Spellbinding Speech Endings

It is rare to see a presentation completed well, be it inside the organization, to the client or to a larger audience.  The energy often quickly drops away, the voice just fades right out and there is no clear signal that this is the end.  The audience is unsure whether to applaud or if there is more coming.  Everyone is stuck in limbo wondering what to do next.  The narrative arc seems to go missing in action at the final stage and the subsequent silence becomes strained.  It sometimes reminds me of classical music performances, when I am not sure if this is the time to applaud or not.

First and last impressions are critical in business and in life, so why leave these to random chance?  We need to strategise how we will end, how we will ensure our key messages linger in the minds of the listeners and how we will have the audience firmly enthralled, as our permanent fan base. 

Endings are critical pieces of the presentation puzzle and usually that means two endings not just one.  These days, it is rare that we don’t go straight into some form of Q&A session, once the main body of the talk has been completed.  So we need an ending for the presentation just given and we need another ending after the Q&A.  Why the second one, why not just let it end with the final question? 

The pro never lets that happen.  Even the most knee quivering, voice choking, collar perspiration drenched, meltdown of a speaker is in 100% control while they have the floor. The audience usually let’s them speak without denunciation or persistent interruption.  Life changes though once we throw the floor open to take questions.  At that point speaker control is out the window and the street fight begins.  Now most Japanese audiences don’t go after the speaker, they are too reserved and polite.  Western audiences are less docile and big bosses ask difficult and potentially embarrassing questions.

When we get to the Q&A, the members of the audience are able to ask rude, indignant questions, challenging everything you hold to be true.  They can denounce you as a charlatan, scoundrel, dilettante and unabashed poseur.  Sometimes, they even launch forth into their own mini-speech, usually unrelated to whatever it was you were talking about.  Or they move the conversation off to a new place, which has nothing to do with your keynote content.  Suddenly your message is lost.

The original topic of your talk is now a distant memory.  That is why the pros ensure they bring it all back together with a final close to the proceedings.  Let the masses wander hither and thither with their questions, the pro never worries.  After the last question is done, the last word is now with the speaker, not some provocateur who happened to turn up to the event.  Surprisingly, many speakers don’t claim this right and allow the last question from the audience member to set the tone for the whole proceedings.  Don’t ever let that happen.

There are a number of ways of bringing the speech home.  In the first close, before the Q&A, we might harken back to something we said in our opening, to neatly tie the beginning and end together.  Or we might restate the key messages we wish to get across.  Another alternative is a summary of the key points to refresh everyone’s recollection of what we were saying.  We might end with a memorable story that will linger in the minds of the audience, that encapsulates all that we wanted to say.  Storytelling is such a powerful medium for increasing the memory of what has been said, you would expect more speakers would use it.

When we do this wrap-up, we should be picking out key words to emphasise, either by ramping our vocal power up or taking it down in strength to differentiate from the rest of what we are saying.  Speaking with the same vocal power throughout just equates the messages together. The messaging is not clear enough and makes it hard for the audience to buy what we are selling, Bland doesn’t sell. 

At the end of the final sentence we need to hit the power button and finish with a rising crescendo to really put the passion behind our position.  Don’t fade away.  Many speakers allow their voice to become weedy and just trail off into oblivion, sounding quieter and quieter at the end.  They appear exhausted and energy drained, rather than on fire with belief.  Instead of fading out, we need to bring energy to our final words.  We then add a small pause to let our words sink in with the audience and then smoothly move into inviting audience Q&A.  We have set the markers for what we want the audience to remember and we will return to those markers as second final time.

Don’t miss this key point: always specify the time available for Q&A at the very start when you call for Q&A – never, ever leave it open ended.  Why not?  If you are facing a rabid gathering of foes, critics and opponents and you just suddenly end proceedings, it looks cowardly and weak, as if you can’t take it when things get hot.  Slinking off the stage with your tail firmly between your legs is not how you want to construct the final audience impression of you. 

By mentioning the amount of time available for Q&A at the first close and then referring back to it again at the end, allows you to depart with your dignity intact.  You said 15 minutes and here we are, at time.  No shirking going on here, just magnificent time management.  Just suddenly ending, packing up and departing can make you to look like an wimp, scurrying out the door, because you can’t take it.  Not a great final impression.

Also, if you are trained on how to handle a hostile audience, you will sail out of there looking like an absolute legend.  Few people have any clue on what to do when under pointed attack.  The rest of the audience will look at you in awe and admiration, because they know if it had been them up there on the stage, they would have been mince meat.  If you have been in a room and the speaker got hit with a hot missile of a question, you were probably sitting there thinking, “I am glad that is not me up there on stage”. By the way, we teach how to handle hot missile questions.  If you are curious to know what to do when the gloves come off and all hell breaks loose, let us know!

Now, back to our topic.  The second or final close can be very similar to what we discussed earlier for the first close. Tie it all together or re-state key points or a summary.  In addition, this is also the point to use a pertinent quotation or a gripping story to leave a rousing call to action in the minds of your audience.  Again, the voice rises in strength at the end of the final sentence.  Don’t let it fade away.  Once you end, end.  Don’t keep adding to it.

When you get the ending right, you can then thank your audience so they are clear this is now over and you can relax and bask in their warm applause.  This is a good feeling and one that every speaker can enjoy, if they know what they are doing.

Action Steps

1.     Carefully strategise the ending rather than leave it to random chance

2.     Loop back to the beginning, hit the key message again or summarise some key points

3.     Always nominate a time limit when you call for Q&A

4.     Prepare two closes – one each for before and after Q&A

5.     Finish strong