points. Restate vital points presented in the body of the presentation. Doing so reinforces the message you want to get across and reminds the audience why they are there.

It is okay to memorize and polish the conclusion. After all, you want to come across as confident and knowledgeable; that in and of itself, adds impact. And remember to end before your allotted time expires. Relating to time, you must restrain yourself from adding last-second points or expanding too much on already – made good points and statements. If you forget something during the body of your speech, save it for the Question and Answer (Q & A) portion after your talk; and work it in while you’re answering a question. In conclusion, my desire is these speech closing techniques will strengthen and add impact to your future structured verbal utterances.

© 2017