My #1 Tip for Ending a Speech or Presentation

You know that feeling when you’ve bashed out 2,000 words of perfect prose and you get to the last paragraph and you have NO IDEA what to write?!

This post is here to help.

Whenever I’m stuck with how to end a speech I go back to the beginning.

Yes, it really is that simple.

I’m going to make the bold assumption that you started with some killer statistic, story, or anecdote to grab the audience’s attention. If that’s the case, come back to it.

Remind the audience of where you started.

Let’s say you started by sharing an anecdote about a moment that changed your life. Come back to it! You could say something like…

That moment that I shared with you was ten years ago now, but whenever I sit down to type a speech I’m reminded of those wise words from my mentor… [Insert key message or call to action.]

Or let’s say you started with the stat that nearly 75% of the population suffers from glossophobia - the fear of public speaking and then you talked about how to overcome it. You could say something like…

Every time I get on stage I know that at least 75% of the audience knows just how scary what I’m doing is. If you’re one of those 75% I want you to remember this: [Insert key message or call to action.]

Coming back to the beginning gives the audience a feeling of coming full circle. It introduces some repetition, which will help the audience remember and internalise what you were talking about, and it gives you a springboard or a segue to your final call to action.

So, next time you’re struggling with the end of a beautifully-written speech, remind yourself where you started and take it from there.

(See what I did there, with the final paragraph? Pretty good, huh?!)