Your ending should be as strong as your beginning.
Can your audience pass a quiz on what you said three weeks from now?
What’s your takeaway?
Do they know what you want them to do?
Don’t get caught just winding down and stopping when you think you are done. That is an opportunity missed. You may only get one shot, so be sure to WOW them at the end.
Five Ways To End Strongly
- SUM UP YOUR MESSAGE
Example: “So it all comes down to this…We still have time to close the R&D gap. It won’t be easy. But if we act now we could be back on par with the rest of the industry in just three months, and leading the field again in two years…” - LOOP BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL DEVICE
Such as a rhetorical question. Example: “So if I were to ask you again what keeps you up at night, I hope you can see what I see…The real enemy isn’t (A) or (B) or even (C). The real enemy is (D). And this is our last chance – right now – to do something about it and set things right.” - CALL FOR ACTION
Example: “So I’m asking you to budget whatever it takes to get this company back on its feet. I’m asking you to reclaim our legacy of creativity, innovation and technical leadership. And I’m asking you to do it NOW so we can be up and running again by the end of the year.” - PROJECT INTO THE FUTURE
The cue here is: “So where do we go from here?” Then you tell them where we go: “I see a very different company just two years from now. I see (A) and (B) and (C). But first we’ve all got to get behind the arrowhead to get this great institution back on track.” - BAD NEWS/GOOD NEWS
Acknowledge weaknesses in your position to defuse potentially hostile questions. Example: “It’s true that the new venture will have upfront costs…and it’s true that it may take months to assemble a team. And it’s even true that we may already be too late. But most importantly it’s also true that this could be our last chance. That’s why we’ve got to act now.”
NEXT: Building the great presentation is like building a house. Next I’ll show you how to lay your Foundation.
