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MEANINGFUL ENDINGS You
are just wrapping up the most dynamic, compelling presentation of
your career. You feel great and your audience is obviously hanging on
every word. You end
with, "Thank you very much for taking the time to listen to
what I have had to say today ladies and gentlemen", and you
walk confidently off the platform.
You just blew it! But don't feel bad . . . many presenters forget that ending
with a call to some sort of action is the ONLY way a presentation
should be ended. Although
you will develop your entire speech or presentation around your
objective, you should plan the ending first.
This approach should be obvious . . . a conclusion of a
successful, persuasive presentation is the suggestion of a next step
which can be measured by both parties. In
a persuasive presentation, your final words should invoke your
desired belief or action in your listeners and leave them with a
strong final impression. Here are several powerful ending approaches: 1.
A
simple, straightforward appeal for an action or belief, often after
the summary of the main presentation points. Example:
"Incorporating
these ideas and strategies into your business plan will help you
achieve your objectives this year and further maximize your profits.
After you have had a chance to review the program, we will
contact you next Friday to finalize the project." Example:
"E-commerce is the key to our future. As information technology managers we must be more proactive
in helping all departments in the company in this critical area.
Let's plan to meet here next Friday to discuss the
preliminary results in this area." 2.
Summary. Summary
is always needed, but the quality of this ending is even more
important if your speech or presentation is more informative in
intent. Repetition aids retention significantly.
If you develop four main points, for example, restate the
headline of each and tie them all together. Example:
"In summary, let me state that the purpose of this
plan is to help you achieve your objective for this year, increase
sales, maximize profits, and cause your company to stretch its
growth objectives." Example:
"In summary, let me state that several legal issues
are currently being overlooked by the management team and our
company. To ensure that
we protect our intellectual property and are in compliance with all
issues, please contact me prior to any key decisions in this
area." 3.
A
reference to your introduction.
For
example, if you described a problem in your introduction and
developed a solution to the problem in the body, refer to the
original story in your ending. This gives the presentation an appealing unity for your
listeners. Example:
"As I stated at the
beginning of my presentation, I believe that you are serious about
your concerns for financial accuracy.
Our relationship will provide not only the factual
information you need, but also vital business analysis that can
position you as a leader in your industry." Example: "What would happen if your computer crashed in the
middle of your presentation? Would
you be prepared or would you be pitied?
By having backup visuals, and or the ability to speak freely
without them, you will able to climb any unexpected hurdles." Remember: Always
memorize your ending or objective before you begin.
If you ramble or shift ideas in the middle of your
presentation, your finish will be weak and ineffective.
With a carefully planned ending, you will close your
presentation with brevity, clarity, and confidence and your
listeners will be with you all the way.
Most important, they will have all the information in an
organized format supported by a strong close that will impact the
utilization of your ideas. Strategies to Help Your
Audience Draw Conclusions Never
let your audience draw their own conclusions to the major and minor
points being made during your speech or presentation.
There
you are with charts and graphs showing millions of dollars of Model
ABC next to two dollars of Model XYZ.
It is totally obvious that you want the organization to shift
its effort to the great potential of Model XYZ.
Right? Wrong! The
controller is sitting there thinking, "Dump Model XYZ
fast!" The
personnel director is saying, "Why did we put George in the
XYZ division in the first place?" The
ABC sales director wonders how many discontinued Model XYZs he can
steal to fire up his lagging sales. All
of a sudden your presentation is going nowhere. People
bring to any presentation their own point of view, their unique
biases, and their individual needs.
If you leave the conclusion in the hands of the individual
you will have numerous individual take-aways.
People tend to view the presentation from their frame of
reference, not necessarily yours. Never
assume the conclusion is obvious even though you may feel there is
no other way to go. You must spell it out very specifically and make sure they
understand the strategic viewpoint you have adopted. Many
major projects or business opportunities are seriously retarded in
their growth simply because the presenter was unable to communicate
goals and the relationship to their objective accordingly.
Likewise, the listeners heard "what they wanted to
hear" or perhaps heard nothing at all and took action
accordingly. Your responsibility during a speech or presentation is to develop and present the facts. You then must draw the conclusions . . . and finally supply the action steps you want them to take next. To
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