Presentation Closing Clunker: How To Avoid Just Fizzling Out at the End
We’ve all seen it happen. A presenter hasn’t practiced closing statements, so he or she says something along the lines of, “Any questions?”
Crickets.
“Does anyone have a question?”
“Okay, it looks like we’re out of time unless someone has a question.”
“Well, I guess that’s it then.”
Sometimes they seemingly add this as an afterthought while silently hoping no one asks a question. This can be inferred through their lack of eye contact with the audience, speaking at a lower volume, and hurrying back to their seat without strategically “handing the baton” to the next speaker or facilitator. Some unprepared speakers even say, “Well, I guess that’s all I have to say,” and just shrink back to their seat.
This is what happens when speakers don’t practice their LAST WORDS. Presenters should start strong and end even stronger.
We love a good ending. We love a happy ending. Our audience simply wants a strong ending, period. Make sure yours includes:
- The closing signal
- A time for Q&A
- Your final big bang
To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.
Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
