A Presentation is a forum in which a speaker can give an overview of a current topic. It can be an introduction to their work or an explanation of the issue with specific examples. The speaker can share their ideas, opinions and thoughts on how trends can develop within the market they are investigating. It is one of the most important aspects of the business as it gives insight into what people are feeling, thinking, and ultimately reacting towards. And also knowing how to end a presentation always helps.
Presentations will usually try to explain facts or show statistics about the world around them, making it one of the most important tools for businesses who want to research their customers' or competitors' strategies.
A conclusion is how the speaker will sum up their talk and the most important points that were made. When you conclude your presentation, it is usually best to reiterate what you wanted to get across and to offer some final thoughts or takeaways.
1. Gather Your Thoughts
It is always important when giving a presentation that you prepare beforehand, with notes, maps or illustrations on a PowerPoint. However, things may not go as planned during your speech. It is essential that before you wrap up your talk, you take time to revisit all of the information once more to establish a cohesive conclusion, woven together with everything that you said earlier.
It is always a great idea to close a presentation by reiterating what you previously talked about. This will not only give you time to remember what point you were speaking about but will also allow the audience to reflect on everything that was said.
2. Dialogue with Your Audience
The best way how to conclude a presentation is by having a conversation with your audience. It is important when delivering any speech that the speaker can relate and ’talk’ with their audience. This involves closing with questions to get feedback and input. This is also great if you want to receive answers and solutions before leaving, which is always appreciated by an engaged audience.
3. Mention any Important Information
Even if you have given a very interesting, informative talk on your topic, the audience may not understand everything. It is best to mention important details or even small irrelevant facts that the audience needs to know. This will help them remember and look back at any talking points made to give you more credit and recognition for your talk. As always, it is important to allow the audience to ask questions and not be afraid to try and answer everything that they may request.
4. Thank the Audience
It is always a good idea to thank your audience for coming, showing up and also giving you feedback during your speech. This will help end the presentation on a positive note and put everyone in good spirits. It is important to always try and show gratitude towards the people who came out to listen to your presentation on any given day. It could be because they are interested in the subject matter, or they were simply told by their supervisors or boss.
But either way, you must show appreciation towards them for coming out. It is always important to take the time to say thank you to every person present and even to their boss or supervisor. It is one of the best ways to conclude any speech as it shows your appreciation towards those who attended and helped make it possible.
This especially holds within heavy industries where people may not show up unless they are given incentives such as signing bonuses, for which the speaker may have already signed contracts with them beforehand.
5. Encourage Audience Questions
This is always a good way of concluding any speech as it will allow you to get some questions asked by the audience. It is best to ask them questions they may not think of asking or ones they did not know needed answering. Most times the audience will not question themselves, if you ask a question that you know has already been thought of. In this case, it will give you a better sense of how well your speech went. And it is one of the most common ways speakers learn how to conclude a presentation.
6. Include a Call to Action
This may seem like a simple and easy way how to conclude a presentation, but it is one of the most powerful techniques to get your audience interested and hopefully get them to react. This is commonly used by people who believe their topic is so amazing that the audience will want to know more about it. You need to explain why you want the audience's attention and interest after giving them your speech. You will also want to explain what actions they need to take for them to gain more exposure to your product or service.
7. Take a Stand
This technique works best when you have already been asked questions or have given your speech and have already delivered all of your information. In this case, you can either end your speech with a question or a stand that you want your audience to take. This is best used when you have reached the end of your speech as it will help to give them direction and enough information for them to make up their minds on what they believe should be done.
8. Ask a Rhetorical Question
It is best to use this technique after your speech has been delivered. You will want to ask your audience a question that they do not have an answer to and then supply one of your own. This way, you can reiterate what you have already given them and give them information to think about as well.
9. Repeat The Core Message
This is a great way how to end a presentation as it will help you to reinforce the core message that you have delivered to the audience. It is important to reiterate what you have already given them because it will help them to retain the information that was just said and this is probably one of the easiest ways to know how to conclude a presentation.
10. Leave Your Audience on A High Note
This is one technique best used in situations where the audience was not very interested initially and as such, are not as receptive as they may be next time. It is best if you leave your audience with a good feeling about your speech and explain why they should always come back next week.
Conclusion
It is always a good idea to deliver your speech in a way that allows the audience to understand what you are saying and at the same time, enjoy the talk. Some people prefer a high-energy speaker while others prefer someone who is more laid back. You must understand what type of speaker you are and how it will affect your audience.
This will help you decide on the best way to end your presentation or any speech, and also if it needs more work or not. As always, understanding your audience fully will help you choose the best possible way to clinch a business deal or even make new friends.
FAQs
What are the best ways to end a presentation?
Always end your presentation with an If statement. This will help the audience to remember and think about what you have said during your speech. Make sure to ask a question or leave them with a stand that they can take away from the presentation.
What is the importance of knowing how to end a presentation?
It's typically important to reinforce information given in the speech. Many a time speakers skip out on using a call-to-action statement as they may forget to include one at the beginning of their speech. This is why it is important to always know how to end a speech.
How long should a presentation be?
It all depends on the topic of the speech. If you are giving a presentation which only lasts 15 minutes, then you don't need to include everything in this period. However, if it lasts up to one hour or more, then you will have more time on your hands and can add more information in your speech as well as still cover all bases needed for the presentation.
What are some types of presenters?
There are two main types of presenters - energetic and laid back.