ending words for a presentation

30 Examples: How to Conclude a Presentation (Effective Closing Techniques)

By Status.net Editorial Team on March 4, 2024 — 9 minutes to read

Ending a presentation on a high note is a skill that can set you apart from the rest. It’s the final chance to leave an impact on your audience, ensuring they walk away with the key messages embedded in their minds. This moment is about driving your points home and making sure they resonate. Crafting a memorable closing isn’t just about summarizing key points, though that’s part of it, but also about providing value that sticks with your listeners long after they’ve left the room.

Crafting Your Core Message

To leave a lasting impression, your presentation’s conclusion should clearly reflect your core message. This is your chance to reinforce the takeaways and leave the audience thinking about your presentation long after it ends.

Identifying Key Points

Start by recognizing what you want your audience to remember. Think about the main ideas that shaped your talk. Make a list like this:

• The problem your presentation addresses.
• The evidence that supports your argument.
• The solution you propose or the action you want the audience to take.

These key points become the pillars of your core message.

Contextualizing the Presentation

Provide context by briefly relating back to the content of the whole presentation. For example:

• Reference a statistic you shared in the opening, and how it ties into the conclusion.
• Mention a case study that underlines the importance of your message.

Connecting these elements gives your message cohesion and makes your conclusion resonate with the framework of your presentation.

30 Example Phrases: How to Conclude a Presentation

• 1. “In summary, let’s revisit the key takeaways from today’s presentation.”
• 2. “Thank you for your attention. Let’s move forward together.”
• 3. “That brings us to the end. I’m open to any questions you may have.”
• 4. “I’ll leave you with this final thought to ponder as we conclude.”
• 5. “Let’s recap the main points before we wrap up.”
• 6. “I appreciate your engagement. Now, let’s turn these ideas into action.”
• 7. “We’ve covered a lot today. To conclude, remember these crucial points.”
• 8. “As we reach the end, I’d like to emphasize our call to action.”
• 9. “Before we close, let’s quickly review what we’ve learned.”
• 10. “Thank you for joining me on this journey. I look forward to our next steps.”
• 11. “In closing, I’d like to thank everyone for their participation.”
• 12. “Let’s conclude with a reminder of the impact we can make together.”
• 13. “To wrap up our session, here’s a brief summary of our discussion.”
• 14. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to present to you. Any final thoughts?”
• 15. “And that’s a wrap. I welcome any final questions or comments.”
• 16. “As we conclude, let’s remember the objectives we’ve set today.”
• 17. “Thank you for your time. Let’s apply these insights to achieve success.”
• 18. “In conclusion, your feedback is valuable, and I’m here to listen.”
• 19. “Before we part, let’s take a moment to reflect on our key messages.”
• 20. “I’ll end with an invitation for all of us to take the next step.”
• 21. “As we close, let’s commit to the goals we’ve outlined today.”
• 22. “Thank you for your attention. Let’s keep the conversation going.”
• 23. “In conclusion, let’s make a difference, starting now.”
• 24. “I’ll leave you with these final words to consider as we end our time together.”
• 25. “Before we conclude, remember that change starts with our actions today.”
• 26. “Thank you for the lively discussion. Let’s continue to build on these ideas.”
• 27. “As we wrap up, I encourage you to reach out with any further questions.”
• 28. “In closing, I’d like to express my gratitude for your valuable input.”
• 29. “Let’s conclude on a high note and take these learnings forward.”
• 30. “Thank you for your time today. Let’s end with a commitment to progress.”

Summarizing the Main Points

When you reach the end of your presentation, summarizing the main points helps your audience retain the important information you’ve shared. Crafting a memorable summary enables your listeners to walk away with a clear understanding of your message.

Effective Methods of Summarization

To effectively summarize your presentation, you need to distill complex information into concise, digestible pieces. Start by revisiting the overarching theme of your talk and then narrow down to the core messages. Use plain language and imagery to make the enduring ideas stick. Here are some examples of how to do this:

• Use analogies that relate to common experiences to recap complex concepts.
• Incorporate visuals or gestures that reinforce your main arguments.

The Rule of Three

The Rule of Three is a classic writing and communication principle. It means presenting ideas in a trio, which is a pattern that’s easy for people to understand and remember. For instance, you might say, “Our plan will save time, cut costs, and improve quality.” This structure has a pleasing rhythm and makes the content more memorable. Some examples include:

• “This software is fast, user-friendly, and secure.”
• Pointing out a product’s “durability, affordability, and eco-friendliness.”

Reiterating the Main Points

Finally, you want to circle back to the key takeaways of your presentation. Rephrase your main points without introducing new information. This reinforcement supports your audience’s memory and understanding of the material. You might summarize key takeaways like this:

• Mention the problem you addressed, the solution you propose, and the benefits of this solution.
• Highlighting the outcomes of adopting your strategy: higher efficiency, greater satisfaction, and increased revenue.

Creating a Strong Conclusion

The final moments of your presentation are your chance to leave your audience with a powerful lasting impression. A strong conclusion is more than just summarizing—it’s your opportunity to invoke thought, inspire action, and make your message memorable.

Incorporating a Call to Action

A call to action is your parting request to your audience. You want to inspire them to take a specific action or think differently as a result of what they’ve heard. To do this effectively:

• Be clear about what you’re asking.
• Explain why their action is needed.
• Make it as simple as possible for them to take the next steps.

Example Phrases:

• “Start making a difference today by…”
• “Join us in this effort by…”
• “Take the leap and commit to…”

Leaving a Lasting Impression

End your presentation with something memorable. This can be a powerful quote, an inspirational statement, or a compelling story that underscores your main points. The goal here is to resonate with your audience on an emotional level so that your message sticks with them long after they leave.

• “In the words of [Influential Person], ‘…'”
• “Imagine a world where…”
• “This is more than just [Topic]; it’s about…”

Enhancing Audience Engagement

To hold your audience’s attention and ensure they leave with a lasting impression of your presentation, fostering interaction is key.

Q&A Sessions

It’s important to integrate a Q&A session because it allows for direct communication between you and your audience. This interactive segment helps clarify any uncertainties and encourages active participation. Plan for this by designating a time slot towards the end of your presentation and invite questions that promote discussion.

• “I’d love to hear your thoughts; what questions do you have?”
• “Let’s dive into any questions you might have. Who would like to start?”
• “Feel free to ask any questions, whether they’re clarifications or deeper inquiries about the topic.”

Encouraging Audience Participation

Getting your audience involved can transform a good presentation into a great one. Use open-ended questions that provoke thought and allow audience members to reflect on how your content relates to them. Additionally, inviting volunteers to participate in a demonstration or share their experiences keeps everyone engaged and adds a personal touch to your talk.

• “Could someone give me an example of how you’ve encountered this in your work?”
• “I’d appreciate a volunteer to help demonstrate this concept. Who’s interested?”
• “How do you see this information impacting your daily tasks? Let’s discuss!”

Delivering a Persuasive Ending

At the end of your presentation, you have the power to leave a lasting impact on your audience. A persuasive ending can drive home your key message and encourage action.

Sales and Persuasion Tactics

When you’re concluding a presentation with the goal of selling a product or idea, employ carefully chosen sales and persuasion tactics. One method is to summarize the key benefits of your offering, reminding your audience why it’s important to act. For example, if you’ve just presented a new software tool, recap how it will save time and increase productivity. Another tactic is the ‘call to action’, which should be clear and direct, such as “Start your free trial today to experience the benefits first-hand!” Furthermore, using a touch of urgency, like “Offer expires soon!”, can nudge your audience to act promptly.

Final Impressions and Professionalism

Your closing statement is a chance to solidify your professional image and leave a positive impression. It’s important to display confidence and poise. Consider thanking your audience for their time and offering to answer any questions. Make sure to end on a high note by summarizing your message in a concise and memorable way. If your topic was on renewable energy, you might conclude by saying, “Let’s take a leap towards a greener future by adopting these solutions today.” This reinforces your main points and encourages your listeners to think or act differently when they leave.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some creative strategies for ending a presentation memorably.

To end your presentation in a memorable way, consider incorporating a call to action that engages your audience to take the next step. Another strategy is to finish with a thought-provoking question or a surprising fact that resonates with your listeners.

Can you suggest some powerful quotes suitable for concluding a presentation?

Yes, using a quote can be very effective. For example, Maya Angelou’s “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel,” can reinforce the emotional impact of your presentation.

What is an effective way to write a conclusion that summarizes a presentation?

An effective conclusion should recap the main points succinctly, highlighting what you want your audience to remember. A good way to conclude is by restating your thesis and then briefly summarizing the supporting points you made.

As a student, how can I leave a strong impression with my presentation’s closing remarks?

To leave a strong impression, consider sharing a personal anecdote related to your topic that demonstrates passion and conviction. This helps humanize your content and makes the message more relatable to your audience.

How can I appropriately thank my audience at the close of my presentation?

A simple and sincere expression of gratitude is always appropriate. You might say, “Thank you for your attention and engagement today,” to convey appreciation while also acknowledging their participation.

What are some examples of a compelling closing sentence in a presentation?

A compelling closing sentence could be something like, “Together, let’s take the leap towards a greener future,” if you’re presenting on sustainability. This sentence is impactful, calls for united action, and leaves your audience with a clear message.

• How to Build Rapport: Effective Techniques
• Active Listening (Techniques, Examples, Tips)
• Effective Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace (Examples)
• What is Problem Solving? (Steps, Techniques, Examples)
• 2 Examples of an Effective and Warm Letter of Welcome
• Effective Interview Confirmation Email (Examples)

• By Illiya Vjestica
• - January 23, 2023

10 Powerful Examples of How to End a Presentation

Here are 10 powerful examples of how to end a presentation that does not end with a thank you slide.

How many presentations have you seen that end with “Thank you for listening” or “Any questions?” I bet it’s a lot…

“Thank you for listening.” is the most common example. Unfortunately, when it comes to closing out your slides ending with “thank you” is the norm. We can create a better presentation ending by following these simple examples.

The two most essential slides of your deck are the ending and intro. An excellent presentation ending is critical to helping the audience to the next step or following a specific call to action.

There are many ways you can increase your presentation retention rate . The most critical steps are having a solid call to action at the end of your presentation and a powerful hook that draws your audience in.

What Action do You Want Your Audience to Take?

Before designing your presentation, start with this question – what message or action will you leave your audience with?

Are you looking to persuade, inspire, entertain or inform your audience? You can choose one or multiple words to describe the intent of your presentation.

Think about the action words that best describe your presentation ending – what do you want them to do? Inspire, book, learn, understand, engage, donate, buy, book or schedule. These are a few examples.

If the goal of your presentation is to inspire, why not end with a powerful and inspiring quote ? Let words of wisdom be the spark that ignites an action within your audience.

Here are three ways to end your presentation:

• Call to Action – getting the audience to take a specific action or next step, for example, booking a call, signing up for an event or donating to your cause.
• Persuade – persuading your audience to think differently, try something new, undertake a challenge or join your movement or community.
• Summarise – A summary of the key points and information you want the audience to remember. If you decide to summarise your talk at the end, keep it to no more than three main points.

10 Examples of How to End a Presentation

1. Asking your audience to take action or make a pledge.

Here were asking the audience to take action by using the wording “take action” in our copy. This call to action is a pledge to donate. A clear message like this can be helpful for charities and non-profits looking to raise funding for their campaign or cause.

2. Encourage your audience to take a specific action, e.g. joining your cause or community

Here was are asking the audience to join our community and help solve a problem by becoming part of the solution. It’s a simple call to action. You can pass the touch to your audience and ask them to take the next lead.

3. Highlight the critical points for your audience to remember.

Rember, to summarise your presentation into no more than three key points. This is important because the human brain struggles to remember more than three pieces of information simultaneously. We call this the “Rule of Three”.

4. If you are trying to get more leads or sales end with a call to action to book a demo or schedule a call.

Can you inspire your audience to sign up for a demo or trial of your product? Structure your talk to lead your prospect through a journey of the results you generate for other clients. At the end of your deck, finish with a specific call to action, such as “Want similar results to X?”

Make sure you design a button, or graphic your prospect can click on when you send them the PDF version of the slides.

5. Challenge your audience to think differently or take action, e.g. what impact could they make?

6. Give your audience actions to help share your message.

7. Promote your upcoming events or workshops

8. Asking your audience to become a volunteer.

9. Direct your audience to learn more about your website.

10. If you are a book author, encourage your audience to engage with your book.

6 Questions to Generate an Ending for Your Presentation

You’ve told an engaging story, but why end your presentation without leaving your audience a clear message or call to action?

Here are six great questions you can ask yourself to generate an ending for your presentation or keynote talk.

• What impression would you want to leave your audience with?
• What is the big idea you want to leave them with?
• What action should they take next?
• What key point should you remember 72 hours after your presentation?
• What do you want them to feel?
• What is the key takeaway for them to understand?

What to Say After Ending a Presentation?

When you get to the end of a book, you don’t see the author say, “thank you for reading my last chapter.” Of course, there is no harm in thanking the audience after your presentation ends, but don’t make that the last words you speak.

Think of the ending of the presentation as the final chapter of an epic novel. It’s your chance to leave a lasting impression on the audience. Close with an impactful ending and leave them feeling empowered, invigorated and engaged.

• Leave a lasting impression.
• Think of it as the last chapter of a book.
• Conclude with a thought or question.
• Leave the audience with a specific action or next step.

How to End a Presentation with Style?

There are many great ways you can end your presentation with style. Are you ready to drop the mic?

Ensure your closing slide is punchy, has a clear headline, or uses a thought-provoking image.

Think about colours. You want to capture the audience’s attention before closing the presentation. Make sure the fonts you choose are clear and easy to read.

Do you need to consider adding a link? If you add links to your social media accounts, use icons and buttons to make them easy to see. Add a link to each button or icon. By doing this, if you send the PDF slides to people, they can follow the links to your various accounts.

What Should you Remember?

💡 If you take one thing away from this post, it’s to lose the traditional ending slides. Let’s move on from the “Thank you for your attention.” or “Any questions.” slides.

These don’t help you or the audience. Respect them and think about what they should do next. You may be interested to learn 3 Tactics to Free Your Presentation Style to help you connect to your audience.

Illiya Vjestica

Share this post:, leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We use essential cookies to make Venngage work. By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.

Manage Cookies

Cookies and similar technologies collect certain information about how you’re using our website. Some of them are essential, and without them you wouldn’t be able to use Venngage. But others are optional, and you get to choose whether we use them or not.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are always on, as they’re essential for making Venngage work, and making it safe. Without these cookies, services you’ve asked for can’t be provided.

Show cookie providers

• Google Login

Functionality Cookies

These cookies help us provide enhanced functionality and personalisation, and remember your settings. They may be set by us or by third party providers.

Performance Cookies

These cookies help us analyze how many people are using Venngage, where they come from and how they're using it. If you opt out of these cookies, we can’t get feedback to make Venngage better for you and all our users.

• Google Analytics

Targeting Cookies

These cookies are set by our advertising partners to track your activity and show you relevant Venngage ads on other sites as you browse the internet.

• Google Tag Manager
• Infographics
• Daily Infographics
• Template Lists
• Graphic Design
• Graphs and Charts
• Data Visualization
• Human Resources
• Beginner Guides

Blog Marketing

How To End A Presentation & Leave A Lasting Impression

By Krystle Wong , Aug 09, 2023

So you’ve got an exciting presentation ready to wow your audience and you’re left with the final brushstroke — how to end your presentation with a bang. 

Just as a captivating opening draws your audience in, creating a well-crafted presentation closing has the power to leave a profound and lasting impression that resonates long after the lights dim and the audience disperses.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the art of crafting an impactful conclusion that resonates with 10 effective techniques and ideas along with real-life examples to inspire your next presentation. Alternatively, you could always jump right into creating your slides by customizing our professionally designed presentation templates . They’re fully customizable and require no design experience at all! 

Click to jump ahead:

Why is it important to have an impactful ending for your presentation?

10 effective presentation closing techniques to leave a lasting impression, 7 things to put on a conclusion slide.

• 5 real-life exceptional examples of how to end a presentation

6 mistakes to avoid in concluding a presentation

Faqs on how to end a presentation, how to create a memorable presentation with venngage.

People tend to remember the beginning and end of a presentation more vividly than the middle, making the final moments your last chance to make a lasting impression. 

An ending that leaves a lasting impact doesn’t merely mark the end of a presentation; it opens doors to further exploration. A strong conclusion is vital because it:

• Leaves a lasting impression on the audience.
• Reinforces key points and takeaways.
• Motivates action and implementation of ideas.
• Creates an emotional connection with the audience.
• Fosters engagement, curiosity and reflection.

Just like the final scene of a movie, your presentation’s ending has the potential to linger in your audience’s minds long after they’ve left the room. From summarizing key points to engaging the audience in unexpected ways, make a lasting impression with these 10 ways to end a presentation:

1. The summary

Wrap up your entire presentation with a concise and impactful summary, recapping the key points and main takeaways. By doing so, you reinforce the essential aspects and ensure the audience leaves with a crystal-clear understanding of your core message.

2. The reverse story

Here’s a cool one: start with the end result and then surprise the audience with the journey that led you to where you are. Share the challenges you conquered and the lessons you learned, making it a memorable and unique conclusion that drives home your key takeaways.

Alternatively, customize one of our cool presentation templates to capture the attention of your audience and deliver your message in an engaging and memorable way

3. The metaphorical prop

For an added visual touch, bring a symbolic prop that represents your message. Explain its significance in relation to your content, leaving the audience with a tangible and unforgettable visual representation that reinforces your key concepts.

4. The audience engagement challenge

Get the audience involved by throwing them a challenge related to your informational presentation. Encourage active participation and promise to share the results later, fostering their involvement and motivating them to take action.

5. The memorable statistic showcase

Spice things up with a series of surprising or intriguing statistics, presented with attention-grabbing visual aids. Summarize your main points using these impactful stats to ensure the audience remembers and grasps the significance of your data, especially when delivering a business presentation or pitch deck presentation .

Transform your data-heavy presentations into engaging presentations using data visualization tools. Venngage’s chart and graph tools help you present information in a digestible and visually appealing manner. Infographics and diagrams can simplify complex concepts while images add a relatable dimension to your presentation. 

6. The interactive story creation

How about a collaborative story? Work with the audience to create an impromptu tale together. Let them contribute elements and build the story with you. Then, cleverly tie it back to your core message with a creative presentation conclusion.

7. The unexpected guest speaker

Introduce an unexpected guest who shares a unique perspective related to your presentation’s theme. If their story aligns with your message, it’ll surely amp up the audience’s interest and engagement.

8. The thought-provoking prompt

Leave your audience pondering with a thought-provoking question or prompt related to your topic. Encourage reflection and curiosity, sparking a desire to explore the subject further and dig deeper into your message.

9. The empowering call-to-action

Time to inspire action! Craft a powerful call to action that motivates the audience to make a difference. Provide practical steps and resources to support their involvement, empowering them to take part in something meaningful.

10. The heartfelt expression

End on a warm note by expressing genuine gratitude and appreciation for the audience’s time and attention. Acknowledge their presence and thank them sincerely, leaving a lasting impression of professionalism and warmth.

Not sure where to start? These 12 presentation software might come in handy for creating a good presentation that stands out. 

Remember, your closing slides for the presentation is your final opportunity to make a strong impact on your audience. However, the question remains — what exactly should be on the last slide of your presentation? Here are 7 conclusion slide examples to conclude with a high note:

1. Key takeaways

Highlight the main points or key takeaways from your presentation. This reinforces the essential information you want the audience to remember, ensuring they leave with a clear understanding of your message with a well summarized and simple presentation .

2. Closing statement

Craft a strong closing statement that summarizes the overall message of your presentation and leaves a positive final impression. This concluding remark should be impactful and memorable.

3. Call-to-action

Don’t forget to include a compelling call to action in your final message that motivates the audience to take specific steps after the presentation. Whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, trying a product or conducting further research, a clear call to action can encourage engagement.

4. Contact information

Provide your contact details, such as email address or social media handles. That way, the audience can easily reach out for further inquiries or discussions. Building connections with your audience enhances engagement and opens doors for future opportunities.

Use impactful visuals or graphics to deliver your presentation effectively and make the conclusion slide visually appealing. Engaging visuals can captivate the audience and help solidify your key points.

Visuals are powerful tools for retention. Use Venngage’s library of icons, images and charts to complement your text. You can easily upload and incorporate your own images or choose from Venngage’s library of stock photos to add depth and relevance to your visuals.

6. Next steps

Outline the recommended next steps for the audience to take after the presentation, guiding them on what actions to pursue. This can be a practical roadmap for implementing your ideas and recommendations.

7. Inspirational quote

To leave a lasting impression, consider including a powerful and relevant quote that resonates with the main message of your presentation. Thoughtful quotes can inspire and reinforce the significance of your key points.

Whether you’re giving an in-person or virtual presentation , a strong wrap-up can boost persuasiveness and ensure that your message resonates and motivates action effectively. Check out our gallery of professional presentation templates to get started.

5 real-life exceptional examples of how to end a presentation 

When we talk about crafting an exceptional closing for a presentation, I’m sure you’ll have a million questions — like how do you end a presentation, what do you say at the end of a presentation or even how to say thank you after a presentation. 

To get a better idea of how to end a presentation with style — let’s delve into five remarkable real-life examples that offer valuable insights into crafting a conclusion that truly seals the deal: 

1. Sheryl Sandberg 

In her TED Talk titled “Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders,” Sheryl Sandberg concluded with an impactful call to action, urging men and women to lean in and support gender equality in the workplace. This motivational ending inspired the audience to take action toward a more inclusive world.

2. Elon Musk

Elon Musk often concludes with his vision for the future and how his companies are working towards groundbreaking advancements. His passion and enthusiasm for pushing the boundaries of technology leave the audience inspired and eager to witness the future unfold.

3. Barack Obama

President Obama’s farewell address concluded with an emotional and heartfelt expression of gratitude to the American people. He thanked the audience for their support and encouraged them to stay engaged and uphold the values that define the nation.

4. Brené Brown 

In her TED Talk on vulnerability, Brené Brown ended with a powerful quote from Theodore Roosevelt: “It is not the critic who counts… The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.” This quote reinforced her message about the importance of embracing vulnerability and taking risks in life.

5. Malala Yousafzai

In her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Malala Yousafzai ended with a moving call to action for education and girls’ rights. She inspired the audience to stand up against injustice and to work towards a world where every child has access to education.

For more innovative presentation ideas , turn ordinary slides into captivating experiences with these 15 interactive presentation ideas that will leave your audience begging for more.

So, we talked about how a good presentation usually ends. As you approach the conclusion of your presentation, let’s go through some of the common pitfalls you should avoid that will undermine the impact of your closing:

1. Abrupt endings

To deliver persuasive presentations, don’t leave your audience hanging with an abrupt conclusion. Instead, ensure a smooth transition by providing a clear closing statement or summarizing the key points to leave a lasting impression.

2. New information

You may be wondering — can I introduce new information or ideas in the closing? The answer is no. Resist the urge to introduce new data or facts in the conclusion and stick to reinforcing the main content presented earlier. By introducing new content at the end, you risk overshadowing your main message.

3. Ending with a Q&A session

While Q&A sessions are valuable , don’t conclude your presentation with them. Opt for a strong closing statement or call-to-action instead, leaving the audience with a clear takeaway.

4. Overloading your final slide

Avoid cluttering your final slide with too much information or excessive visuals. Keep it clean, concise and impactful to reinforce your key messages effectively.

5. Forgetting the call-to-action

Most presentations fail to include a compelling call-to-action which can diminish the overall impact of your presentation. To deliver a persuasive presentation, encourage your audience to take specific steps after the talk, driving engagement and follow-through.

6. Ignoring the audience

Make your conclusion audience-centric by connecting with their needs and interests. Avoid making it solely about yourself or your achievements. Instead, focus on how your message benefits the audience.

What should be the last slide of a presentation?

The last slide of a presentation should be a conclusion slide, summarizing key takeaways, delivering a strong closing statement and possibly including a call to action.

How do I begin a presentation?

Grabbing the audience’s attention at the very beginning with a compelling opening such as a relevant story, surprising statistic or thought-provoking question. You can even create a game presentation to boost interactivity with your audience. Check out this blog for more ideas on how to start a presentation . 

How can I ensure a smooth transition from the body of the presentation to the closing? 

To ensure a smooth transition, summarize key points from the body, use transition phrases like “In conclusion,” and revisit the main message introduced at the beginning. Bridge the content discussed to the themes of the closing and consider adjusting tone and pace to signal the transition.

How long should the conclusion of a presentation be?

The conclusion of a presentation should typically be around 5-10% of the total presentation time, keeping it concise and impactful.

Should you say thank you at the end of a presentation?

Yes, saying thank you at the end of a PowerPoint presentation is a courteous way to show appreciation for the audience’s time and attention.

Should I use presentation slides in the concluding part of my talk? 

Yes, using presentation slides in the concluding part of your talk can be effective. Use concise slides to summarize key takeaways, reinforce your main points and deliver a strong closing statement. A final presentation slide can enhance the impact of your conclusion and help the audience remember your message.

Should I include a Q&A session at the end of the presentation?

Avoid Q&A sessions in certain situations to ensure a well-structured and impactful conclusion. It helps prevent potential time constraints and disruptions to your carefully crafted ending, ensuring your core message remains the focus without the risk of unanswered or off-topic questions diluting the presentation’s impact.

Is it appropriate to use humor in the closing of a presentation?

Using humor in the closing of a presentation can be appropriate if it aligns with your content and audience as it can leave a positive and memorable impression. However, it’s essential to use humor carefully and avoid inappropriate or offensive jokes.

How do I manage nervousness during the closing of a presentation?

To manage nervousness during the closing, focus on your key points and the main message you want to convey. Take deep breaths to calm your nerves, maintain eye contact and remind yourself that you’re sharing valuable insights to enhance your presentation skills.

Creating a memorable presentation is a blend of engaging content and visually captivating design. With Venngage, you can transform your ideas into a dynamic and unforgettable presentation in just 5 easy steps: 

• Choose a template from Venngage’s library: Pick a visually appealing template that fits your presentation’s theme and audience, making it easy to get started with a professional look.
• Craft a compelling story or outline: Organize your content into a clear and coherent narrative or outline the key points to engage your audience and make the information easy to follow.
• Customize design and visuals: Tailor the template with your brand colors, fonts and captivating visuals like images and icons, enhancing your presentation’s visual appeal and uniqueness. You can also use an eye-catching presentation background to elevate your visual content. 
• Incorporate impactful quotes or inspiring elements: Include powerful quotes or elements that resonate with your message, evoking emotions and leaving a lasting impression on your audience members
• Utilize data visualization for clarity: Present data and statistics effectively with Venngage’s charts, graphs and infographics, simplifying complex information for better comprehension.

Additionally, Venngage’s real-time collaboration tools allow you to seamlessly collaborate with team members to elevate your presentation creation process to a whole new level. Use comments and annotations to provide feedback on each other’s work and refine ideas as a group, ensuring a comprehensive and well-rounded presentation.

Well, there you have it—the secrets of how to conclude a presentation. From summarizing your key message to delivering a compelling call to action, you’re now armed with a toolkit of techniques that’ll leave your audience in awe.

Now go ahead, wrap it up like a pro and leave that lasting impression that sets you apart as a presenter who knows how to captivate, inspire and truly make a mark.

SpeakUp resources

How to end a presentation in english: methods and examples.

• By Matthew Jones

Naturally, the way you end a presentation will depend on the setting and subject matter. Are you pitching an idea to your boss? Are you participating in a group presentation at school? Or are you presenting a business idea to potential investors? No matter the context, you’ll want to have a stellar ending that satisfies your audience and reinforces your goals.

So, do you want to learn how to end a presentation with style? Wondering how to end an informative speech? Or do you want to know how to conclude a Powerpoint presentation with impact? We’re here to help you learn how to end a presentation and make a great impression!

How to End a Presentation: 3 Effective Methods

Every presentation needs a great beginning, middle, and end. In this guide, we will focus on crafting the perfect conclusion. However, if you’d like to make sure that your presentation sounds good from start to finish, you should also check out our guide on starting a presentation in English .

Though there are many ways to end a presentation, the most effective strategies focus on making a lasting impression on your audience and reinforcing your goals. So, let’s take a look at three effective ways to end a presentation:

1. Summarize the Key Takeaways

Most presenters either make an argument (i.e. they want to convince their audience to adopt their view) or present new or interesting information (i.e. they want to educate their audience). In either case, the presentation will likely consist of important facts and figures. The conclusion gives you the opportunity to reiterate the most important information to your audience.

This doesn’t mean that you should simply restate everything from your presentation a second time. Instead, you should identify the most important parts of your presentation and briefly summarize them.

This is similar to what you might find in the last paragraph of an academic essay. For example, if you’re presenting a business proposal to potential investors, you might conclude with a summary of your business and the reasons why your audience should invest in your idea.

2. End with a CTA (Call-To-Action)

Ending with a Call-To-Action is one of the best ways to increase audience engagement (participation) with your presentation. A CTA is simply a request or invitation to perform a specific action. This technique is frequently used in sales or marketing presentations, though it can be used in many different situations.

For example, let’s say that you’re giving an informational presentation about the importance of hygiene in the workplace. Since your goal is to educate your audience, you may think that there’s no place for a CTA.

On the contrary, informational presentations are perfect for CTA’s. Rather than simply ending your presentation, you can direct your audience to seek out more information on the subject from authorities. In this case, you might encourage listeners to learn more from an authoritative medical organization, like the World Health Organization (WHO).

3. Use a Relevant Quote

It may sound cliche, but using quotes in your closing speech is both memorable and effective. However, not just any quote will do. You should always make sure that your quote is relevant to the topic. If you’re making an argument, you might want to include a quote that either directly or indirectly reinforces your main point.

Let’s say that you’re conducting a presentation about your company’s mission statement. You might present the information with a Powerpoint presentation, in which case your last slide could include an inspirational quote. The quote can either refer to the mission statement or somehow reinforce the ideas covered in the presentation.

Formatting Your Conclusion

While these 3 strategies should give you some inspiration, they won’t help you format your conclusion. You might know that you want to end your presentation with a Call-To-Action, but how should you “start” your conclusion? How long should you make your conclusion? Finally, what are some good phrases to use for ending a presentation?<br>

Examples of a Good Conclusion

In conclusion, I believe that we can increase our annual revenue this year. We can do this with a combination of increased efficiency in our production process and a more dynamic approach to lead generation. If we implement these changes, I estimate that annual revenue will increase by as much as 15%.

The example above shows a good conclusion for a business presentation. However, some people believe that the term in conclusion is overused. Here’s how to end a presentation using transition words similar to in conclusion .

Transition words help your audience know that your presentation is ending. Try starting your conclusion with one of these phrases:

• To summarize

However, transition words aren’t always necessary. Here are a few good ways to end a presentation using a different approach.

• Summarize Key Takeaways : There are two things that I’d like you to remember from today’s presentation. First, we are a company that consults startups for a fraction of the cost of other consultation services. And second, we have a perfect record of successfully growing startups in a wide variety of industries. If anything was unclear, I’d be happy to open the floor to questions.
• Make a Call-To-Action : I am very passionate about climate change. The future of the planet rests on our shoulders and we are quickly running out of time to take action. That said, I do believe that we can effect real change for future generations. I challenge you to take up the fight for our children and our children’s children.
• Use a Relevant Quote: I’d like to end my presentation with one of my favorite quotes: “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”

As you can see, your conclusion does not need to be very long. In fact, a conclusion should be short and to the point. This way, you can effectively end your presentation without rambling or adding extraneous (irrelevant) information.

How to End a Presentation in English with Common Phrases

Finally, there are a few generic phrases that people frequently use to wrap up presentations. While we encourage you to think about how to end a presentation using a unique final statement, there’s nothing wrong with using these common closing phrases:

• Thank you for your time.
• I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today.
• I’ll now answer any questions you have about (topic).
• If you need any further information, feel free to contact me at (contact information).

We hope this guide helps you better understand how to end a presentation ! If you’d like to find out more about how to end a presentation in English effectively, visit Magoosh Speaking today!

Matthew Jones

Free practice (Facebook group)

Phone: +1 (510) 560-7571

Terms of Use

Privacy Policy

Company Home

• PowerPoint Themes
• Latest PowerPoint Templates
• Best PowerPoint Templates
• Free PowerPoint Templates
• Simple PowerPoint Templates
• PowerPoint Backgrounds
• Project Charter
• Project Timeline
• Project Team
• Project Status
• Market Analysis
• Marketing Funnel
• Market Segmentation
• Target Customer
• Marketing Mix
• Digital Marketing Strategy
• Resource Planning
• Recruitment
• Employee Onboarding
• Company Profile
• Mission Vision
• Meet The Team
• Problem & Solution
• Business Model
• Business Case
• Business Strategy
• Business Review
• Leadership Team
• Balance Sheet
• Income Statement
• Cash Flow Statement
• Executive Summary
• 30 60 90 Day Plan
• SWOT Analysis
• Flow Charts
• Gantt Charts
• Text Tables
• Infographics
• Google Slides Templates
• Presentation Services
• Ask Us To Make Slides
• Data Visualization Services
• Business Presentation Tips
• PowerPoint Tutorials
• Google Slides Tutorials
• Presentation Resources

How To End A Presentation To Make A Lasting Impression (9 Techniques)

This blog provides creative ideas on how to end a presentation with a punch. Studies show that when people try recalling information, they usually recall the beginning and the end. Therefore, you must leave an impact on the audience with a strong closing statement. A weak ending can leave the audience unenthused and uninspired, they may even forget your message within a few hours. But a strong ending motivates and empowers. It encourages people to take action.

So how to end a presentation well? Here are a few techniques you can try – 

End your presentation on time

Close with a clear cut ending

Conclude your speech with a story

Come full circle at the end of your presentation

Use the title close technique

…Always a high note, always the high road

A sound bite

A quick presentation recap

End with a strong visual image

Sounds like a no brainer? You will be surprised how many people struggle with this seemingly basic idea. At the root of it lies a tendency to cram too much content and then hurrying through to the end, often straying beyond the allotted time slot.

Being on time communicates to the audience that you respect their time and also leaves an impression about you being organized and well planned.

Some tactical tips

Remember, the ending time of the professional presentation includes any Q&A and discussion time so the audience has the space for interactivity.

You should state at the beginning of the meeting your intention to end on time and ask for audience cooperation. This includes agreeing to put side topics/conversations into a parking lot; recognizing when the deviations from the core topic take place, etc.

In the end, when you do successfully end on time, be sure to remind the audience of the fact that you ended on time and thank them for their cooperation.

It is indeed a weird moment when the audience is unsure whether you have ended the presentation and transitioned into a general drift of conversations or worse, an awkward silence. Be sure to include a definitive statement to let the audience know that your presentation has arrived at its final destination. This can be a clear cut, ‘thank you!’,’ With this, my presentation comes to a close’, a wave, a bow, but let it be a clear-cut indication that this is the end and the audience is free to leave the discussion.

Storytelling is often underutilized as a tool to leave an impact towards the end of PowerPoint presentations . While there is a lot of literature out there on the art of storytelling (See our own post here), clever use of stories to conclude the presentation can powerfully and in emotional ways reinforce your core messages and make these memorable.

Towards the end, you do want the story to be relatively brief and can start with a statement like “Let me end my presentation on a personal note….”

Give the audience a sense of closure by referencing your opening message at the end. It gives the audience a feeling of coherence and consistency.

You will need to plan for this ahead of time though. Some tips and ideas:

• Pose a question which you answer at the end
• Tell a story in the beginning but leave it unfinished until the end
• Repeat the first slide, this work especially well with powerful images or quotes
• Reference a comment, someone, in the audience made and connect it to the closure

Some presenters bring back the title slide to close their presentation. It is a subtle yet effective technique to keep the audience grounded and connected to the core topic and the content

This creates a sense of bookend to your entire presentation and can be used to bring your audience full circle as referenced above.

Your presentation is a great platform to uplift the spirits of the audience. While some topics easily lend themselves to positive messages, there is always light at the end of the tunnel even if you are delivering bad news

There is almost never a situation when you cannot inspire people. And you must never leave an opportunity to. There are many ways this can be achieved

• Use vibrant, visual language
• Appeal to the broader sensibilities of the audience
• Think long term, not immediate fall outs
• Most of all stay optimistic, positive, and energetic

A sound bite is like a slogan, a catch-phrase that attracts attention. It challenges you to condense your presentation into a pithy phrase?

If you can find a core message of your business presentation that is catchy and short, you can expect the audience to have a higher recall of your presentation. Some examples, inspired by famous quotes.

• Stay hungry but stay balanced
• With this project, we didn’t fail, we just found 35 ways that don’t work
• 100% of the shots you don’t take don’t succeed

One common approach that never fails to impress is the “tell them” method.

It goes like this:

• Tell them what you are going to tell them
• Tell them what you just told them

Studies state that people only absorb 30% of what you say. So this seeming repetition helps. But the real reason this method has stayed in vogue is that it plays on our innate need to see the information multiple times to understand patterns and start to believe in it

One pitfall to avoid here is to avoid staleness by saying boring phrases such as “In conclusion” or “To sum up”

Instead, spur the audience with phrases like “Where is this all leading?” or “What does this all mean?”

A picture is worth knowing how many words. This adage is equally true when you are making a presentation.

Find an image that evokes the emotion that characterizes your presentation and the feeling you would like to leave the audience with. This can be a humorous, inspirational, or descriptive image that caps up/sums up your message. For example, in a message to the executives, a brand manager in a pharma company very effectively used the image of a child’s facial expression in vivid detail post receiving the painful therapy that the brand was trying to replace.

Here are a few slides examples of how to end a presentation effectively:

Thank You Slide

View Thank you Slide 

Explore our extensive library of Thank You Slides to get creative ideas on how to end a presentation.

Lessons Learnt Template

View Lessons Learnt Template 

Questions Template

View Questions Template 

Explore our Questions Slides to get creative ideas on how to end a presentation.

Quotes Template

View Quotes Template

Explore our Quotes Slides  to get creative ideas on how to end a presentation.

Now you don’t have to scour the web to find out the right templates. Download our PowerPoint Templates from within PowerPoint. See how ?

Related Articles

Privacy Overview

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

Home Blog Presentation Ideas Key Insights on How To End a Presentation Effectively

Key Insights on How To End a Presentation Effectively

A piece of research by   Ipsos Corporate Firm  titled “Last Impressions Also Count” argues that “our memories can be governed more by  how an experience ends than how it begins .” A lasting final impression can be critical to any presentation, especially as it makes our presentation goals more attainable. We’re covering  how to end a presentation , as it can certainly come through as an earned skill or a craft tailored with years of experience. Yet, we can also argue that performing exceptionally in a presentation is conducting the proper research. So, here’s vital information to help out with the task.

This article goes over popular presentation types; it gives suggestions, defines the benefits and examples of different speech closing approaches, and lines all this information up following each presentation purpose.

We also included references to industry leaders towards the end, hoping a few real-life examples can help you gain valuable insight. Learn from noted speakers and consultants as you resort to SlideModel’s latest presentation templates for your efforts. We’re working together on more successful presentation endings that make a difference!

Table of Content

A presentation’s end is not a recap

The benefits of ending a presentation uniquely, the power of closing in persuasive presentations, informative presentations: the kind set out to convey, call to action presentations: trigger actions or kickoff initiatives, a final word on cta presentations, real-life examples of how to end a presentation, succeeding with an effective presentation’s ending.

We need to debunk a widespread myth to start. That’s why the ending of the presentation calls for an appealing action or content beyond just restating information that the speaker already provided.

A presentation’s end is not a summary of data already given to our audience.  On the contrary, a wrap-up is a perfect time to provide meaningful and valuable facts that trigger the desired response we seek from our audience. Just as important as knowing how to start a presentation , your skills on how to end a PowerPoint presentation will make a difference in the presentation’s performance.

Effective ways to end a presentation stem from truly seeking to accomplish – and excel – at reaching a presentation’s primary objective. And what are the benefits of that?

Considering the benefits of each closing approach, think about the great satisfaction that comes from giving an excellent presentation that ends well. We all intuitively rejoice in that success, regardless of the kind of audience we face. 

That feeling of achievement, when an ending feels right, is not a minor element, and it’s the engine that should drive our best efforts forward. Going for the most recommended way of ending a presentation according to its primary goal and presentation type is one way to ensure we achieve our purpose. 

The main benefit of cleverly unlocking the secret to presentation success is getting the ball rolling on what we set ourselves to achieve . Whether that’s securing a funding round, delivering a final project, presenting a quarterly business review, or other goals; there is no possible way in which handling the best presentation-ending approaches fails to add to making a skilled presenter, improving a brand or business, or positively stirring any academic or commercial context. 

The best part of mastering these skills is the ability to benefit from all of the above time and time again; for any project, idea, or need moving forward.

How to end a PowerPoint Presentation?

PowerPoint Presentations differ by dimensions. They vary not only tied to the diverse reasons people present, but they also separate themselves from one another according to: a- use, b- context, c- industry, and d- purpose. 

We’re focusing on three different types of presentation pillars, which are: 

• Informative
• Calls to action

As you can guess, the speaker’s intent varies throughout these types. Yet, there’s much more to each! Let’s go over each type’s diverse options with examples. 

In 2009,   “The New Rules of Persuasion,”  a journal article published by The Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, determined that commercial persuasion was missing “the ability to think clearly about behavior goals and the mindset of starting small and growing what works.” Incorporating these thoughts is still equally valid in persuasive presentations today.

What hasn’t changed since, however, is this society’s good reminder that “the potential to persuade is in the hands of millions.” As they stated in that publication, “ordinary people sitting in dorm rooms and garages can compete against the biggest brands and the richest companies.” The proven reality behind that concept can be pretty inspiring.

According to this source, “ the first critical step in designing for persuasion is to select an appropriate target behavior. ” And, for behavior to occur, in their opinion, “three elements must converge at the same moment […]:  Motivation ,  Ability,  and  Trigger .” This theory signals a person is motivated through sensation, anticipation, or belonging when they can perform a particular action. This concept is at the backbone of setting the correct trigger to allow a group of people to react a certain way.

The above is of utmost importance as we seek to gear persuasive efforts. The more insight we get on the matter, the easier it is to define the precise actions that will effectively trigger a certainly required response – in any scenario.

Here are options on how to deliver a final punch in a persuasive presentation during different types of objectives:

Investment presentations

Whenever you seek funding,  that need  should be expressly clear during a pitch. Investors need to know what’s in it for them on a given investment. Highlight what interests them, and add what the  return for the investor  is. Mention dividends, equity, or the return method selected, for instance. Your final ask slide should show the exact amount you’re looking for during this funding stage.

Throughout, explain what an investor’s return on investment (ROI) will be. And make sure you do so according to provable calculations. Here, the goal is to display current figures and future opportunities in your speech.

You mustn’t make up this data. In this setting, presenters are naturally assessed by their ability to stay within real options fully supported by proven and concise reliable information.

Focus on showing an ability to execute and accomplish expected growth. Also, be precise on how you’re using any trusted funds . For that, mention where they’ll be allocated and how you foresee revenue after investing the funds in your idea, product, or company.

Pitch Presentations

Pitches are also another form of persuasive presentation. Presenters are expected to wow in new ways with them, be engaging in their approach, and deliver valuable, market-impacting data. When someone delivers a pitch, it seeks a particular kind of action in return from the audience. Being fully engaged towards a presentation’s end is crucial.

Make sure you give the presentation’s end a Call to Action slide in sales. You’re certainly looking to maximize conversion rates here. Bluntly invite your audience to purchase the product or service you’re selling, and doing so is fair in this context. For example, you can add a QR code or even include an old-fashioned Contact Us button. To generate the QR code, you can use a QR code generator .

According to  Sage Publishing , there are “four types of informative speeches[, which] are definition speeches, demonstration speeches, explanatory speeches, and descriptive speeches.” In business, descriptive speeches are the most common. When we transport these more specifically to the art of presenting, we can think of project presentations, quarterly business reviews, and product launches. In education, the definition and demonstration speeches are the norm, we can think in lectures and research presentations respectively.

As their name suggests, these presentations are meant to inform our audiences of specific content. Or, as  SAGE Flex for Public Speaking  puts it in a document about these kinds of speeches, “the speaker’s general goal is always to inform—or teach—the audience by offering interesting information about a topic in a way that helps the audience remember what they’ve heard.” Remember that as much as possible, you’re looking to, in Sage’s words, give out “information about a topic in a way that’s easy to understand and memorable.” Let’s see how we manage that in the most common informative presentation scenarios mentioned above.

Project Presentations

For projects, presentations should end with an action plan . Ensure the project can keep moving forward after the presentation. The best with these conclusion slides is to define who is responsible for which tasks and the expected date of completion. Aim to do so clearly, so that there are no remaining doubts about stakeholders and duties when the presentation ends. In other words, seek commitment from the team, before stepping out of these meetings. It should be clear to your audience what’s expected next of them.

As an addition, sum up, your problem, solution, and benefits of this project as part of your final message.

Quarterly Business Review Presentations (QBR)

By the end of the presentation type, you would’ve naturally gone over everything that happened during a specific quarter. Therefore, make sure you end this quarterly review with clear objectives on what’s to come for the following term. Be specific on what’s to come.

In doing so, set figures you hope to reach. Give out numbers and be precise in this practice. Having a clear action plan to address new or continuing goals is crucial in this aspect for a recent quarter’s start out of your QBR. Otherwise, we’re missing out on a true QBR’s purpose. According to  Gainsight , “If you go into a QBR without a concrete set of goals and a pathway to achieve them, you’ll only waste everyone’s time. You won’t improve the value of your product or services for your customers. You won’t bolster your company’s image in the eyes of key stakeholders and decision-makers. You won’t better understand your client’s business objectives.” As they put it, “Lock in solid goals for the next quarter (or until your next QBR)” and secure your way forward as the last step in presenting these kinds of data. Visit our guide on  How to Write an Effective Quarterly Business Review  for further tips on this type of presentation.

Research presentations

Your research has come this far! It’s time to close it off with an executive summary.

Include the hypothesis, thesis, and conclusion towards the presentation’s end.

How do you get the audience to recall the main points of all this work? Let this guiding question answer what to insert in your final slide, but seek to reinforce your main findings, key concepts, or valuable insight as much as possible. Support your statements where necessary.

Most commonly, researchers end with credits to the collaborating teams. Consider your main messages for the audience to take home. And tie those with the hypothesis as much as possible.

Product Launch Presentation

Quite simply, please take out the product launch’s roadmap and make it visible for your presentation’s end in this case.

It’s ideal for product launch presentations to stir conversations that get a product moving. Please don’t stick to showcasing the product, but build a narrative around it.

Steve Jobs’ example at the bottom might help guide you with ideas on how to go around this. A key factor is how Apple presentations were based on a precise mix of cutting-edge, revolutionary means of working with technology advancements and a simple human touch.

Elon Musk’s principles are similar. People’s ambitions and dreams are a natural part of that final invitation for consumers or viewers to take action. What will get your audience talking? Seek to make them react.

Lecture for specific classes / educational presentation

When it comes to academic settings, it’s helpful to summarize key points of a presentation while leaving room for questions and answers.

If you’re facing a periodic encounter in a class environment, let students know what’s coming for the next term. For instance, you could title that section “What’s coming next class,” or be creative about how you call for your student body’s attention every time you go over pending items.

If you need to leave homework, list what tasks need to be completed by the audience for the next class.

Another option is to jot down the main learnings from this session or inspire students to come back for the following class with a list of exciting topics. There’s more room for play in this setting than in the others we’ve described thus far.

Harvard Business Review  (HBR) concisely describes the need at the end of a call to action presentation. HBR’s direct piece of advice is that you should “use the last few moments of your presentation to clarify what action [an audience] can take to show their support.” And what’s key to HBR is that you “Also mention your timeframe” as, for them, “a deadline can help to urge [the audience] into action.” Having a clear view of specific timelines is always fruitful for a better grasp of action items.

In her book Resonate,  Nancy Duarte  explains that “No matter how engaging your presentation may be, no audience will act unless you describe a reward that makes it worthwhile. You must clearly articulate the ultimate gain for the audience […] If your call to action asks them to sacrifice their time, money, or ideals, you must be very clear about the payoff.”

Business plan presentations

Here, we need to speak of two different presentation types, one is a  traditional approach , and the second is what we call a  lean approach .

For the traditional business plan presentation, display each internal area call to action. Think of Marketing, Operations, HR, and even budgets as you do so. Your PowerPoint end slide should include the rewards for each of the areas. For example, which will benefit each area when achieving the targets, or how will the company reward its employees when attaining specific goals? Communicating the reward will help each of the responsible entities to trigger action.

On the other hand, for your lean business plan, consider a business model canvas to bring your presentation to an end. 

Job interview presentations

You can undoubtedly feel tons of pressure asking for a specific position. For a great chance of getting that new job, consider closing your case with a  30 60 90 day plan  as a particular hiring date. The employer will see its reward in each of the 30-day milestones.

Also, show off what you’ll bring to the role and how you’ll benefit the company in that period, specifically. Again, to a certain extent, we’re seeking to impress by being offered a position. Your differentiator can help as a wrap-up statement in this case.

Business Model Presentation

The pivot business model fits perfectly here for a presentation’s grand finale. The reward is simple; the business validated a hypothesis, and a new approach has been defined.

Though the setting can be stressful around business model presentations, you can see this as simply letting executives know what the following line of steps will need to be for the business model to be scalable and viable. Take some tension off this purpose by focusing on actions needed moving forward.

Your call to action will center around a clear business model canvas pivot here.

We need to work hard at ending presentations with clear and concise calls to action (CTA) and dare be creative as we’re doing so! Suppose you can manage to give out a specific CTA in a way that’s imaginative, appealing, and even innovative. In that case, you’ll be showing off priceless and unique creative skills that get people talking for years!

Think of  Bill Gates’ releasing mosquitoes  in a TED Talk on malaria, for example. He went that far to get his CTA across. Maybe that’s a bit too bold, but there’s also no limit!

Now that we can rely on a broader understanding of how to conclude a presentation successfully, we’ll top this summary off with real-life examples of great endings to famous speakers’ presentations. These people have done a stellar job at ending their presentations in every case.

We’re also going back to our three main pillars to focus on a practical example for each. You’ll find an excellent example for an informative speech, a persuasive pitch, and a successful investor pitch deck. We’re also expanding on the last item for a guiding idea on ending a pitch directly from Reid Hoffman.

Informational Presentation: A product launch of a phone reinvention

The first is what’s been titled “the best product launch ever.” We’re going back to the  iconic Steve Jobs’ iPhone launch  dated more than a decade ago. You can see how to end a presentation with a quote in this example effectively. The quote resonates with the whole presentation purpose, which was not “selling” the iPhone as a “hardware phone” but as the “hardware” platform for “great software.” Closing with a quote from a famous personality that summarizes the idea was a clever move.

Little words are needed to introduce Steve Jobs as a great speaker who effectively moved the business forward every time he went up on a stage to present a new product. No one has ever been so revolutionary with a calm business spirit that has changed the world! 

Persuasive Presentation: The best pitch deck ever

We’re giving you the perfect example of a great pitch deck for a persuasive kind of presentation. 

Here’s  TechCrunch’s gallery on Uber’s first pitch deck . 

As you can see, the last slide doesn’t just report the status to date on their services; it also accounts for the  following steps moving forward  with a precise date scheduled. 

Check the deck out for a clearer idea of wrapping up a persuasive business presentation. 

Call to Action Presentation: LinkedIn’s Series B pitch deck by Reid Hoffman

As mentioned before,  here’s  an expanded final sendoff! Reid Hoffman is an established entrepreneur. As a venture capitalist and author, he’s earned quite a remarkable record in his career, acting as co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn. 

We’re highlighting LinkedIn’s series B pitch deck to Greylock Partners mainly because these slides managed to raise a $10 M funding round. Yet, moreover, we’re doing so because this deck is known to be well-rounded and overall highly successful. 

LinkedIn may be famous now for what it does, but back in 2004, when this deck made a difference, the company wasn’t a leader in a market with lots of attention. As Reid highlights on his website, they had no substantial organic growth or revenue. Yet, they still managed to raise a considerable amount. 

In Reid’s words for his last slide, “The reason we reused this slide from the beginning of the presentation was to indicate the end of presentation while returning to the high line of conceptualizing the business and reminding investors of the value proposition.” In his vision, “You should end on a slide that you want people to be paying attention to,” which he has tied with the recommendation that you “close with your investment thesis,” as well. A final note from him on this last slide of LinkedIn’s winning pitch is that “the end is when you should return to the most fundamental topic to discuss with your investors.” Quite a wrap-up from a stellar VC! Follow the linked site above to read more on the rest of his ending slides if you haven’t ever done so already.

The suggestions above are practical and proven ways to end a presentation effectively. Yet, remember, the real secret is knowing your audience so well you’ll learn how to grasp their attention for your production in the first place.

Focus on the bigger picture and add content to your conclusion slide that’s cohesive to your entire presentation. And then aim to make a lasting final impression that will secure what you need. There is a myriad of ways to achieve that and seek the perfect-suiting one.

Also, be bold if the area calls for it. As you see above, there is no shame, but an actual need to state the precise funding amount you need to make it through a specific stage of funding. Exercise whatever tools you have at your disposal to get the required attention.

Also, being sure about whatever decision you make will only make this an easier road to travel. If your head is transparent about what’s needed, you’ll be more confident to make a convincing case that points your audience in the right direction.

Check out our step-by-step guide on how to make a presentation .

Like this article? Please share

Business, Business Development, Business PowerPoint Templates, Business Presentations, Corporate Presentations, PowerPoint Tips, Presentation Approaches Filed under Presentation Ideas

Related Articles

Filed under Design • March 27th, 2024

How to Make a Presentation Graph

Detailed step-by-step instructions to master the art of how to make a presentation graph in PowerPoint and Google Slides. Check it out!

Filed under PowerPoint Tutorials • March 26th, 2024

How to Translate in PowerPoint

Unlock the experience of PowerPoint translation! Learn methods, tools, and expert tips for smooth Spanish conversions. Make your presentations global.

Filed under PowerPoint Tutorials • March 19th, 2024

How to Change Line Spacing in PowerPoint

Adjust text formatting by learning how to change line spacing in PowerPoint. Instructions for paragraph indenting included.

Leave a Reply

How to End a Presentation The Right Way (+ 3 Downloadable Creative PowerPoint Conclusion Slides)

Ausbert Generoso

Ever been in a presentation that started strong but fizzled out at the end? It’s a common frustration. The conclusion is where your message either sticks or fades away.

But how often have you left a presentation wondering, “Was that it?” A lackluster ending can undermine the impact of an entire presentation. In the digital age, a strong conclusion isn’t just a courtesy; it’s your secret weapon to make your message unforgettable.

In this blog, we’re diving into the art of crafting a powerful ending, making sure your audience doesn’t just understand but gets inspired. Let’s explore the key on how to end a presentation in a way that lingers in your audience’s minds.

Table of Contents

Why having a good presentation conclusion matters.

Understanding why a conclusion is not merely a formality but a critical component is key to elevating your presentation game. Let’s delve into the pivotal reasons why a well-crafted conclusion matters:

🎉 Lasting Impression

The conclusion is the last note your audience hears, leaving a lasting impression. It shapes their overall perception and ensures they vividly remember your key points.

🔄 Message Reinforcement

Think of the conclusion as the reinforcement stage for your central message. It’s the last opportunity to drive home your main ideas, ensuring they are understood and internalized.

📝 Audience Takeaways

Summarizing key points in the conclusion acts as a guide, ensuring your audience remembers the essential elements of your presentation.

💬 Connection and Engagement

A well-crafted conclusion fosters engagement, connecting with your audience on a deeper level through thought-provoking questions, compelling quotes, or visual recaps.

🚀 Motivation for Action

If your presentation includes a call to action, the conclusion plants the seeds for motivation, encouraging your audience to become active participants.

🌟 Professionalism and Polishing

A strong conclusion adds professionalism, showcasing attention to detail and a commitment to delivering a comprehensive and impactful message.

6 Unique Techniques and Components to a Strong Conclusion

As we navigate the art of how to end a presentation, it becomes evident that a powerful and memorable conclusion is not merely the culmination of your words—it’s an experience carefully crafted to resonate with your audience. In this section, we explore key components that transcend the ordinary, turning your conclusion into a compelling finale that lingers in the minds of your listeners.

1. Visual Storytelling through Imagery

What it is:  In the digital age, visuals carry immense power. Utilize compelling imagery in your conclusion to create a visual story that reinforces your main points. Whether it’s a metaphorical image, a powerful photograph, or an infographic summarizing key ideas, visuals can enhance the emotional impact of your conclusion.

How to do it:  Select images that align with your presentation theme and evoke the desired emotions. Integrate these visuals into your conclusion, allowing them to speak volumes. Ensure consistency in style and tone with the rest of your presentation, creating a seamless visual narrative that resonates with your audience.

2. Interactive Audience Participation

What it is:  Transform your conclusion into an interactive experience by engaging your audience directly. Pose a thought-provoking question or conduct a quick poll related to your presentation theme. This fosters active participation, making your conclusion more memorable and involving your audience on a deeper level.

How to do it:  Craft a question that encourages reflection and discussion. Use audience response tools, if available, to collect real-time feedback. Alternatively, encourage a show of hands or open the floor for brief comments. This direct engagement not only reinforces your message but also creates a dynamic and memorable conclusion.

3. Musical Closure for Emotional Impact

What it is:  Consider incorporating music into your conclusion to evoke emotions and enhance the overall impact. A carefully selected piece of music can complement your message, creating a powerful and memorable ending that resonates with your audience on a sensory level.

How to do it:  Choose a piece of music that aligns with the tone and message of your presentation. Introduce the music at the right moment in your conclusion, allowing it to play during the final thoughts. Ensure that the volume is appropriate and that the music enhances, rather than distracts from, your message.

4. Intentional and Deliberate Silence

What it is:  Sometimes, the most impactful way to conclude a presentation is through intentional silence. A brief pause after delivering your final words allows your audience to absorb and reflect on your message. This minimalist approach can create a sense of gravity and emphasis.

How to do it:  Plan a deliberate pause after your last sentence or key point. Use this moment to make eye contact with your audience, allowing your message to sink in. The strategic use of silence can be particularly effective when followed by a strong closing statement or visual element.

5. Narrative Bookending

What it is:  Create a sense of completeness by bookending your presentation. Reference a story, quote, or anecdote from the introduction, bringing your presentation full circle. This technique provides a satisfying narrative structure and reinforces your core message.

How to do it:  Identify a story or element from your introduction that aligns with your conclusion. Reintroduce it with a fresh perspective, revealing its relevance to the journey you’ve taken your audience on. This technique not only creates coherence but also leaves a lasting impression.

6. Incorporating Humor for Memorable Impact

What it is:  Humor can be a powerful tool in leaving a positive and memorable impression. Consider injecting a well-timed joke, light-hearted anecdote, or amusing visual element into your conclusion. Humor can create a sense of camaraderie and connection with your audience.

How to do it:  Choose humor that aligns with your audience’s sensibilities and the overall tone of your presentation. Ensure it enhances, rather than detracts from, your message. A genuine and well-placed moment of humor can humanize your presentation and make your conclusion more relatable.

[Bonus] Creative Ways on How to End a Presentation Like a Pro

1. minimalist conclusion table design.

One of the many ways to (aesthetically) end your PowerPoint presentation is by having a straightforward and neat-looking table to sum up all the important points you want your audience to reflect on. Putting closing information in one slide can get heavy, especially if there’s too much text included – as to why it’s important to go minimal on the visual side whenever you want to present a group of text.

Here’s how you can easily do it:

• Insert a table. Depending on the number of points you want to reinforce, feel free to customize the number of rows & columns you might need. Then, proceed to fill the table with your content.
• Clear the fill for the first column of the table by selecting the entire column. Then, go to the Table Design tab on your PowerPoint ribbon, click on the Shading drop down, and select No Fill.
• Color the rest of the columns as preferred. Ideally, the heading column must be in a darker shade compared to the cells below.
• Insert circles at the top left of each heading column. Each circle should be colored the same as the heading. Then, put a weighted outline and make it white, or the same color as the background.
• Finally, put icons on top each circle that represent the columns. You may find free stock PowerPoint icons by going to Insert, then Icons.

2. Animated Closing Text

Ever considered closing a presentation with what seems to be a blank slide which will then be slowly filled with text in a rather captivating animation? Well, that’s sounds specific, yes! But, it’s time for you take this hack as your next go-to in ending your presentations!

Here’s how simple it is to do it:

• Go to Pixabay , and set your search for only videos. In this example, I searched for the keyword, ‘yellow ink’.
• Insert the downloaded video onto a blank PowerPoint slide. Then, go to the Playback tab on the PowerPoint ribbon. Set the video to start automatically, and tick the box for ‘Loop until stopped’. Then, cover it whole with a shape.
• Place your closing text on top of the shape. It could be a quote, an excerpt, or just a message that you want to end your PowerPoint presentation with.
• Select the shape, hold Shift, and select the text next. Then, go to Merge Shapes, and select Subtract.
• Color the shape white with no outline. And, you’re done!

3. Animated 3D Models

What quicker way is there than using PowerPoint’s built-in 3D models? And did you know they have an entire collection of animated 3D models to save you time in setting up countless animations? Use it as part of your presentation conclusion and keep your audience’ eyes hooked onto the screens.

Here’s how you can do it:

• Design a closing slide. In this example, I’m using a simple “Thank You” slide.
• Go to Insert, then click on the 3D Models dropdown, and select Stock 3D Models. Here, you can browse thru the ‘All Animated Models’ pack and find the right model for you
• Once your chosen model has been inserted, go to the Animations tab.
• In this example, I’m setting a Swing animation. Then, set the model to start with previous.
• For a final touch, go to Animation Pane. From the side panel, click on the Effect Options dropdown and tick the check box for Auto-reverse. Another would be the Timing dropdown, then select Until End of Slide down the Repeat dropdown.

Get a hold of these 3 bonus conclusion slides for free!

Expert Tips on How to End a Presentation With Impact

🔍  Clarity and Conciseness

Tip:  Keep your conclusion clear and concise. Avoid introducing new information, and instead, focus on summarizing key points and reinforcing your main message. A concise conclusion ensures that your audience retains the essential takeaways without feeling overwhelmed.

⏩  Maintain a Strong Pace

Tip:  Control the pacing of your conclusion. Maintain a steady rhythm to sustain audience engagement. Avoid rushing through key points or lingering too long on any single aspect. A well-paced conclusion keeps your audience focused and attentive until the very end.

🚀  Emphasize Key Takeaways

Tip:  Clearly highlight the most critical takeaways from your presentation. Reinforce these key points in your conclusion to emphasize their significance. This ensures that your audience leaves with a firm grasp of the essential messages you aimed to convey.

🔄  Align with Your Introduction

Tip:  Create a sense of cohesion by aligning your conclusion with elements introduced in the beginning. Reference a story, quote, or theme from your introduction, providing a satisfying narrative arc. This connection enhances the overall impact and resonance of your presentation.

🎭  Practice, but Embrace Flexibility

Tip:  Practice your conclusion to ensure a confident delivery. However, be prepared to adapt based on audience reactions or unexpected changes. Embrace flexibility to address any unforeseen circumstances while maintaining the overall integrity of your conclusion.

📢  End with a Strong Call to Action (if applicable)

Tip:  If your presentation includes a call to action, conclude with a compelling and actionable statement. Clearly communicate what you want your audience to do next and why. A strong call to action motivates your audience to take the desired steps.

🙏  Express Gratitude and Closure

Tip:  Express gratitude to your audience for their time and attention. Provide a sense of closure by summarizing the journey you’ve taken together. A gracious and thoughtful conclusion leaves a positive final impression.

Final Thoughts

In wrapping up your presentation, the conclusion serves as the final touch, leaving a strong and lasting impression. Think of it as the last puzzle piece that completes the picture. Ensure your conclusion goes beyond a simple summary, using visuals and engagement to make it memorable. Express gratitude sincerely as you bring your talk to an end, acknowledging the shared experience and setting the stage for what follows.

In these closing moments, aim for more than just a conclusion; create a connection that lingers in the minds of your audience.

About Ausbert Generoso

Try classpoint for free.

All-in-one teaching and student engagement in PowerPoint.

Supercharge your PowerPoint. Start today.

500,000+ people like you use ClassPoint to boost student engagement in PowerPoint presentations.

End of presentation: 7 examples for the perfect conclusion

Ending a presentation is like adding the last stroke of a painter's brush - it rounds off the overall picture and creates a lasting impression. But how do you create a powerful end to a presentation that the audience will remember? Let's discover the secret together in this article.

What do you say at the end of a presentation?

You have given a convincing presentation, addressed everything important and got your message across effectively. Now you are faced with the challenge of finding a successful conclusion. This is where the right words matter. A simple "That's it" or "Thank you for your attention" will probably not be remembered by your audience. Instead, you can use a summary of your main points, a call-to-action or a catchy conclusion to leave a strong impression.

Why the end of your presentation is so important?

The end of a presentation is your last chance to leave a lasting impression. It gives you the opportunity to reinforce your message and inspire your audience, or spur them into action. It's not just about wrapping up your presentation, it's about ending it with a bang. Use this opportunity to reiterate your core message and make a strong emotional connection with your audience.

The principle of the recency effect

The recency effect states that people remember best what they heard last. This underlines why the end of your presentation is so important. If you design the end of your presentation effectively, your audience is more likely to remember it. Use this psychological phenomenon to your advantage and ensure that your conclusions and calls to action are remembered.

Presentation end: 7 examples to leave a lasting impression

• Summarize the main points: Repeat the main points of your presentation to reinforce them.
• Call-to-action: Ask your audience to perform a specific action or take a next step.
• Quote: A relevant and powerful quote can leave a lasting impression.
• Story or anecdote: A short, relevant story or anecdote can create an emotional connection and stick in the audience's mind.
• Questions: Ask a rhetorical or open-ended question that is thought-provoking.
• Surprising statistic or fact: An impressive statistic or fact can make a strong impression.
• Humorous remark: A funny remark or joke can lighten the mood and ensure a positive ending.

How to formulate a strong presentation ending

Formulating a strong presentation ending requires practice and creativity. Try to convey your core message in a way that suits your audience and your topic. Remember that your goal is to leave a lasting impression. Be clear, concise and engaging. Use metaphors or stories to illustrate your points and use rhetorical devices such as repetition and triples to reinforce your message. Here are some examples of how you can conclude your presentation:

• Summary and outlook: "Today we discussed the challenges and solutions for our product development. By implementing these solutions, our company will be even more innovative and efficient in the future."
• Call to action: "Now you know the advantages of our product. Let's exploit the opportunities that arise from this together. Let's start implementing it today!"
• Interaction question: "What do you think of these suggestions? Which measures do you see as a priority to achieve our goals?"
• Inspirational quote: "As Albert Einstein said: 'Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you have to keep moving'. So let's keep moving and pursue our goals together."
• Positive outlook: "I am confident that with these strategies we can achieve our goals and continue our success."

Each of these closing formulations has its strengths. Choose the one that best suits your style, your audience and your topic. Find out here how you can structure your presentation to create the perfect ending.

Presentation end - Rhetorical questions as a tool

The dos and don'ts for a successful end to a presentation.

It is crucial to design this finale in such a way that it is effective and memorable. To help you do this, here's a clear list of dos and don'ts to keep in mind at the end of your presentation. These tips will give you guidance to captivate your audience until the curtain falls.

How long should the end of a presentation last?

Make the end of the presentation fun.

Humor can be a great way to end your presentation in a light and enjoyable way. A joke or funny anecdote can lighten the mood and make your audience laugh. However, make sure the humor is appropriate and relevant to your topic.

What comes at the end of the presentation?

The closing slide of your presentation is your last chance to make a lasting impression. It should summarize your main points and include a call-to-action. You can also include your contact details or links to further resources. Make the closing slide engaging and easy to read to reinforce your message.

Take your presentations to the next level with Collaboard

End of presentation: the art of making a lasting impression.

The end of your presentation is more than just a conclusion. It's your chance to leave a lasting impression, reinforce your message and inspire your audience to take action. Take advantage of this opportunity and use techniques such as repeating your main points, asking rhetorical questions or adding humor to end your presentation effectively. Remember the principle of the recency effect and design your presentation to be memorable. No matter which method you choose, be authentic and stay true to yourself. Your audience will thank you for it.

Checklist: Effective end of presentation

This checklist will help you evaluate the effectiveness of your presentation ending and make sure you've covered all the important aspects. From the clarity of your message to the emotional resonance, these points are crucial to captivating your audience and leaving a lasting impression.

• Clarity of message: Has the main message of your presentation been clearly communicated?
• Answering audience questions: Were relevant questions from the audience addressed during or at the end of your presentation
• Visual impact: Was a strong, powerful image or graphic used effectively to reinforce the message?
• Audience engagement: Were techniques such as direct questions, interactive elements or calls to action used to actively engage the audience?
• Emotional resonance: Did the end of your presentation evoke an emotional response, be it inspiration, thoughtfulness or joy?
• Summary of content: Were the main points of your presentation summarized clearly and concisely?
• Lasting impression: Does the end of your presentation leave a strong, lasting image in the minds of your audience?

Case study: Impressive presentation endings

There are presentations that continue to occupy and inspire us long after they have finished. It's often the ending that leaves a lasting impression. To understand how to design a professional presentation ending, let's take a look at two case studies.

Steve Jobs at Apple product launches

Jobs' famous "One More Thing..." technique was a masterstroke in the art of presentation. After introducing a series of products or features during the presentation, it seemed as if he had reached the end. But then came the moment everyone was waiting for: Jobs returned to the stage, often with the words "There's one more thing...". These words caused great anticipation and excitement in the audience. This approach was more than just a clever finish. It became a trademark of Apple events and a synonym for innovation and surprise. The "One More Thing..." moments were often the introduction of groundbreaking products or features that would shape the technology world. This technique not only enhanced the impact of the presentation, but also left a sense of awe and curiosity.

The power of storytelling in TED Talks

TED Talks have established themselves worldwide as a platform for some of the most inspiring and influential presentations. A key element that sets TED presentations apart is the way speakers end their talks - often with a personal story or transformative experience. These stories are not only poignant, but also a powerful tool to reinforce the message of the presentation.

Presentation end - Frequently asked questions & answers

How do you end a presentation appropriately.

A good ending to a presentation includes a summary of the main points, a convincing conclusion, words of thanks and a willingness to answer questions.

What phrases are suitable for closing a presentation?

Possible phrases could be: "To conclude...", "To summarize...", "In conclusion, I would like to say...", "This brings me to the end of my presentation...".

Should you ask questions at the end of the presentation?

Yes, it is common and recommended to open a Q&A session at the end of the presentation to clear up any ambiguities and encourage dialog.

How should you respond to questions that you cannot answer?

It is important to be honest and admit if you cannot answer a question. You can offer to provide the answer later or ask the audience if someone else can answer the question.

What should you do if no questions are asked?

If no questions are asked, you can ask some prepared questions to stimulate discussion or highlight other aspects of the topic.

How do you thank the audience at the end of a presentation?

A simple "Thank you for your attention" or "Thank you for taking the time to listen to my presentation" is an appropriate way to say thank you.

Recent Posts from Blog

The 5-why method  » the most important things at a glance.

In companies and in everyday life, we often face problems that at first glance appear to be solvable using simple methods....

Presentation structure » How to create the perfect structure!

A well-structured presentation is crucial to engaging your audience and getting your message across effectively. A clear...

Best questions in retrospective. These methods can help your team move forward

In many work and project environments, retrospective methods are among the key tools for improving processes. In a good...

On-Premises - When is it the right choice?

In this article, we would like to explain what on-premises means and what advantages it has for your company. We will also...

Stay up to date with the latest collaboration tips and news.

• Student Login:

How to Close Your Presentation in English Powerfully [+ FREE Presentation Checklist]

May 9, 2018 | Business Professional English , Free Resource , Public Speaking & Presentations

This lesson has been updated from its original posting in 2016.

You’re giving your presentation in English. You have just two minutes left. And it’s time for the conclusion …

Did you know most people only remember the first and last things you tell them? It’s true.

If you are giving a presentation in English, then you definitely want people to remember what you say at the end. And this means your closing must be powerful!

You’ve worked hard on your presentation. You searched for information online. You couldn’t sleep at night. You felt nervous about making mistakes. You spent hours preparing. You reviewed the grammar and vocabulary. You worried about someone asking a question. You practiced and practiced and practiced.

And now it’s the last two minutes. This is the last opportunity for your audience to hear your key points. It is the last chance you have to help your audience remember your comments.

A closing in a presentation should be short and clear. It should summarize your key points. And, most importantly, it should be powerful.

In today’s lesson, you’re going to learn about 3 ways to make your closing more powerful. Plus you’ll learn useful key expressions you can use in your presentation.

3 steps to a powerful closing in your presentation.

Lesson by Annemarie

3 Strategies to Close Your Presentation Powerfully

Use these 3 strategies in your conclusion to:

• recapture your audience’s attention
• get your audience to focus and remember your key points
• help your audience connect with you and your topic
• end your presentation powerfully

One: Include a Call to Action (CTA)

Is there something you want your audience to do or think after your presentation. Do you want them to take action? Tell your audience exactly what you want them to do with a Call to Action.

Here’s my example:

“ After you finish today’s lesson, please take 2 minutes to  leave a comment about your experience with presentations. You can share your thoughts or ask questions in the comments section at the bottom of this lesson – it’s the perfect place to join a discussion on this topic.”

A couple useful expressions to help you introduce your CTA is:

• To close, I’d like to ask you to do this one thing…
• And finally, before you leave the conference today, please take two minutes to…

Two: End with a Powerful/Inspirational Quote

Is there one thing you really want your audience to remember? Or is there a specific feeling you want your audience to have after your presentation?

Using a powerful quote can help you do that. You could introduce a great quote or interesting statistic with:

• I’d like to finish with this powerful/interesting/wonderful/inspiring/ quote from …
• And finally, let’s finish up today’s discussion with this surprising/useful/shocking/hopeful statistic …

Here are some example quotes that might help people be prepared to take action or to think differently. But remember! Always match the quote or statistic to your topic:

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”  – Martin Luther King, Jr. “Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.”  – Alexander Graham Bell

Three: Add a Surprising Fact or Statistic

Is there something you’d love for your audience to think about after your presentation? Is there a statistic or fact that will help someone remember your key points?

A surprising fact can also help re-engage your audience, it will snap their attention back to you.

For example:

Did you know that the human brain’s capacity is limitless – that’s great new right? BUT … did you also know that a person is likely to remember only 25% of a presentation after 24 hours?

Uh oh. That is why it’s SO important to have a powerful ending! Remember: the key is to find a statistic or fact that connects directly to your topic.

Useful Language to Close Your Presentation

Summarize Your Key Points & Close Your Presentation

• That brings us to the end of the presentation. I’d like to summarize by saying …
• That concludes my presentation. However, I’d like to quickly summarize the main points or takeaways.
• And on that final note, that concludes my presentation.
• To quickly recap, I’d like you to remember these key points …
• To summarize …
• In conclusion …
• I’d like to bring this presentation to a close with …
• I’d like to close this talk with …
• So, this concludes the focus of discussion today. To end, I’d like to highlight …
• This concludes [name/title of the section] so let’s move on to the final comments.

Thank Your Audience

• I sincerely appreciate your attention today/this evening/this morning.
• And that brings us to the end. I’d like to thank you for your time and attention today.
• Thank you so much for your interest and attention.
• At this time, I’d like to have my colleague speak so I’ll finish up by saying thank you for your attention.
• I can see that our time is just about up so to finish I’d like to say thank you.
• I sincerely appreciate that I’ve had this opportunity to present to you.
• If there is one thing I would like you to remember from today’s presentation it’s …

Take Questions

• If anyone has any questions, I’d be happy to open up the discussion.
• If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask now and I’ll do my best to answer.
• Would anyone like to ask any questions?
• I would now be interested to hear from you with your thoughts or questions.
• Now let’s move on to some Q&A. (Q&A = Questions and Answers)

Provide Next Steps or Contact Information

• If you would like more information, here is a list of useful resources/websites.
• If anyone who like more information or has questions, please feel free to contact me at: [include contact info]
• Here is a list for further reading on this topic. (Include the list of books or websites.)

Get the complete Presentations in English Series:

Part 1: How to Prepare for Your Presentation in English

Part 2:  How to Start with a Great Introduction in Your Presentation

Part 3:  How to Organize Your Presentation in English

Part 4: How to End Your Presentation Powerfully

After you’ve watched the video and reviewed the lesson, I’d love to hear from you!

Tell me about the best presentation you ever heard. Who gave the presentation? And why do you remember it? Share what you remember in the comments section below.

And for the bonus question!! Have you given a presentation in English? What tips or advice would you like to share with others? You can add your advice in the comments section.

Thank you so much for joining me!

~ Annemarie

Get the Confidence to Say What You Want in English

Follow my 3-step solution to speak English with clarity, fluency, and freedom so you can say what you want with confidence.

You'll also get my Confident English lessons delivered by email every Wednesday and occasional information about available courses. You can unsubscribe any time.

More Like This

#309: How to Go Off Topic in English | English Conversation Skills

Learn how to gracefully go off topic in English without losing your audience. Whether you’re in a meeting or chatting with friends, in this lesson we dive deep into the art of smoothly navigating tangents while enhancing your English conversation skills.

#308: How to Use ‘Though’ in English [+ FREE Worksheet]

Learn and practice how to correctly use though, although, even though, and as thought in your English conversations.

#307: How to Use English Abbreviations in Emails, Texts, and Conversations

Follow this comprehensive guide to learn how to use English abbreviations for emails, texts, and conversations.

How to Describe Your Personality in English

Did you know it’s common in daily conversation & in job interviews to hear this question: “So, how would you describe yourself?” — How would you answer the question? Use this lesson to learn real-life English vocabulary for describing personalities in English.

#306: Friendly Ways to Invite Someone in English

Extend invitations in English with phrases that strike the perfect balance between formality, friendliness, and warmth to make your invitations feel genuine and welcoming.

#305: Discover Effective Ways to Talk about Hope in English

Dive deep into the heart of English tenses—past, present, and future—highlighting how ‘hope’ evolves with each so you can talk about your hope in English.

© Copyright 2014-2024 Speak Confident English  |   Privacy Policy  |   Terms & Disclaimer  | Online Class Policies

I’m glad to hear it was helpful!

This was very helpful

Thanks, Ma’am/Sir. This helped me a lot… 

Same here ma’am

This is so helpful. Thank you so much

This helped a lot. Thank you so much <3

I accidentally found your page while working on my English video presentation. It’s really helpful. Thanks soooo much 🙂

I’m very glad to know it was helpful!

Hi! I found your page very insightful. Thank you very much!

I’m glad to hear it!

great video series. thank you so much. you mentioned that you had a downloadable checklist in the final video. where could I find this thanks?

Hi Ellie, I’m glad the series was helpful.

When you visit the lesson, there should be an image that pops up with an opportunity to get the download. If you don’t see it, please let me know so I can fix it.

Helped a lot! Thank you very much <33

thank you so much

I love your method

Hello, I have a 5 minute oral presentation of a fictional book, w/the main focus on the leadership traits of the characters. I enjoyed the book, and suspect others might, so to that end, is it OK to NOT share the ending? Thank you

Thanks for your help 🙂

Great website. I found a typo in on the presentation closings page “Useful Langauge to Close Your Presentation”.

Good eyes! Thanks so much for the note. We’ve fixed the typo.

Dear Annemarie, thank you so much for sharing. 

Dear Annemarie, thank you so much for sharing. I learned so much from your 4 videos and I will work on improving my presentation skills. Love your spirit of excellence. For me as a presenter, its important i am passionate about the topic i share and audience will be able to apply some of the learnings in their life. Thank you Annemarie. I love your voice too. Stay blessed.

I watch continuously watched ur 4 videos and U r a great teacher.Thanks for making such purposeful videos.

I am so happy , I have more form you thank you very much

You are absolutely wonderful and your website is extremely useful and also quit impressive i habe my english A-levels in December i copied this text i sinisterly appreciate that i have had this opportunity to present to you and i also add something * it was a honor for me so thank you ☺️

Thanks, Jasmin! I’m so glad to know my lessons are helpful to you.

hey Annemarie could you help me in ending my presentation on mental health. it is a school presentation for MUN

If you’d like editing help, please see our options for 1:1 classes .

You are my favorite speaker. ☺

Hi Anna, that’s so kind of you. Thank you. 🙂

It’s so useful to us…… I’m so happy by this

I’m glad it was helpful to you, Kalpana.

I was holistically stuck about how to give my first ever presentation, but this gave me an impetus and confidence. Thanks a lot for this exquisite info

Awesome. I’m glad this helped you to move forward.

Thank YOU for tour tips. They are really inspiring. I Will try to put them into practise.

Hi Nancy, Wonderful! I’m glad they’re helpful to you!

It’s so useful to us…… I’m so happy by this

do you have Presentation course

Hi Hammad, I don’t at this time but it’s definitely something I’m thinking about.

📣 The Confident Women Community in April The CWC is where women learn, practice, speak, and make progress. Coming in April we have speaking partner matching PLUS new study guides on travel. 🗺️

Pin It on Pinterest

How to End a Presentation (+ Useful Phrases)

Table of Contents

Most people are aware of the power of first impressions.

However, our appearance and the first words we utter are only one part of the impact we have on others.

Arguably, the final words we exchange during an interaction can have an even more lasting effect . And that applies to public speaking, too.

Obviously, the way you introduce yourself and the topic you’ll be discussing is important.

However, the end of a presentation should also be recognized as a crucial part of the experience .

With that in mind, this article will walk you through some:

• Things you should consider before drafting your conclusion,
• Tips for ending a presentation memorably,
• Mistakes you should avoid, and
• Phrases you can use to wrap up your speech.

But, before we discuss how to end a presentation, let’s establish why having an impactful conclusion is so essential.

Why is it important to have an impactful ending for your presentation?

In our article about starting a presentation , we explained how the steps of the motivated sequence framework correspond to the structure of the average presentation or speech.

As we have established, the introduction of a presentation mirrors the first step of that model. That means that one of its main goals is to get the listeners’ attention .

The central part of the speech, or the body , corresponds to the second, third, and fourth steps of the motivated sequence framework. In other words, it has to:

• Introduce the audience’s need (or identify a problem the listeners are having),
• Offer a way to satisfy (or resolve) that need, and
• Help the listeners visualize the successful implementation of the speaker’s solution.

Having checked off these points, we arrive at the conclusion , i.e., the subject of this article.

That stage of a presentation corresponds to the final step of the motivated sequence model — which consists of the call to action .

So, the conclusion of a presentation allows the speaker to drive their point home and nudge the audience toward performing a specific action.

However, that’s not the only purpose of a conclusion.

According to the authors of Business Communication: Process & Product , the final section of a presentation should achieve 3 goals . It should:

• Summarize the main themes of the presentation,
• Leave the audience with a specific and noteworthy takeaway (i.e. propose a specific course of action), and
• Include a statement that allows the speaker to leave the podium (or pass the mic) gracefully.

Above all, the ending of a presentation should be memorable , akin to the punchline of a joke.

Having said that, let’s talk about some factors you should consider as you’re writing the conclusion of your speech.

Things to consider before crafting the conclusion of your presentation

If you’re trying to figure out how to end a presentation, knowing the goals of a conclusion should help.

However, those objectives are only one part of the puzzle. To get the others, you should also consider:

• Your audience’s demographic breakdown,
• The general purpose of your presentation ,
• The specific purpose of your presentation , and
• Your thesis statement .

With that in mind, let’s see how each of these factors can help you develop an impactful conclusion for your presentation.

Factor #1: The demographic breakdown of the audience

As we have noted in our article about starting presentations, understanding the demographic breakdown of one’s audience is a crucial part of drafting a speech .

After all, the audience affects all of the choices we make — from the way we present ourselves to the vocabulary and the supporting materials we use during our presentations.

In our quest to learn more about the effect an audience can have on a presentation, we spoke to Persuasion Strategist Juliet Huck .

Having spent a significant portion of her professional career preparing people to take the witness stand, Huck knows a thing or two about adjusting one’s messaging to fit the preferences of one’s audience. She says:

“[The] ending [of] every presentation should be different and always based on the background of your audience. This should not be a blanket statement.  It also depends on if you are educating your audience or persuading them to make a decision in your favor.  You must do the homework on your audience prior to giving a presentation and end by leading them to your desired conclusion by giving them a conclusion they can relate to.”

But, if you’re not entirely sure how to take your audience into account when drafting your conclusion, consider the following questions:

• How will your audience connect to the topic you’re discussing?
• How can you relate the information you’re sharing to the listeners’ needs?
• What would make your audience think back on your presentation in positive terms?
• What would be the most effective way to get your point across to this specific audience?

Knowing whether your audience is friendly, neutral, uninterested, or hostile will also help you adjust your approach.

If nothing else, it’ll tell you whether you should stick to the facts or feel free to deliver a more casual or rousing speech.

Examples of different audience breakdowns

In our article about starting a presentation, we demonstrated our tips through 3 fictional speakers. So, let’s use the same presenters to illustrate this point.

• Nick Mulder is talking about the dangers of phishing. He introduced himself as the head of the security department. So, we can assume that he’s speaking to an audience of fellow employees, perhaps even through video conferencing software. Therefore, he was addressing an internal problem the company was having in front of a fairly receptive audience.
• Joan Miller is talking about how artificial intelligence is changing the future of the marketing industry. In her introduction, she mentioned having over four decades of experience in marketing. Consequently, we can infer that she’s speaking to an audience of marketing specialists who were previously unaware of her credentials.
• Milo Green is talking about employee retention. In his introduction, he indicated that the audience may know him as the founder of Green & Co. So, he’s probably famous enough to be recognized by at least a portion of his audience. Between that and the subject of his presentation, we can assume that he’s talking to the upper management of other companies.

From our examples, we can see how the identity of the speaker and their level of familiarity with the listeners might affect the way they prepare their presentations .

Factor #2: The general purpose of your presentation

Understanding the general purpose of a speech brings you one step closer to knowing how to end a presentation.

According to the authors of Communicating at Work , most presentations can be sorted into one of 3 categories based on that factor. In that regard, your presentation could be:

• Informative , aiming to expand the listeners’ knowledge and/or help them acquire a specific skill,
• Persuasive , with the goal of changing the listeners’ opinions or encouraging them to behave a certain way, or
• Entertaining , which is good for getting the audience to relax and look forward to upcoming speakers or events.

The general purpose of your presentation will naturally affect your conclusion because it will change what you choose to emphasize.

💡 Pumble Pro Tip

The basic goal of your presentation could correspond with the type of presentation you’re giving. To learn more about presentation types and styles, check out this article:

• Presentation types and styles explained

Examples of defining the general purpose of a presentation 

Let’s see how our imaginary presenters would define the general purpose of their presentations.

• The general purpose of our phishing expert’s presentation is informative . The speaker’s primary goal is to teach his coworkers how to recognize and defend themselves against phishing attempts.
• Our marketing expert’s presentation is persuasive . She wants to change her listeners’ minds and make them more open to using AI in their marketing campaigns.
• The last speaker’s presentation about employee retention is also persuasive . After all, the speaker is attempting to show his listeners how they can increase the employee retention rate at their own companies. However, depending on the circumstances surrounding the speech, it could also take on some entertaining qualities.

Factor #3: The specific purpose of your presentation

The specific purpose of a presentation is essentially the outcome you’re looking to achieve with your speech. Defining this goal will require you to know the answers to the following questions :

• Who do you want to influence?
• What do you want them to think or do?
• How, when, and where do you want them to do it?

Ideally, the specific goal you come up with should be realistic and highly specific .

To that end, the authors of Communicating at Work recommend setting measurable goals . So, for example, instead of thinking: “ I want to get approval for my project. ”,

“I want my manager to let me set aside one day per week to work on this project. I also want them to let me ask one or two other people to help me with it.”

Having this kind of goal in mind will help you figure out how to wrap up your presentation.

Examples of defining the specific purpose of a presentation

So, how would our 3 speakers specify the desired outcomes of their presentations in measurable terms? Let’s see:

“I want the people in my company to understand the dangers of phishing attacks. They should learn the exact steps they need to take when they see a suspicious email in their inbox.”

“I want these marketing experts to be more knowledgeable about the way artificial intelligence works right now and understand how they can incorporate that software into their professional practice.”

“I want managers and HR professionals to know how they can make their companies a better place to work so they can keep their employee retention rate high.”

Free team communication software

Try Pumble, a secure, reliable, and easy-to-use communication tool.

FREE FOREVER • UNLIMITED COMMUNICATION

Factor #4: Your thesis statement

Ultimately, defining the general and specific goals of your presentation is a great way to keep yourself on track when crafting your speech.

However, the audience doesn’t need to know those goals.

Instead, they can hear your thesis statement — a summary of your overall message .

You can treat this statement as the throughline of your presentation. It will appear at least once in the introduction, followed by a few repetitions throughout the body of the presentation.

Finally, you’ll also want to include that same idea in your conclusion at least once.

In addition to keeping you, as the speaker, grounded, that repetition also keeps your audience from wondering what your presentation is about .

Examples of defining the thesis statement of a presentation

So, what would a thesis statement look like in practice? Let’s hear it from our fictional presenters:

“Identifying and reporting phishing emails will save the company’s information and money in the long term.”

“Right now, artificial intelligence isn’t as advanced as people think it is. However, we can still use it for marketing purposes as long as we make sure the process doesn’t begin and end with AI.”

“Improving your employee retention rate makes employees more engaged with their work and saves the company time and money that would otherwise go to training new personnel.”

How to end a presentation with a bang: 10 tips + examples

Now that we know why having an impactful conclusion is so crucial, it’s time to find the right way to achieve your goals.

To that end, we have highlighted 10 tips that might help you wrap up your presentation .

• Reiterate the key points and your core message.
• Mirror your opening statement.
• Elicit a response.
• Engage the audience.
• Call to action.
• Hand out materials.
• Acknowledge your contributors.
• Provide contact information.
• Thank the audience.
• Ask for feedback.

Of course, many of these methods we’ll discuss can be combined. However, your choices may be limited depending on the factors we have previously mentioned.

Tip #1: Reiterate the key points and your core message

Making sure the audience remembers your main points is one of the most important objectives your conclusion should accomplish.

With that in mind, you should dedicate some time at the end of your speech to reinforcing what you were trying to say throughout your presentation.

Take it from Mark Beal , Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Communication, at Rutgers University:

“Every presentation should deliver and consistently reinforce three key message points. Most audience members will not recall more than three messages. Some may only recall one or two. With that [in mind], an engaging and effective presentation should conclude with the three messages the presenter wants the audience to take away.”

In essence, you’ll want to summarize your presentation by reiterating up to 3 key points and then repeating your thesis statement.

You could even translate this tip to your presentation slides. As Juliet Huck says:

“Your last slide should always draw your audience to your desired conclusion. [It] should be your billboard message , as we remember 70% of what we see and 20% of what we hear.”

We can see what that might look like through the example of our imaginary presentation on the dangers of phishing, below.

Tip #2: Mirror your opening statement

According to the authors of Communicating at Work , splitting a narrative between the introduction and the conclusion of your presentation is a good way to keep your audience’s attention.

Assistant Professor of Rhetorical Communication at the State University of New York, Dr. Lee M. Pierce , agrees:

“Psychological closure is looping back to the beginning to give the audience a sense of a closed circle. Don’t add new information in the conclusion, just tie the presentation up with a bow. [For example,] I always customize my closings based on the opening of the speech. During a TEDx Talk on Beyoncé’s ‘Formation,’ I began by walking out to the introduction to the song, and then I ended by walking off to the end of the song.”

The above quote demonstrates that this tip can be useful no matter which method you used to start your presentation .

You can use it to put a new spin on a statistic you shared in the introduction, give a story you told a different ending, or finish the punchline of a joke you started with.

Overall, coming back to the theme you introduced at the beginning of your speech should make your presentation seem more complete and intentional .

Phrases you can use to reflect the introduction of your presentation in the conclusion

With all that being said, let’s see how our imaginary speakers would mirror the opening lines of their presentations in their conclusion.

Having started with a phishing statistic, our first speaker might say:

“Going back to the number we started with, remember that the Anti-Phishing Working Group has recorded 1,270,883 individual phishing attacks in the third quarter of 2022 — and that number is always on the rise. Luckily, you now have all the information you need to avoid becoming a part of that statistic.”

Our second speaker would have announced her plans to survey her listeners at the beginning of her presentation. In her conclusion, she might say:

“At the beginning of my presentation, I asked you to answer a quick survey on whether you’d be willing to work with AI. If you look back at your phones, you’ll see a different link in the #general channel on Pumble . Let’s see if this talk has managed to sway some opinions!”

Lastly, our final speaker might refer back to a humorous statement he made about chaining one’s employees to their desks to ensure that employee retention rates stay high.

“Once you start making your company a better place to work, your employees will happily perform their daily tasks — without being glued to their desks.”

Tip #3: Elicit a response

Making an audience experience strong emotions is always a good thing, but especially as the presentation comes to a close.

Putting the listeners in a contemplative mood or, even better, a cheerful one, means that they’ll be more likely to remember you and the points you made after your presentation ends.

On top of that, concluding your presentation in this manner would allow you to step off the stage gracefully, which is one of the main goals your conclusion should accomplish.

Now, depending on the type of presentation you’re delivering and, indeed, your style of presenting, you could elicit a response by:

• Ending with a short but powerful statement ,
• Asking a thought-provoking rhetorical question ,
• Relying on an impactful statistic or a quote , or even
• Inserting a funny picture or a meme on your final presentation slide.

Any one of these methods could help you solidify yourself and your message in the minds of the audience.

Phrases you can use to elicit a response from the audience

So, how would our 3 presenters try to get a response from their audiences? Well, they might use the following statements.

“Ultimately, the best defense against phishing attacks is human intelligence. You, alone, can ensure that your information remains secure by implementing the checklist I’ve shared today.”

“So, let me ask you again. Would you be willing to incorporate AI into your marketing campaign?”

“Hey, if the conditions you’re offering to your employees are good enough — there’s no need to keep them glued to their desks.”

Tip #4: Engage the audience

As we’ll discuss later on, having a Q&A session at the end of your presentation doesn’t always pan out the way you want it to.

Even so, getting your audience — or at least a few select listeners — to verbally respond to you can go a long way toward making you seem like a more engaging speaker.

Still, you can’t implement this tip without a strategy. You want to lead your audience to a certain type of response .

Professional speaker, career change consultant, and host of the Career Relaunch® podcast, Joseph Liu , had this to say:

“I often invite attendees to share what action they’re going to take amongst the potential ones I’ve covered throughout the presentation or to at least commit to taking some sort of action.”

Speaker, author, and editorial producer at CNN, Nadia Bilchik , agrees:

“If time allows, I always ask participants to share their biggest takeaway.”

The quote above also highlights the importance of being aware of the time as you are concluding a presentation — which is another thing we’ll talk about later.

For now, we’ll just boil this tip down to the following statement: if possible, try to make people verbalize or at least think about the knowledge they’re taking away from your speech .

Phrases you can use to engage the audience

Going back to our imaginary speakers, let’s see how this tip might work in practice.

“As we approach my conclusion, I’d like for us to reflect on everything we’ve learned here today. So, let me turn the spotlight on you all. Does anyone remember how to recognize a phishing email without opening it?”

“Now, I’m sure everyone here has some idea of how they might incorporate AI into their next marketing campaign. Is anyone willing to share their strategy?”

“Alright! Pop quiz time — don’t worry, I won’t grade you. Can you all shout out the main 3 ways to increase employee retention? Number 1?”

Tip #5: Call to action

Once you have finished reiterating your core message and making sure you have your audience’s attention, you need to be able to direct the listeners to the next step.

As Michelle Gladieux , author of Communicate with Courage and President of Gladieux Consulting, an employee coaching provider, would put it:

“What can the audience DO with the information you’ve shared? Suggest a positive, fruitful next step or, even better, suggest several, and let your presentation participants choose among options that have panned out well for others.”

In her workshops, Gladieux says:

“We ask participants to document at least one goal for behavior change that is specific, measurable, and time-based, and take a bonus step of inviting them to name one person they’ll tell about their goal for added accountability.”

According to the authors of Communicating at Work , there are 2 ways to deliver a call to action at the end of your presentation. Namely, you can either phrase it as:

• An appeal or a question (e.g. “If any of this sounds interesting, you can learn more by signing up for our newsletter through the link on the screen behind me.” ), or
• A challenge or a demand (e.g. “Now, you can keep doing what you’re doing and getting lackluster results. Or, you can sign up for our newsletter to receive tips that will help you upgrade your strategy.” ).

As always, your choice will depend on the factors we have listed at the top of this article.

Phrases you can use to call the audience to action

Let’s see what our fictional speakers’ calls to action might look like.

“Remember, even if you happen to open a phishing email, you’ll be able to deal with it easily by forwarding it to this email address. That’s the main thing you need to remember from this talk.”

“I bet many of you could come up with even more creative ways to incorporate AI into your marketing campaigns. So, how about this: if you fill out the form I’m about to send you, I’ll check in with you in about three months. Those of you who succeed in using AI in a meaningful way will get a chance to share your insights on this very stage next year!”

“I have a challenge for those of you who are ready to meet me at my level. I want you to sign a pledge, promising to boost your employee retention rate by 10% in the next year. We had a similar experiment at one of my talks a couple of years back, and even I was surprised by the results.”

If you decide to accompany this part of your speech with a call to action slide, keep Juliet Huck’s advice in mind:

“A call to action slide is not always persuasive. Persuasion is not a call to action — it is a directed action. To ‘call’ means someone can say no, but to ‘persuade’ [is to] direct your audience to your desired conclusion based on a number of steps.”

In effect, that means that your call to action should be the final step of your persuasion strategy.

You should start building to that desired outcome well before you get to the end of your presentation.

Tip #6: Hand out materials

The ending of a presentation is the perfect time to give the audience a keepsake of your speech .

But, keep in mind that a memento doesn’t have to be a physical item. As Michelle Gladieux would say:

“I like to direct my audiences to free downloadable resources on our website for those who want to continue their personal and professional growth as leaders and communicators.”

So, sharing resources through email or a business messaging app would work just as well.

Of course, you don’t have to hold off until the conclusion of your presentation to give your audience something to remember you by. Gladieux also shared a method she used in her workshops: 

“[Most of our] participants have our high-quality original workbooks in hand during the presentation and available later as a tangible resource. Folks add notes, take short assessments, and work on case studies when we teach using workbooks. If we use presentation slides, we keep the content as engaging visually as possible and short on words.”

If your budget allows you to do something similar, that might be a good way to make the audience remember you.

Phrases you can use before handing out materials

In the scenarios we have conjured up, the speakers might introduce their additional materials like so.

“If you’re interested in learning more about phishing and how you can defend yourself from future attacks, you’ll find more information by following the link on the screen.”

“Now, at this point, I see that my associates have already started delivering some additional materials and miscellaneous goodies to you. I hope you’ll use them to workshop further ideas for using AI in your marketing strategies.”

“I’ll go ahead and forward these presentation slides as well as some additional resources for improving employee retention to you all.”

If you’re looking for a convenient way to deliver additional resources to the attendees of your speech, Pumble is a great option. This article offers some practical tips for using business messaging software for educational purposes — including online conferences:

• Using Pumble for teaching and learning  

Tip #7: Acknowledge contributors

If you’re delivering a business presentation as a representative of a team or a department, you can also use the final moments of your speech to acknowledge everyone who worked on the presentation with you.

On the one hand, you could simply thank your team in general terms and leave it at that.

Alternatively, you could highlight the individual contributions of specific team members if you want to make sure their effort doesn’t go unnoticed.

Phrases you can use to acknowledge your contributors

Here’s how our fictitious presenters might acknowledge the people who helped them create their presentations:

“Before I sign off, I’d like to take a moment to thank Jill and Vanessa from the security team, who helped me compile the data and create the slides you just saw.”

“Finally, I’d like to acknowledge that this presentation wouldn’t be half as informative without the experts who helped me understand the technical side of AI.”

“Now, let’s all give it up for my wonderful team, who helped me organize this lecture.”

Improve communication and collaboration for increased team efficiency with Pumble.

Tip #8: Provide contact information

Business presentations often double as networking opportunities , both for presenters and for audience members.

With that in mind, you might want to put your contact information on one of your closing slides.

For one, doing so would show the audience how they can get in touch with you after your presentation ends. After all, they may have additional questions or even interesting business opportunities for you.

On top of that, putting your contact information on the last slide is also a good way to remind the audience of your name and credentials .

For that reason, our second imaginary speaker might have “Joan Miller — Chief Marketing Officer at Happy Media” on her final slide.

Phrases you can use to provide contact information

So, how would our presenters encourage their audience to keep in touch? Well, they might say: 

“I’m always happy to answer any of your security or phishing-related questions on Pumble. You’ll find me by clicking the plus sign next to the direct messages section and searching my name, Nick Mulder.”

“If you all have any follow-up questions for me or one of the AI experts I’ve spoken to, you’ll find all of our contact information on this slide.”

“If you want to stay up to date on Green & Co’s latest news, follow us on LinkedIn.”

Tip #9: Thank the audience

Many presenters find a way to incorporate a “ thank you ” slide at the end of their presentations.

If you want to express your appreciation to your audience members , you could do the same thing.

However, as we’ll soon discuss, many of the experts we’ve spoken to would advise against having pointless visuals at the end of your presentation.

After all, you want to leave the audience with something memorable to take away from your speech.

Still, if you want to thank the audience, you could always make that final slide serve multiple functions .

For example, a “thank you” slide can also contain the speaker’s contact information, as well as additional resources.

This example “thank you” slide above features a QR code (you can create one using a QR code generator ) leading to more resources — it prompts the audience to find the speaker on various social media platforms.

Tip #10: Ask for feedback

Lastly, some speakers might benefit from knowing what the audience thinks about their delivery and other aspects of their presentation.

That’s why some of the experts we’ve spoken to suggest that conducting a brief survey of the audience could be a good activity to end a presentation with.

Rutgers University professor, Mark Beal, says that:

“Offering audience members the opportunity to take a concise survey at the conclusion of a presentation will result in valuable insights that will inform how to consistently evolve and improve a presentation. […] We use the last few minutes of seminars to allow participants to answer a few questions about what was most useful in our content and delivery, and what, in that individual’s opinion, could improve.”

Michelle Gladieux is also an advocate for audience surveys, saying:

“I’ve delivered thousands of training workshops and keynotes and never miss an opportunity to ask for feedback formally (in writing), informally (in conversation), or both. As you might guess, I advise every presenter reading this to do the same.”

You could encourage this type of feedback by:

• Asking attendees to share their thoughts on your presentation after you step off the stage,
• Setting up a notebook near the door and asking people to jot down their thoughts as they exit,
• Having a suggestion box for hand-written feedback notes, or
• Creating an anonymous survey online and linking to it on your presentation slides.

Most presenters nowadays tend to rely on technology to compile audience feedback, but the method you use will depend on the circumstances surrounding your presentation.

If you’ve never had to ask for feedback before, you might find this article interesting:

• How to ask your manager for feedback  

The worst ways to end a presentation

Having gone through the best practices for concluding a presentation memorably, we also wanted to know what are some of the mistakes speakers should avoid as they reach the end of their speech.

The experts we have spoken to have identified 5 of the worst ways to end a presentation :

• Overloading your final slide.
• Settling for a lackluster closer.
• Ending with a Q&A session.
• Not having time for any questions at all.
• Going over your time.

So, let’s see what makes these mistakes so bad.

Mistake #1: Overloading your final slide

Overloading your presentation slides isn’t a mistake you can make only at the end of your presentation.

Professional speakers know that slides are only there to accompany your speech — they shouldn’t be the main event.

As Nadia Bilchik says:

“Slides are only there to support your message. Towards the end of the presentation, I may even stop the slideshow entirely and just have a black screen. At the very end of the presentation, my suggestion is to have a slide up with the next steps or a call to action.”

Dr. Lee M. Pierce also tends to use blank slides:

“I always end and begin with blank slides. As a speaker, you’re trying to build connection and rapport between you and the audience, not between the audience and your slide deck.”

Therefore, putting too much information onto a single slide can make the speaker seem unprepared, in addition to overwhelming the audience.

When in doubt, remember Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 rule :

• No more than 10 slides per presentation,
• Keep your presentations under 20 minutes, and
• The text on your slides should never be smaller than 30-point font. 

Mistake #2: Settling for a lackluster closer

If your goal is to become a proficient speaker, you’ll have to stop using uninspired closers like:

• “Well, I guess that’s it.”
• “That’s pretty much all I had to say.”
• “That’s about it from me. Can we get some applause?”

The audience will respond if you say something deserving of a response.

Instead of using these bland lines, remember Juliet Huck’s advice:

“Never end your presentation without closing the loop of your beginning theme and being specific when asking for your desire conclusion.”

As we have established, it’s best to conclude your speech by bringing back your thesis statement and key points.

Finishing with weak visuals is similarly offensive — and here we’re not just talking about presentation slides.

Remember, body language is an important component of our communication .

Fidgeting as your presentation comes to a close or slumping your posture as soon as you’re finished speaking won’t do.

As Michelle Gladieux would say:

“Never end a presentation seeming happy to be done, even if you are! Be certain you’re happy to be the presenter before you begin, or find someone else to do it.”

In other words, try not to show signs of anxiety during your presentation .

Maintain a confident demeanor for as long as you remain on stage or as long as you’re on camera, in the case of virtual meetings .

Mistake #3: Ending with a Q&A session

One of the experts we have spoken to, Nadia Bilchik, was particularly adamant about not ending presentations with Q&A sessions.

“Never ever end a presentation on a question-and-answer session. I have seen numerous presenters end by asking ‘Any questions?’ Too often there are no questions, and the presenter is left looking deflated and muttering ‘Thank you.’ [If there are] no questions, you can always say ‘A question I’m often asked is…’ or ‘Something I would like to reiterate is…’ Never end your presentation without your audience being clear about what they are expected to do with the information you have just shared.”

Adding that you can:

“Ask for questions, comments, and concerns, and only then end with a quick wrap-up. The goal is to end with your audience being clear on their next steps.”

Even if the listeners do have questions, there’s a good reason not to have a Q&A session at the very end of your presentation.

Namely, there’s always a chance that someone will ask a question that completely derails the conversation.

If you have the Q&A portion right before your conclusion, you’ll have time to reiterate your core message and proceed with a memorable closing statement .

For reference, you can ask for questions by saying:

“Before I close out this lecture, do you guys have any questions for me?”

Then, if there are no questions, you can still proceed to your conclusion without losing face. 

A Q&A session is one of the best ways to make your presentations more interactive — but it’s not the only way to go about it. To learn more, check out this article:

• 18 Ways to make presentations more interactive and engaging

Mistake #4: Not having time for any questions at all

Ending with a Q&A session could be a problem — but, perhaps, not as big of a problem as not taking questions at all.

As Mark Beal would say:

“Not giving the audience the opportunity to participate in the presentation via a question and answer session is another ineffective way to end a presentation. Audiences want to have a voice in a presentation. They will be more engaged with the presentation content and recall it more effectively if given the opportunity to participate in the presentation and interact with the presenter.”

Dr. Lee M. Pierce adds:

“It’s always good to leave at least 15 minutes for questions. Leaving 5 minutes is annoying and pointless. Also, be prepared that the audience may not have questions or not feel comfortable just jumping in, so have some of your own questions ready to offer them. You can say something like, ‘Just to put it out there, if I were going to ask me a question, I’d ask…’ ”

Now, both Nadia Bilchik and Lee M. Pierce have mentioned phrases you can use if no one comes forth with a question.

You’ll notice that the sentences they have come up with will require you to consider the questions you may be asked ahead of time .

In addition to helping you create a better presentation, doing this will also allow you to answer any questions effortlessly.

Mistake #5: Going over your time

Last but not least, many of the professional speakers we have interviewed have stressed the importance of ending one’s presentation on time.

Michelle Gladieux said it best:

“The best way to end a presentation is ON TIME. Respect others’ time commitments by not running over. You can always hang around for a while to speak with people who have more to say or more to ask.”

Dr. Lee M. Pierce agrees:

“The worst thing you can do is run over time. If you were given 45 minutes for a presentation plus 15 minutes for Q & A, you should end at 45 minutes — better if you end at 35 or 40.”

Then again, according to Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 rule, even going over the 20-minute mark could risk boring and alienating one’s audience.

Useful phrases for ending a presentation

In the course of our research, we’ve found many practical phrases one might use to wrap up a presentation.

We even had experts send in their suggestions. For example, Nadia Bilchik says:

“I always end with a very quick summary of the content, a definitive call to action, and a reiteration of the benefits to the audience. This is a superb model, and I have shared it with thousands of individuals who have found it immensely valuable. Use this as your framework: What I have looked at today… What I am asking you to do… The benefits are…”

Other phrases you might use at the end of your presentation include:

“To recap, we’ve discussed…”

“Throughout this presentation, we talked about…”

“In other words,…”

“To wrap up/conclude,…”

“In short, I’d like to highlight…”

“To put it simply,…”

“In conclusion…”

“In summary, the goal of my presentation…”

“If there’s one thing you take away from my presentation…”

“In bringing my presentation to a close, I wanted to…”

If you’d like to incorporate a call to action, you might say:

“I’m counting on you to…”

“After this presentation, I’d like to ask you to…”

“Please take a minute to…”

“Next time you (see a suspicious email), remember to (forward it to this email address).”

To end with a quote, you could say:

“Let me leave you with this quote…”

“That reminds me of the old saying…”

Lastly, more useful phrases include:

“Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.”

“For more information, head to the link on the screen.”

“Thank you for your time/attention.”

“I hope you found this presentation informative/useful/insightful.”

Remember: the last words you say should make it abundantly clear that your presentation has ended.

What should your final slide look like?

If you don’t want to leave your final slide blank as some of the experts we have talked to would recommend, there are other ways to fill that space.

Joseph Liu told us:

“I tend to make it very clear the presentation is coming to an end by having a slide that says, ‘Closing Thoughts’ or something to that effect. I recommend ending with a recap of your content, reconnecting with the initial hook you used at the start, and finally, some sort of call to action.”

Mark Beal has a similar formula for his closing slides, saying:

“The final slides of my presentation include: A slide featuring three key messages/takeaways, A question and answer slide to engage the audience at the conclusion in the same manner a presenter wants to engage an audience at the start of a presentation, and A final slide including the presenter’s contact information and a website address where they can learn more information. This slide can include a QR code that the audience can screenshot and access the presenter’s website or another digital destination.”

Between these two suggestions and the many examples we have included throughout our guide, you ought to have a clear picture of what your final slide might look like.

End your presentations with a bang on Pumble

Knowing how to end a presentation effectively is a skill like any other — you’re bound to get better through practice and repetition.

To get the most out of your presentations, make sure to give them on Pumble.

Pumble — a team communication and collaboration app — allows you to have the most interactive, efficient presentations thanks to:

• The video conferencing feature that allows you to share your knowledge with a large group of people,
• The screen sharing feature that allows you share your presentation,
• The in-call message feature, to ensure your audience can participate (and send questions for the FAQ partition of the presentation, for example), and
• The blur background feature, that ensures your audience’s attention is always on you and you alone.

Secure, real-time communication for professionals.

Olga Milicevic is a communication researcher and author dedicated to making your professional life a bit easier. She believes that everyone should have the tools necessary to respond to their coworkers’ requests and communicate their own professional needs clearly and kindly.

What's on your to-do?

START COLLABORATING

with Pumble

Related posts

60+ absurdly funny meeting memes to share with your work buddies.

The next time you’re stuck in a meeting that has no end, feel free to peruse our compilation of funny meeting memes. …

10+ Tips for Conducting an Effective Job Interview 

Learn how to conduct an effective job interview and improve a candidate’s experience with expert tips. …

60+ Hilarious Quips to Use As Your Joke of the Day for Work

Looking for the perfect joke of the day for work? Here are 60+ hilarious jokes for work. …

Who Gets a Write-Up at Work and Why? Everything You Need to Know

Our guide to dealing with a write-up at work will help you understand the disciplinary process better….

What Is a Skip-Level Meeting & How Do You Prepare for One?

How should you prepare for your next skip-level meeting? Read this article to find out. …

Leadership vs Management: 11 Fundamental Differences

Are all leaders managers? Find out in our full guide on leadership vs management where we go over the key differences between the two. …

Need better team communication??

Pumble is an all-in-one team collaboration app. Send messages and files, and start video conferencing with one click, and reduce emails. Free forever.

Free team chat app

Improve collaboration and cut down on emails by moving your team communication to Pumble.

Unlimited users • Unlimited chat history • Free forever

Improve your practice.

Enhance your soft skills with a range of award-winning courses.

Different Ways to End a Presentation or Speech

November 6, 2017 - Dom Barnard

The beginning and ending of your presentation are the most important. The  beginning  is where you grab the audience’s attention and ensure they listen to the rest of your speech. The conclusion gives you a chance to leave a lasting impression that listeners take away with them.

Studies show  that when people are tasked with recalling information, they “best performance at the beginning and end”. It’s therefore essential you leave an impact with your closing statement. A strong ending motivates, empowers and encourages people to take action.

The power of three

The rule of three is a simple yet powerful method of communication and we use it often in both written and verbal communication. Using information in patterns of three makes it  more memorable  for the audience.

Examples of the power of three being used:

• This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning – Winston Churchill
• Blood, sweat and tears – General Patton
• I came, I saw, I conquered – Julius Caesar

A compelling story

Ending your presentation on a short story, especially if that story is personal or illustrates how the content presented affects others is the best way to conclude.

If you want to talk about a customer experience or successful case study, think about how you can turn it into a meaningful story which the audience will remember and even relate to. Creating empathy with your audience and tying the story back to points made throughout the presentation ensures your presentation will be well received by the audience.

A surprising fact

A surprising fact has the power to re-engage the audience’s attention, which is most likely to wane by the end of a presentation. Facts with  statistical numbers  in them work well – you can easily search online for facts related to your speech topic. Just make use you remember the source for the fact in case you are questioned about it.

A running clock

Marketing and advertising executive Dietmar Dahmen ends his Create Your Own Change talk with a running clock to accompany his last statement. “Users rule,” he says, “so stop waiting and start doing. And you have to do that now because time is running out.”

If you’re delivering a time-sensitive message, where you want to urge your listeners to move quickly, you can have a background slide with a  running timer  to add emphasis to your last statement.

Acknowledging people or companies

There are times when it’s appropriate to thank people publicly for helping you – such as

• Presenting a research paper and want to thank people involved in the project
• Presenting data or information obtained from a company or a person
• When someone helped you build the presentation if it’s a particularly complex one

You can even use the  PowerPoint credits  feature for additional ‘wow’ factor.

A short, memorable sentence

A sound bite is an attention magnet. It cuts to the core of your central message and is one of the most memorable takeaways for today’s  Twitter-sized  attention spans. Consider Steve Jobs’ famous last line at his commencement address at Stanford University: “Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

Think about how you can distil your message down to a crisp, memorable statement. Does it represent your authentic voice? Does it accurately condense what your core message is about? Listeners, especially business audiences, have a radar that quickly spots an effort to impress rather than to genuinely communicate an important message.

An interesting quote

A relatively easy way to end your speech is by using a quote. For this to be effective, however, the quote needs to be one that has not been heard so often that it has become cliché.

To access fresh quotes, consider searching current personalities rather than historical figures. For example, a quote on failing from J.K. Rowling: “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.”

You need to figure out what resonates with your audience, and choose a quote that fits the presentation theme. If you’re up to it, you can round off the quote with your own thoughts as well.

A visual image

Make use of this power by ending your presentation with a riveting visual that ties to your take-home message. Leave this slide on when you finish your presentation to give the audience something to look at and think about for the next few minutes.

Use a summary slide instead of a ‘thank you’ slide

‘Thank You’ slides don’t really help the audience. You should be verbally saying ‘Thank you’, with a smile and with positive eye contact, putting it on a slide removes the sentiment.

Instead of a ‘Thank You’ slide, you can use a  summary slide  showing all the key points you have made along with your call to action. It can also show your name and contact details.

This slide is the only slide you use that can contain a lot of text, use bullet points to separate the text. Having all this information visible during the Q&A session will also help the audience think of questions to ask you. They may also choose to take photos of this slide with their phone to take home as a summary of your talk and to have your contact details.

Repeat something from the opening

Closing a presentation with a look back at the opening message is a popular technique. It’s a great way to round off your message, whilst simultaneously summing up the entire speech and creating a feeling of familiarity for the audience. Comedians do this well when they tie an earlier joke to a later one.

Doing this will signal to the audience that you are coming to the end of your talk. It completes the circle – you end up back where you started.

There are a few ways to approach this technique:

• Set up a question at the beginning of your speech and use your ending to answer it
• Finish a story you started, using the anecdote to demonstrate your message
• Close with the title of the presentation – this works best with a provocative, memorable title

Link the main points to the key message

At the beginning of your talk, it’s important to map out the main ideas you will talk about. An audience that doesn’t know the stages of the journey you are about to take them on will be less at ease than one that knows what lies ahead. At the end of your talk, take them back over what you’ve spoken about but don’t just list the different ideas you developed, show how they are related and how they support your main argument.

Finish with enthusiasm

It’s only natural that you’ll feel tired when you get to the end of your talk. The adrenaline that was racing through your body at the beginning has now worn off.

It’s crucial that the audience feels that you are enthusiastic and open for questions. If you’re not enthusiastic about the presentation, why should the audience be?

Practice Presentation Skills

Improve your public speaking and presentation skills by practicing them in realistic environments, with automated feedback on performance. Learn More

Don’t end with audience questions

When the  Q&A session  is over, stand up, get their attention and close the presentation. In your closing give your main argument again, your call to action and deal with any doubts or criticisms that out in the Q&A.

A closing is more or less a condensed version of your conclusions and an improvised summary of the Q&A. It’s important that the audience goes home remembering the key points of the speech, not with a memory of a Q&A that may or may not have gone well or may have been dominated by someone other than you.

If possible, try and take questions throughout your presentation so they remain pertinent to the content.

Getting rid of the “questions?” slide

To start, let’s talk about what you shouldn’t do. You shouldn’t end a presentation with a slide that asks “Questions?” Everyone does and there is nothing memorable about this approach.

Ideally, you should take questions throughout the presentation so that the question asked and the answer given is relevant to the content presented. If you choose to take questions at the end of your presentation, end instead with a strong image that relates to your presentation’s content.

Worried about no audience questions?

If you’re afraid of not getting any questions, then you can arrange for a friend in the audience to ask one. The ‘plant’ is a good way to get questions started if you fear silence.

Chances are that people do want to ask questions, but no one wants to be the first to ask a question. If you don’t have a ‘plant’, you might need to get the ball rolling yourself. A good way to do this is for you to ask am open question to the audience. Ask the most confident looking person in the room for their opinion, or get the audience to discuss the question with the person sitting beside them.

A cartoon or animation

In his TED talk on  The Paradox of Choice  , Barry Schwartz ends his presentation with a cartoon of a fishbowl with the caption, “You can be anything you want to be – no limits.” He says, “If you shatter the fishbowl, so that everything is possible, you don’t have freedom, you have paralysis… Everybody needs a fishbowl”. This is a brilliant ending that combines visuals, humour and a metaphor. Consider ending your presentation with a relevant cartoon to make your message memorable.

Ask a rhetoric question

So, for example, if you’re finishing up a talk on the future of engineering, you might say, “I’d like to end by asking you the future of manufacturing, will it be completely taken over by robots in the next 30 years?”

The minute you  ask a question  , listeners are generally drawn into thinking about an answer. It’s even more engaging when the question is provocative, or when it touches potentially sensitive areas of our lives

Thank the audience

The simplest way to end a speech, after you’ve finished delivering the content, is to say, “thank you.” That has the benefit of being understood by everyone.

It’s the great way for anyone to signal to the audience that it’s time to applaud and then head home.

Call your audience to action and make it clear

It’s not enough to assume your message will inspire people to take action. You need to actually tell them to take action. Your call to action should be clear and specific. Your audience should be left with no doubt about what it is you’re asking.

Use the last few minutes of the presentation to reinforce the call to action you seek. Examples of strong calls to actions include:

• Retain 25% more employees with our personal development solution
• Save your business 150% by using this framework
• Donate today to save millions around the world

Make it clear that you’ve finished

Nothing is more uncomfortable than the silence of an audience working out if you’ve finished or not.

Your closing words should make it very clear that it’s the end of the presentation. The audience should be able to read this immediately, and respond. As we mentioned previously, saying “thank you” is a good way to finish.

If the applause isn’t forthcoming, stand confidently and wait. Don’t fidget and certainly don’t eke out a half-hearted, ‘And that just about covers it. Thank you’.

7 Brilliant Ways to End Any Presentation: When to Use a Presentation Thank You Address

I like building and growing simple yet powerful products for the world and the worldwide web.

Published Date : December 4, 2020

Reading Time :

As important as an introduction is to a Speech &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:271&quot;&gt;A form of communication involving spoken language, it is used to express ideas, share information, tell stories, persuade, or entertain. Public speaking is a powerful tool used in diverse contexts, ranging from casual conversations to formal presentations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:27&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Components of a Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-10:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content:&lt;/strong&gt; The information, message, or story conveyed through words.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Delivery:&lt;/strong&gt; The vocal and physical presentation, including clarity, volume, gestures, and eye contact.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-10:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structure:&lt;/strong&gt; The organization of the content, typically following an introduction, body, and conclusion.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-11:21&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speech in Action:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-17:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-13:88&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informing:&lt;/strong&gt; Sharing knowledge and facts, educating an audience on a specific topic.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;14:1-14:119&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuading:&lt;/strong&gt; Advocating for a particular viewpoint, using arguments and evidence to influence thoughts or actions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-15:93&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivating:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspiring and energizing an audience, fostering action and positive change.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-17:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining:&lt;/strong&gt; Engaging and delighting an audience through humor, storytelling, or creative language.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-18:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Public Speaking and Anxiety:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;20:1-20:227&quot;&gt;Many people experience &lt;strong&gt;public speaking anxiety&lt;/strong&gt;, a fear of speaking in front of an audience. While it&#039;s common, effective preparation, practice, and breathing techniques can significantly reduce anxiety and improve delivery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;22:1-22:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Different Types of Speeches:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-28:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:81&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informative speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Focuses on conveying information clearly and concisely.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-25:102&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuasive speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aims to convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;26:1-26:99&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivational speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspires and energizes the audience, building enthusiasm and commitment.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;27:1-28:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aim to amuse and delight the audience, often using humor, storytelling, or anecdotes.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-29:33&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crafting a Compelling Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-35:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Tailor your content and delivery to their interests, needs, and prior knowledge.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:107&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a clear message:&lt;/strong&gt; Identify the main point you want to convey and structure your speech around it.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:111&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Engage your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Use varied vocal techniques, storytelling, and visual aids to keep them interested.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-35:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice, practice, practice:&lt;/strong&gt; Rehearse your speech out loud to refine your delivery and build confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:13&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;38:1-38:281&quot;&gt;Speech is a powerful tool for communication, connection, and influence. By understanding its elements, addressing potential anxieties, and tailoring your delivery to different contexts, you can harness the power of speech to achieve your intended goals and captivate your audience.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/speech/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">speech presentation, the end of your presentation is what you leave your audience with.  Giving a proper presentation thank you address is a helpful public speaking skill .

When is it appropriate to simply say “thank you” and close your presentation?

In what moments does a presentation require more from you? 

How do you tell your audience to thank you for watching my presentation if you made a visual presentation?

What is the importance of saying thank you to your audience for listening?

We intend to answer all these questions in this article, and we hope you read the whole page to understand the complete concept of the presentation. Thank you. 

How Should I End a Presentation? Different Ways of Ending a Speech Or a Presentation

As a Speech &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:271&quot;&gt;A form of communication involving spoken language, it is used to express ideas, share information, tell stories, persuade, or entertain. Public speaking is a powerful tool used in diverse contexts, ranging from casual conversations to formal presentations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:27&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Components of a Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-10:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content:&lt;/strong&gt; The information, message, or story conveyed through words.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Delivery:&lt;/strong&gt; The vocal and physical presentation, including clarity, volume, gestures, and eye contact.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-10:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structure:&lt;/strong&gt; The organization of the content, typically following an introduction, body, and conclusion.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-11:21&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speech in Action:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-17:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-13:88&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informing:&lt;/strong&gt; Sharing knowledge and facts, educating an audience on a specific topic.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;14:1-14:119&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuading:&lt;/strong&gt; Advocating for a particular viewpoint, using arguments and evidence to influence thoughts or actions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-15:93&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivating:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspiring and energizing an audience, fostering action and positive change.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-17:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining:&lt;/strong&gt; Engaging and delighting an audience through humor, storytelling, or creative language.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-18:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Public Speaking and Anxiety:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;20:1-20:227&quot;&gt;Many people experience &lt;strong&gt;public speaking anxiety&lt;/strong&gt;, a fear of speaking in front of an audience. While it&#039;s common, effective preparation, practice, and breathing techniques can significantly reduce anxiety and improve delivery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;22:1-22:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Different Types of Speeches:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-28:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:81&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informative speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Focuses on conveying information clearly and concisely.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-25:102&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuasive speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aims to convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;26:1-26:99&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivational speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspires and energizes the audience, building enthusiasm and commitment.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;27:1-28:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aim to amuse and delight the audience, often using humor, storytelling, or anecdotes.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-29:33&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crafting a Compelling Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-35:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Tailor your content and delivery to their interests, needs, and prior knowledge.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:107&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a clear message:&lt;/strong&gt; Identify the main point you want to convey and structure your speech around it.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:111&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Engage your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Use varied vocal techniques, storytelling, and visual aids to keep them interested.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-35:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice, practice, practice:&lt;/strong&gt; Rehearse your speech out loud to refine your delivery and build confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:13&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;38:1-38:281&quot;&gt;Speech is a powerful tool for communication, connection, and influence. By understanding its elements, addressing potential anxieties, and tailoring your delivery to different contexts, you can harness the power of speech to achieve your intended goals and captivate your audience.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/speech/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">speech expert who has attended many presentations and orations, I can tell that each presenter concludes their Speech &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:271&quot;&gt;A form of communication involving spoken language, it is used to express ideas, share information, tell stories, persuade, or entertain. Public speaking is a powerful tool used in diverse contexts, ranging from casual conversations to formal presentations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:27&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Components of a Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-10:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content:&lt;/strong&gt; The information, message, or story conveyed through words.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Delivery:&lt;/strong&gt; The vocal and physical presentation, including clarity, volume, gestures, and eye contact.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-10:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structure:&lt;/strong&gt; The organization of the content, typically following an introduction, body, and conclusion.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-11:21&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speech in Action:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-17:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-13:88&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informing:&lt;/strong&gt; Sharing knowledge and facts, educating an audience on a specific topic.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;14:1-14:119&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuading:&lt;/strong&gt; Advocating for a particular viewpoint, using arguments and evidence to influence thoughts or actions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-15:93&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivating:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspiring and energizing an audience, fostering action and positive change.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-17:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining:&lt;/strong&gt; Engaging and delighting an audience through humor, storytelling, or creative language.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-18:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Public Speaking and Anxiety:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;20:1-20:227&quot;&gt;Many people experience &lt;strong&gt;public speaking anxiety&lt;/strong&gt;, a fear of speaking in front of an audience. While it&#039;s common, effective preparation, practice, and breathing techniques can significantly reduce anxiety and improve delivery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;22:1-22:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Different Types of Speeches:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-28:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:81&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informative speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Focuses on conveying information clearly and concisely.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-25:102&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuasive speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aims to convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;26:1-26:99&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivational speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspires and energizes the audience, building enthusiasm and commitment.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;27:1-28:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aim to amuse and delight the audience, often using humor, storytelling, or anecdotes.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-29:33&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crafting a Compelling Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-35:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Tailor your content and delivery to their interests, needs, and prior knowledge.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:107&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a clear message:&lt;/strong&gt; Identify the main point you want to convey and structure your speech around it.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:111&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Engage your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Use varied vocal techniques, storytelling, and visual aids to keep them interested.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-35:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice, practice, practice:&lt;/strong&gt; Rehearse your speech out loud to refine your delivery and build confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:13&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;38:1-38:281&quot;&gt;Speech is a powerful tool for communication, connection, and influence. By understanding its elements, addressing potential anxieties, and tailoring your delivery to different contexts, you can harness the power of speech to achieve your intended goals and captivate your audience.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/speech/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">speech in different ways. Most speakers will showcase presentation thank you images as a visual aid at the end of a PowerPoint, while others give a summary. 

Irrespective of the speaker’s methods, here are seven ways to end a presentation or speech .

1. Closing with a Summary

 Summarizing key points of your Speech &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:271&quot;&gt;A form of communication involving spoken language, it is used to express ideas, share information, tell stories, persuade, or entertain. Public speaking is a powerful tool used in diverse contexts, ranging from casual conversations to formal presentations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:27&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Components of a Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-10:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content:&lt;/strong&gt; The information, message, or story conveyed through words.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Delivery:&lt;/strong&gt; The vocal and physical presentation, including clarity, volume, gestures, and eye contact.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-10:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structure:&lt;/strong&gt; The organization of the content, typically following an introduction, body, and conclusion.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-11:21&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speech in Action:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-17:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-13:88&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informing:&lt;/strong&gt; Sharing knowledge and facts, educating an audience on a specific topic.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;14:1-14:119&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuading:&lt;/strong&gt; Advocating for a particular viewpoint, using arguments and evidence to influence thoughts or actions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-15:93&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivating:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspiring and energizing an audience, fostering action and positive change.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-17:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining:&lt;/strong&gt; Engaging and delighting an audience through humor, storytelling, or creative language.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-18:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Public Speaking and Anxiety:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;20:1-20:227&quot;&gt;Many people experience &lt;strong&gt;public speaking anxiety&lt;/strong&gt;, a fear of speaking in front of an audience. While it&#039;s common, effective preparation, practice, and breathing techniques can significantly reduce anxiety and improve delivery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;22:1-22:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Different Types of Speeches:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-28:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:81&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informative speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Focuses on conveying information clearly and concisely.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-25:102&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuasive speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aims to convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;26:1-26:99&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivational speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspires and energizes the audience, building enthusiasm and commitment.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;27:1-28:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aim to amuse and delight the audience, often using humor, storytelling, or anecdotes.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-29:33&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crafting a Compelling Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-35:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Tailor your content and delivery to their interests, needs, and prior knowledge.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:107&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a clear message:&lt;/strong&gt; Identify the main point you want to convey and structure your speech around it.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:111&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Engage your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Use varied vocal techniques, storytelling, and visual aids to keep them interested.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-35:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice, practice, practice:&lt;/strong&gt; Rehearse your speech out loud to refine your delivery and build confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:13&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;38:1-38:281&quot;&gt;Speech is a powerful tool for communication, connection, and influence. By understanding its elements, addressing potential anxieties, and tailoring your delivery to different contexts, you can harness the power of speech to achieve your intended goals and captivate your audience.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/speech/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">speech when concluding an oration is an age-old method of finishing your address. It is a technique speakers and writers use to close and ensure their audience remembers their main point.

Using a summary for closure is common with lectures and the traditional presentation thank-you addresses.

2. Closing with the Power of Three

The Power of Three uses a pattern of three words, phrases, or more to emphasize a point and make it more memorable. A typical phrase Julius Caesar uses is “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

3. Closing with Metaphors

Metaphors are a figure of Speech &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:271&quot;&gt;A form of communication involving spoken language, it is used to express ideas, share information, tell stories, persuade, or entertain. Public speaking is a powerful tool used in diverse contexts, ranging from casual conversations to formal presentations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:27&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Components of a Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-10:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content:&lt;/strong&gt; The information, message, or story conveyed through words.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Delivery:&lt;/strong&gt; The vocal and physical presentation, including clarity, volume, gestures, and eye contact.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-10:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structure:&lt;/strong&gt; The organization of the content, typically following an introduction, body, and conclusion.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-11:21&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speech in Action:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-17:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-13:88&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informing:&lt;/strong&gt; Sharing knowledge and facts, educating an audience on a specific topic.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;14:1-14:119&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuading:&lt;/strong&gt; Advocating for a particular viewpoint, using arguments and evidence to influence thoughts or actions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-15:93&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivating:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspiring and energizing an audience, fostering action and positive change.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-17:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining:&lt;/strong&gt; Engaging and delighting an audience through humor, storytelling, or creative language.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-18:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Public Speaking and Anxiety:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;20:1-20:227&quot;&gt;Many people experience &lt;strong&gt;public speaking anxiety&lt;/strong&gt;, a fear of speaking in front of an audience. While it&#039;s common, effective preparation, practice, and breathing techniques can significantly reduce anxiety and improve delivery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;22:1-22:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Different Types of Speeches:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-28:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:81&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informative speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Focuses on conveying information clearly and concisely.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-25:102&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuasive speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aims to convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;26:1-26:99&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivational speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspires and energizes the audience, building enthusiasm and commitment.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;27:1-28:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aim to amuse and delight the audience, often using humor, storytelling, or anecdotes.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-29:33&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crafting a Compelling Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-35:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Tailor your content and delivery to their interests, needs, and prior knowledge.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:107&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a clear message:&lt;/strong&gt; Identify the main point you want to convey and structure your speech around it.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:111&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Engage your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Use varied vocal techniques, storytelling, and visual aids to keep them interested.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-35:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice, practice, practice:&lt;/strong&gt; Rehearse your speech out loud to refine your delivery and build confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:13&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;38:1-38:281&quot;&gt;Speech is a powerful tool for communication, connection, and influence. By understanding its elements, addressing potential anxieties, and tailoring your delivery to different contexts, you can harness the power of speech to achieve your intended goals and captivate your audience.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/speech/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">speech that compares two entities figuratively and makes it seem like they are the same. In basic English Language, the definition of metaphors indicates a form of comparison without using comparative words (for example, like and as).

It is ideal for Motivational speech &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:374&quot;&gt;A &lt;strong&gt;motivational speech&lt;/strong&gt; aims to inspire, encourage, and energize an audience. It ignites their passion, sparks action, and instills a sense of belief in themselves and their ability to achieve their goals. It is a powerful tool used in &lt;strong&gt;professional speaking&lt;/strong&gt; to boost morale, drive performance, and foster a positive and collaborative environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:17&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key Elements:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-12:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:145&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Compelling vision:&lt;/strong&gt; Articulate a clear and inspiring vision for the future, outlining goals and aspirations that resonate with the audience.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:140&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Empathy and understanding:&lt;/strong&gt; Acknowledge challenges and obstacles, demonstrating empathy and connection with the audience&#039;s experiences.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-9:134&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Empowering message:&lt;/strong&gt; Focus on empowering the audience, emphasizing their strengths, potential, and ability to overcome obstacles.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;10:1-10:170&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Storytelling and anecdotes:&lt;/strong&gt; Integrate relatable stories, personal experiences, or inspiring examples to illustrate points and connect with the audience emotionally.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-12:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Call to action:&lt;/strong&gt; Provide a clear and actionable call to action, motivating the audience to take specific steps towards achieving their goals.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-13:38&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Benefits of Motivational Speeches:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-20:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-15:116&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Boosts morale and motivation:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspires individuals to strive for their full potential and overcome challenges.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-16:142&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Promotes teamwork and collaboration:&lt;/strong&gt; Fosters a shared purpose and encourages individuals to work together towards common goals.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;17:1-17:118&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Enhances confidence and self-belief:&lt;/strong&gt; Empowers individuals to believe in themselves and their ability to succeed.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-18:121&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Increases creativity and innovation:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspires individuals to think outside the box and pursue innovative solutions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;19:1-20:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Drives positive change:&lt;/strong&gt; Motivates individuals to take action and contribute to positive change in their personal and professional lives.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;21:1-21:46&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Developing a Powerful Motivational Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;23:1-28:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;23:1-23:96&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Define your purpose:&lt;/strong&gt; Identify the desired outcome you want your speech to achieve.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:119&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Understand their motivations, challenges, and aspirations to tailor your message effectively.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-25:134&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Focus on storytelling:&lt;/strong&gt; Use compelling stories and anecdotes to illustrate your points and connect with the audience emotionally.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;26:1-26:170&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice and rehearse:&lt;/strong&gt; Hone your delivery to refine timing, vocal variety, and stage presence. Consider using &lt;strong&gt;public speaking tips&lt;/strong&gt; to enhance your presentation.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;27:1-28:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deliver with passion and authenticity:&lt;/strong&gt; Inject your enthusiasm and genuine belief in your message to inspire the audience.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-29:20&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional Tips:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-35:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:123&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use humor strategically:&lt;/strong&gt; Use humor appropriately to lighten the mood and connect with the audience on a deeper level.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:121&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Embrace your personality:&lt;/strong&gt; Let your unique personality shine through to create a genuine and captivating connection.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:121&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;End with a memorable closing:&lt;/strong&gt; Leave the audience with a powerful quote, inspiring call to action, or lasting image.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-35:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Seek &lt;/strong&gt;feedback from trusted colleagues or advisors to refine your speech and delivery.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:371&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:371&quot;&gt;A well-crafted and delivered &lt;strong&gt;motivational speech&lt;/strong&gt; can be a transformative experience for both the speaker and the audience. By understanding the key elements, focusing on your audience, and honing your &lt;strong&gt;professional speaking&lt;/strong&gt; skills, you can deliver speeches that ignite passion, inspire action, and empower individuals to achieve their full potential.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/motivational-speech/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">motivational speech presentations and graduation speeches . This type of closing works perfectly if you use an analogy, anecdote, or reference to the comparative subject during your presentation.

4. Using Facts to Recreate Engagement

Some of the most memorable Speech &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:271&quot;&gt;A form of communication involving spoken language, it is used to express ideas, share information, tell stories, persuade, or entertain. Public speaking is a powerful tool used in diverse contexts, ranging from casual conversations to formal presentations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:27&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Components of a Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-10:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content:&lt;/strong&gt; The information, message, or story conveyed through words.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Delivery:&lt;/strong&gt; The vocal and physical presentation, including clarity, volume, gestures, and eye contact.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-10:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structure:&lt;/strong&gt; The organization of the content, typically following an introduction, body, and conclusion.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-11:21&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speech in Action:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-17:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-13:88&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informing:&lt;/strong&gt; Sharing knowledge and facts, educating an audience on a specific topic.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;14:1-14:119&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuading:&lt;/strong&gt; Advocating for a particular viewpoint, using arguments and evidence to influence thoughts or actions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-15:93&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivating:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspiring and energizing an audience, fostering action and positive change.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-17:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining:&lt;/strong&gt; Engaging and delighting an audience through humor, storytelling, or creative language.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-18:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Public Speaking and Anxiety:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;20:1-20:227&quot;&gt;Many people experience &lt;strong&gt;public speaking anxiety&lt;/strong&gt;, a fear of speaking in front of an audience. While it&#039;s common, effective preparation, practice, and breathing techniques can significantly reduce anxiety and improve delivery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;22:1-22:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Different Types of Speeches:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-28:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:81&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informative speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Focuses on conveying information clearly and concisely.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-25:102&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuasive speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aims to convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;26:1-26:99&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivational speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspires and energizes the audience, building enthusiasm and commitment.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;27:1-28:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aim to amuse and delight the audience, often using humor, storytelling, or anecdotes.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-29:33&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crafting a Compelling Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-35:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Tailor your content and delivery to their interests, needs, and prior knowledge.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:107&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a clear message:&lt;/strong&gt; Identify the main point you want to convey and structure your speech around it.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:111&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Engage your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Use varied vocal techniques, storytelling, and visual aids to keep them interested.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-35:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice, practice, practice:&lt;/strong&gt; Rehearse your speech out loud to refine your delivery and build confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:13&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;38:1-38:281&quot;&gt;Speech is a powerful tool for communication, connection, and influence. By understanding its elements, addressing potential anxieties, and tailoring your delivery to different contexts, you can harness the power of speech to achieve your intended goals and captivate your audience.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/speech/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">speech presentations end with things that regain the audience’s attention. If you search Google, you will find facts related to your discussion and share them to surprise your audience.

5. Using an Illustration or Image

Similar to metaphors, you can finish with stories or use an illustration to close. This method is quite common because many orators can use it to start and end their speeches.

Visual aids are essential to help drive your point across when you present, and you can also use them to close effectively.

6. Closing with a Quote or a Short Sentence

If you can condense your summary to a less wordy, short sentence, it tends to leave a longer-lasting impression on your listeners. It is essential to ensure that the short message conveys your authenticity and the importance of your message.

Using a quote is a timeless way to conclude any type of Speech &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:271&quot;&gt;A form of communication involving spoken language, it is used to express ideas, share information, tell stories, persuade, or entertain. Public speaking is a powerful tool used in diverse contexts, ranging from casual conversations to formal presentations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:27&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Components of a Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-10:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content:&lt;/strong&gt; The information, message, or story conveyed through words.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Delivery:&lt;/strong&gt; The vocal and physical presentation, including clarity, volume, gestures, and eye contact.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-10:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structure:&lt;/strong&gt; The organization of the content, typically following an introduction, body, and conclusion.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-11:21&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speech in Action:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-17:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-13:88&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informing:&lt;/strong&gt; Sharing knowledge and facts, educating an audience on a specific topic.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;14:1-14:119&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuading:&lt;/strong&gt; Advocating for a particular viewpoint, using arguments and evidence to influence thoughts or actions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-15:93&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivating:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspiring and energizing an audience, fostering action and positive change.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-17:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining:&lt;/strong&gt; Engaging and delighting an audience through humor, storytelling, or creative language.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-18:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Public Speaking and Anxiety:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;20:1-20:227&quot;&gt;Many people experience &lt;strong&gt;public speaking anxiety&lt;/strong&gt;, a fear of speaking in front of an audience. While it&#039;s common, effective preparation, practice, and breathing techniques can significantly reduce anxiety and improve delivery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;22:1-22:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Different Types of Speeches:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-28:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:81&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informative speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Focuses on conveying information clearly and concisely.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-25:102&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuasive speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aims to convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;26:1-26:99&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivational speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspires and energizes the audience, building enthusiasm and commitment.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;27:1-28:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aim to amuse and delight the audience, often using humor, storytelling, or anecdotes.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-29:33&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crafting a Compelling Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-35:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Tailor your content and delivery to their interests, needs, and prior knowledge.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:107&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a clear message:&lt;/strong&gt; Identify the main point you want to convey and structure your speech around it.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:111&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Engage your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Use varied vocal techniques, storytelling, and visual aids to keep them interested.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-35:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice, practice, practice:&lt;/strong&gt; Rehearse your speech out loud to refine your delivery and build confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:13&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;38:1-38:281&quot;&gt;Speech is a powerful tool for communication, connection, and influence. By understanding its elements, addressing potential anxieties, and tailoring your delivery to different contexts, you can harness the power of speech to achieve your intended goals and captivate your audience.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/speech/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">speech or presentation. However, it is essential to have a quote relevant to your address; if not, you can make a quote out of a point you made while presenting.

7. Making a Provocative Closing

Closing provocatively uses calls to action to move your audience toward a particular goal. An example of this type of conclusion is usually observed with preachers, activists, and advertisers.

Many preachers make altar calls at the end of their sermons, and activists usually end with a wake-up call to move the audience to action.

What is the Best Way to End a PowerPoint Presentation?

PowerPoint presentations take a lot of time and can take an audience almost no time to forget. Figuring out how to make a strong closing will help give your audience something to remember. 

The way you close each ppt depends on the nature of your discussion. 

Closing a Persuasive PPT

Your thank you note for the presentation after a persuasive PowerPoint should win the members of your audience over. To convince them ultimately, you can include:

• A call-to-action
• Verified facts

Closing an Informative PPT

Informative PPTs share data, so the ideal closure for them is a presentation thank-you images that show:

• A summary of all the ideas you shared
• A conclusive concept map
• Bulleted key points
• A recap of the objectives of the presentation

Closing an Introductory PPT

The general concept of introductory Speech &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:271&quot;&gt;A form of communication involving spoken language, it is used to express ideas, share information, tell stories, persuade, or entertain. Public speaking is a powerful tool used in diverse contexts, ranging from casual conversations to formal presentations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:27&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Components of a Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-10:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content:&lt;/strong&gt; The information, message, or story conveyed through words.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Delivery:&lt;/strong&gt; The vocal and physical presentation, including clarity, volume, gestures, and eye contact.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-10:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structure:&lt;/strong&gt; The organization of the content, typically following an introduction, body, and conclusion.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-11:21&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speech in Action:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-17:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-13:88&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informing:&lt;/strong&gt; Sharing knowledge and facts, educating an audience on a specific topic.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;14:1-14:119&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuading:&lt;/strong&gt; Advocating for a particular viewpoint, using arguments and evidence to influence thoughts or actions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-15:93&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivating:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspiring and energizing an audience, fostering action and positive change.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-17:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining:&lt;/strong&gt; Engaging and delighting an audience through humor, storytelling, or creative language.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-18:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Public Speaking and Anxiety:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;20:1-20:227&quot;&gt;Many people experience &lt;strong&gt;public speaking anxiety&lt;/strong&gt;, a fear of speaking in front of an audience. While it&#039;s common, effective preparation, practice, and breathing techniques can significantly reduce anxiety and improve delivery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;22:1-22:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Different Types of Speeches:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-28:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:81&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informative speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Focuses on conveying information clearly and concisely.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-25:102&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuasive speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aims to convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;26:1-26:99&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivational speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspires and energizes the audience, building enthusiasm and commitment.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;27:1-28:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aim to amuse and delight the audience, often using humor, storytelling, or anecdotes.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-29:33&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crafting a Compelling Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-35:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Tailor your content and delivery to their interests, needs, and prior knowledge.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:107&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a clear message:&lt;/strong&gt; Identify the main point you want to convey and structure your speech around it.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:111&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Engage your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Use varied vocal techniques, storytelling, and visual aids to keep them interested.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-35:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice, practice, practice:&lt;/strong&gt; Rehearse your speech out loud to refine your delivery and build confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:13&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;38:1-38:281&quot;&gt;Speech is a powerful tool for communication, connection, and influence. By understanding its elements, addressing potential anxieties, and tailoring your delivery to different contexts, you can harness the power of speech to achieve your intended goals and captivate your audience.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/speech/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">speech presentations is to:

If you give an initial pitch, the best presentation thank you images will give your audience a proper means to contact you or follow up on your next program. 

Note: When concluding any PowerPoint, your thank you for watching my presentation slide will naturally need to follow the same pattern as the entire PPT. It is also helpful if you are creative with the presentation. Thank you.

The General Importance of Saying Thank You

Saying thank you means expressing gratitude for an action completed or a gift. In any setting, your ability to express gratitude, irrespective of whether or not you deserved the service you got, goes a long way.  

Some advantages of expressing gratitude include:

What is the importance of presenting thank you images?

As a part of the audience, after listening to a speaker talk all day, especially when you can leave but stay, a minute presentation thank you would suffice.

It’s no secret that some presenters do not say thank you after their Speech &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:271&quot;&gt;A form of communication involving spoken language, it is used to express ideas, share information, tell stories, persuade, or entertain. Public speaking is a powerful tool used in diverse contexts, ranging from casual conversations to formal presentations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:27&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Components of a Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-10:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content:&lt;/strong&gt; The information, message, or story conveyed through words.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Delivery:&lt;/strong&gt; The vocal and physical presentation, including clarity, volume, gestures, and eye contact.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-10:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structure:&lt;/strong&gt; The organization of the content, typically following an introduction, body, and conclusion.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-11:21&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speech in Action:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-17:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-13:88&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informing:&lt;/strong&gt; Sharing knowledge and facts, educating an audience on a specific topic.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;14:1-14:119&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuading:&lt;/strong&gt; Advocating for a particular viewpoint, using arguments and evidence to influence thoughts or actions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-15:93&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivating:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspiring and energizing an audience, fostering action and positive change.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-17:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining:&lt;/strong&gt; Engaging and delighting an audience through humor, storytelling, or creative language.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-18:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Public Speaking and Anxiety:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;20:1-20:227&quot;&gt;Many people experience &lt;strong&gt;public speaking anxiety&lt;/strong&gt;, a fear of speaking in front of an audience. While it&#039;s common, effective preparation, practice, and breathing techniques can significantly reduce anxiety and improve delivery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;22:1-22:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Different Types of Speeches:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-28:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:81&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informative speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Focuses on conveying information clearly and concisely.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-25:102&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuasive speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aims to convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;26:1-26:99&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivational speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspires and energizes the audience, building enthusiasm and commitment.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;27:1-28:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aim to amuse and delight the audience, often using humor, storytelling, or anecdotes.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-29:33&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crafting a Compelling Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-35:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Tailor your content and delivery to their interests, needs, and prior knowledge.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:107&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a clear message:&lt;/strong&gt; Identify the main point you want to convey and structure your speech around it.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:111&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Engage your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Use varied vocal techniques, storytelling, and visual aids to keep them interested.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-35:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice, practice, practice:&lt;/strong&gt; Rehearse your speech out loud to refine your delivery and build confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:13&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;38:1-38:281&quot;&gt;Speech is a powerful tool for communication, connection, and influence. By understanding its elements, addressing potential anxieties, and tailoring your delivery to different contexts, you can harness the power of speech to achieve your intended goals and captivate your audience.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/speech/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">speech , so what do you gain by thanking your audience?

• It helps you reinforce already established values. 
• Strengthens speaker-audience relationships. 
• Serves as a foundation for trust.
• Stimulates conversation by question and answer strategies.
• It makes you unique in numerous places.

How to Say Thank You at the End of Your Presentation: Simple Tips and Tricks

Saying thank you is not only about expressing gratitude. Often, saying thank you is a business strategy, and presenting thank you images must  prove their worth for your business.

Some simple pointers to remember are:

• Remain professional
• Avoid grammatical errors as much as possible.
• Try not to seem salesy; instead, be polite.
• Employ perfect timing

Using the Right Voice Tone

Every type of presentation setting demands a specific tone type. You will need to adjust your tone to avoid being misunderstood.

Personalize It and Try to Maintain Relevance

It is rather rude to use a copy-and-paste post-presentation thank you message. Instead, it’s best to make a unique, personalized thank-you note that is audience-specific.

Additionally, it’s best to remain within the subject matter for the conclusion by sharing relevant information.

Ask Questions and Answer Previous Ones

If you have any questions before the presentation, it is best to answer them now. If you used an “any questions slide,” you can also answer questions from there.

When your time starts finishing, and you cannot answer any more questions, try to provide contact details or follow up with their concerns.

Practice the perfect end to your presentation with Orai

When to Use and When to Avoid a Thank You Presentation Slide

Using tact is a vital tool when facing Public Speaking &lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&gt; &lt;p&gt;Public speaking refers to any live presentation or speech. It can cover a variety of topics on various fields and careers (you can find out more about public speaking careers here: https://orai.com/blog/public-speaking-careers/.  Public speaking can inform, entertain, or educate an audience and sometimes has visual aids.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;!-- /wp:paragraph --&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&gt; &lt;p&gt;Public speaking is done live, so the speakers need to consider certain factors to deliver a successful speech. No matter how good the speech is, if the audience doesn&#039;t connect with the speaker, then it may fall flat. Therefore, speakers have to use a lot more nonverbal communication techniques to deliver their message. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;!-- /wp:paragraph --&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!-- wp:heading --&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Tips for public speaking&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;!-- /wp:heading --&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!-- wp:list --&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Have a sense of humor.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Tell personal stories that relate to the speech you&#039;re giving.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Dress appropriately for the event. Formal and business casual outfits work best.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Project a confident and expressive voice.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Always try to use simple language that everyone can understand.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Stick to the time given to you.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Maintain eye contact with members of your audience and try to connect with them.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;!-- /wp:list --&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/public-speaking/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">public speaking opportunities. Knowing when it is okay to share a thank you presentation slide and when it isn’t necessary is essential.

Some of the times when saying thank you for listening to my presentation is appropriate and essential are:

• When you have an audience that shows up voluntarily, it is essential to express gratitude.
• If you are expressing gratitude to your team for putting in hard work
• If your audience needed to travel to attend your presentation

On the other hand, there are some situations when presentation thank you images are either inappropriate or unnecessary:

• If you plan to answer questions after your presentation or host an interactive session, presentation thank you images will prompt your audience to leave the meeting.
• If your presentation has terrible news, a presentation thank you will be insensitive and inappropriate.
• When you need to assign a task or follow up on anything, it’s better to end with that than a thank you slide.

Potential Alternatives to a Presentation Thank You Image

Ending with a simple presentation, thank you, is often seen as a weak presentation. It is usually best to complete your presentation creatively or using a call-to-action. 

So, in what ways can you effectively end your Speech &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:271&quot;&gt;A form of communication involving spoken language, it is used to express ideas, share information, tell stories, persuade, or entertain. Public speaking is a powerful tool used in diverse contexts, ranging from casual conversations to formal presentations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:27&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Components of a Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-10:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content:&lt;/strong&gt; The information, message, or story conveyed through words.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Delivery:&lt;/strong&gt; The vocal and physical presentation, including clarity, volume, gestures, and eye contact.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-10:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structure:&lt;/strong&gt; The organization of the content, typically following an introduction, body, and conclusion.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-11:21&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speech in Action:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-17:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-13:88&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informing:&lt;/strong&gt; Sharing knowledge and facts, educating an audience on a specific topic.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;14:1-14:119&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuading:&lt;/strong&gt; Advocating for a particular viewpoint, using arguments and evidence to influence thoughts or actions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-15:93&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivating:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspiring and energizing an audience, fostering action and positive change.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-17:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining:&lt;/strong&gt; Engaging and delighting an audience through humor, storytelling, or creative language.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-18:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Public Speaking and Anxiety:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;20:1-20:227&quot;&gt;Many people experience &lt;strong&gt;public speaking anxiety&lt;/strong&gt;, a fear of speaking in front of an audience. While it&#039;s common, effective preparation, practice, and breathing techniques can significantly reduce anxiety and improve delivery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;22:1-22:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Different Types of Speeches:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-28:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:81&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informative speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Focuses on conveying information clearly and concisely.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-25:102&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuasive speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aims to convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;26:1-26:99&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivational speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspires and energizes the audience, building enthusiasm and commitment.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;27:1-28:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aim to amuse and delight the audience, often using humor, storytelling, or anecdotes.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-29:33&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crafting a Compelling Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-35:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Tailor your content and delivery to their interests, needs, and prior knowledge.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:107&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a clear message:&lt;/strong&gt; Identify the main point you want to convey and structure your speech around it.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:111&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Engage your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Use varied vocal techniques, storytelling, and visual aids to keep them interested.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-35:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice, practice, practice:&lt;/strong&gt; Rehearse your speech out loud to refine your delivery and build confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:13&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;38:1-38:281&quot;&gt;Speech is a powerful tool for communication, connection, and influence. By understanding its elements, addressing potential anxieties, and tailoring your delivery to different contexts, you can harness the power of speech to achieve your intended goals and captivate your audience.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/speech/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">speech using visual aids without needing to use presentation thank you images?

Using a “One More Thing” Slide

This type of presentation thank you option introduces (for lack of a better term) the final bomb or the hidden gem. For example, if you were introducing a new product, your one more thing slide would probably show an unexpected benefit of purchasing the product to woo your audience.

This type of slide is inappropriate for every presentation, so you will have to consider the nature of your audience when inputting this idea.

A Slide that Continues the Conversation

This type of ending could feature a form of presentation thank you that continues the discussion. It may be a bunch of arguments that gear your audience’s communication with each other or with you.

Ideally, you will need to provide them with contact information so they can communicate with you after you finish. If you are searching for new prospects for partnership or employment, this is the best slide to include such details.

Closing with “Any Questions?”

This type of closing is the most common aside from the mainstream presentation thank you images. As I stated earlier, it isn’t appropriate to include a presentation thank you if you hope to continue any discussion. 

Asking for questions boosts audience engagement and serves as a memory aid so they remember your presentation. However, it isn’t uncommon to have no one asking you questions while you present. 

If you want to avoid the awkwardness of an unanswered no-questions slide, here are some things you can try:

• Asking the first question yourself is an icebreaker.; your inquiry has the potential to open room for more questions
• Ask a friend in the audience to break the ice with the first question.
• Asking your audience to prepare for questions in advance by providing them with the necessary materials
• Distributing pre-presenting writing material to the audience to motivate them to write down questions they might have had during your Speech &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:271&quot;&gt;A form of communication involving spoken language, it is used to express ideas, share information, tell stories, persuade, or entertain. Public speaking is a powerful tool used in diverse contexts, ranging from casual conversations to formal presentations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:27&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Components of a Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-10:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content:&lt;/strong&gt; The information, message, or story conveyed through words.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Delivery:&lt;/strong&gt; The vocal and physical presentation, including clarity, volume, gestures, and eye contact.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-10:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structure:&lt;/strong&gt; The organization of the content, typically following an introduction, body, and conclusion.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-11:21&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speech in Action:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-17:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-13:88&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informing:&lt;/strong&gt; Sharing knowledge and facts, educating an audience on a specific topic.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;14:1-14:119&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuading:&lt;/strong&gt; Advocating for a particular viewpoint, using arguments and evidence to influence thoughts or actions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-15:93&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivating:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspiring and energizing an audience, fostering action and positive change.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-17:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining:&lt;/strong&gt; Engaging and delighting an audience through humor, storytelling, or creative language.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-18:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Public Speaking and Anxiety:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;20:1-20:227&quot;&gt;Many people experience &lt;strong&gt;public speaking anxiety&lt;/strong&gt;, a fear of speaking in front of an audience. While it&#039;s common, effective preparation, practice, and breathing techniques can significantly reduce anxiety and improve delivery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;22:1-22:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Different Types of Speeches:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-28:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:81&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informative speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Focuses on conveying information clearly and concisely.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-25:102&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuasive speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aims to convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;26:1-26:99&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivational speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspires and energizes the audience, building enthusiasm and commitment.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;27:1-28:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aim to amuse and delight the audience, often using humor, storytelling, or anecdotes.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-29:33&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crafting a Compelling Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-35:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Tailor your content and delivery to their interests, needs, and prior knowledge.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:107&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a clear message:&lt;/strong&gt; Identify the main point you want to convey and structure your speech around it.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:111&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Engage your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Use varied vocal techniques, storytelling, and visual aids to keep them interested.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-35:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice, practice, practice:&lt;/strong&gt; Rehearse your speech out loud to refine your delivery and build confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:13&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;38:1-38:281&quot;&gt;Speech is a powerful tool for communication, connection, and influence. By understanding its elements, addressing potential anxieties, and tailoring your delivery to different contexts, you can harness the power of speech to achieve your intended goals and captivate your audience.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/speech/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">speech so that you can answer them effectively.

Practice your presentations with Orai. Get feedback on your tone, tempo, Confidence &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:305&quot;&gt;In the context of &lt;strong&gt;public speaking&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;confidence&lt;/strong&gt; refers to the belief in one&#039;s ability to communicate effectively and deliver one&#039;s message with clarity and impact. It encompasses various elements, including self-belief, composure, and the ability to manage one&#039;s &lt;strong&gt;fear of public speaking&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:16&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key Aspects:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-12:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:108&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Self-belief:&lt;/strong&gt; A strong conviction in your knowledge, skills, and ability to connect with your audience.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:95&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Composure:&lt;/strong&gt; Maintaining calmness and poise under pressure, even in challenging situations.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-9:100&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Assertiveness:&lt;/strong&gt; Expressing your ideas clearly and concisely, avoiding hesitation or self-doubt.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;10:1-10:104&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Positive self-talk:&lt;/strong&gt; Countering negative thoughts with affirmations and focusing on your strengths.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-12:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Strong body language:&lt;/strong&gt; Using gestures, posture, and eye contact that project confidence and professionalism.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-13:27&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Benefits of Confidence:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-19:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-15:99&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reduced anxiety:&lt;/strong&gt; Feeling confident helps manage &lt;strong&gt;fear of public speaking&lt;/strong&gt; and stage fright.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-16:133&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Engaging delivery:&lt;/strong&gt; Confident speakers project their voices, hold eye contact, and connect with their audience more effectively.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;17:1-17:137&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Increased persuasiveness:&lt;/strong&gt; A confident presentation inspires belief and motivates your audience to listen and remember your message.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-19:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Greater impact:&lt;/strong&gt; Confidently delivered speeches leave a lasting impression and achieve desired outcomes.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;20:1-20:15&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Challenges:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;22:1-26:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;22:1-22:112&quot;&gt;Overcoming &lt;strong&gt;fear of public speaking&lt;/strong&gt;: Many people experience some level of anxiety when speaking publicly.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;23:1-23:101&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Imposter syndrome:&lt;/strong&gt; Doubting your abilities and qualifications, even when objectively qualified.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:92&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Negative self-talk:&lt;/strong&gt; Internalized criticism and limiting beliefs can hamper confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-26:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Past negative experiences:&lt;/strong&gt; Unsuccessful presentations or negative feedback can erode confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;27:1-27:24&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Building Confidence:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-36:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-29:102&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice and preparation:&lt;/strong&gt; Thoroughly rehearse your speech to feel comfortable with the material.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;30:1-30:101&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Visualization:&lt;/strong&gt; Imagine yourself delivering a successful presentation with confidence and poise.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:100&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Positive self-talk:&lt;/strong&gt; Actively replace negative thoughts with affirmations about your abilities.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Seek feedback:&lt;/strong&gt; Ask trusted individuals for constructive criticism and use it to improve your skills.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:157&quot;&gt;Consider a &lt;strong&gt;speaking coach&lt;/strong&gt;: Working with a coach can provide personalized guidance and support to address specific challenges and confidence barriers.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-34:114&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Start small:&lt;/strong&gt; Gradually increase the size and complexity of your speaking engagements as you gain experience.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;35:1-36:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Focus on progress:&lt;/strong&gt; Celebrate small successes and acknowledge your improvement over time.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;37:1-37:282&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;37:1-37:282&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Confidence&lt;/strong&gt; in public speaking is a journey, not a destination. By actively practicing, embracing feedback, and focusing on your strengths, you can overcome &lt;strong&gt;fear of public speaking&lt;/strong&gt; and develop the &lt;strong&gt;confidence&lt;/strong&gt; to deliver impactful and memorable presentations.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/confidence/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">confidence , and consciousness to help you get your presentation on point.

Thank You Letters: Taking it A Step Further

Numerous presentations, especially business idea pitching, hardly lead to immediate sales. In such a case, ending with a presentation, thank you, and contact information isn’t enough. 

You will need to take it further by sending a thank you letter so they can remind you, mostly if they have already forgotten. So, how do you follow up on a potential client or previous sponsor with a presentation? Thank you.

Elements of a Good Thank You Letter

When writing an excellent thank you letter, you must consider elements to ensure that your recipient reads it and carries out the appropriate action. 

You do not require a soothsayer to tell you that people do not read every letter. So, how do you beat the odds and make your message worthwhile? Here are some elements you can include to that effect.

A Strong Subject Line

If you can remember the times you intentionally opened spam mail, I am sure it had something to do with the subject. Most companies treat letters like this as spam and have no reason to read them.

However, if you can create a subject line that clearly states your intentions, you have a better chance of having your mail read.

Clearly Expressed Gratitude

Start the letter by expressing gratitude for attending your presentation and giving you time. You can also include other factors in your message that you need to express gratitude for.

A Summary of Your Presentation 

They aren’t likely to have any reason to remember all the points you made during your presentation. Now is the perfect time to remind them and highlight the issues you presented they could have missed. 

It’s best to use bullet points to give them room for skim reading. Additionally, if you have reached an agreement, you should include it in the letter for Clarity &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:269&quot;&gt;In &lt;strong&gt;public speaking&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;clarity&lt;/strong&gt; refers to the quality of your message being readily understood and interpreted by your audience. It encompasses both the content and delivery of your speech, ensuring your message resonates and leaves a lasting impact.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:16&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key Aspects:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-13:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:133&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conciseness:&lt;/strong&gt; Avoid unnecessary details, digressions, or excessive complexity. Focus on delivering the core message efficiently.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:149&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Simple language:&lt;/strong&gt; Choose words and phrases your audience understands readily, avoiding jargon or technical terms unless you define them clearly.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-9:145&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Logical structure:&lt;/strong&gt; Organize your thoughts and ideas logically, using transitions and signposts to guide your audience through your message.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;10:1-10:136&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Effective visuals:&lt;/strong&gt; If using visuals, ensure they are clear, contribute to your message, and don&#039;t distract from your spoken words.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-11:144&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Confident delivery:&lt;/strong&gt; Speak clearly and articulately, avoiding mumbling or rushing your words. Maintain good eye contact with your audience.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;12:1-13:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Active voice:&lt;/strong&gt; Emphasize active voice for better flow and avoid passive constructions that can be less engaging.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;14:1-14:24&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Benefits of Clarity:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-20:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-16:123&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Enhanced audience engagement:&lt;/strong&gt; A clear message keeps your audience interested and helps them grasp your points easily.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;17:1-17:123&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Increased credibility:&lt;/strong&gt; Clear communication projects professionalism and expertise, building trust with your audience.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-18:111&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Improved persuasiveness:&lt;/strong&gt; A well-understood message is more likely to resonate and win over your audience.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;19:1-20:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reduced confusion:&lt;/strong&gt; Eliminating ambiguity minimizes misinterpretations and ensures your message arrives as intended.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;21:1-21:15&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Challenges:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;23:1-27:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;23:1-23:129&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Condensing complex information:&lt;/strong&gt; Simplifying complex topics without sacrificing crucial details requires skill and practice.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:128&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Understanding your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Tailoring your language and structure to resonate with a diverse audience can be challenging.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-25:85&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Managing nerves:&lt;/strong&gt; Nerves can impact your delivery, making it unclear or rushed.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;26:1-27:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Avoiding jargon:&lt;/strong&gt; Breaking technical habits and simplifying language requires constant awareness.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;28:1-28:22&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Improving Clarity:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;30:1-35:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;30:1-30:117&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice and rehearse:&lt;/strong&gt; The more you rehearse your speech, the more natural and clear your delivery will become.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:107&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Seek feedback:&lt;/strong&gt; Share your draft speech with others and ask for feedback on clarity and comprehension.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:161&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Consider a public speaking coach:&lt;/strong&gt; A coach can provide personalized guidance on structuring your message, simplifying language, and improving your delivery.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:128&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Join a public speaking group:&lt;/strong&gt; Practicing in a supportive environment can help you gain confidence and refine your clarity.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-35:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Listen to effective speakers:&lt;/strong&gt; Analyze how clear and impactful others achieve communication.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:250&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:250&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Clarity&lt;/strong&gt; is a cornerstone of impactful &lt;strong&gt;public speaking&lt;/strong&gt;. By honing your message, focusing on delivery, and actively seeking feedback, you can ensure your audience receives your message clearly and leaves a lasting impression.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/clarity/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">clarity .

Answers to Prior Questions 

If they had questions you could not answer while presenting, now is the perfect time to answer them. It is a gesture that shows potential clients that you care about their concerns.

Additionally, you can encourage more questions to keep the conversation going.

A Professional Closing Note

Most people have customized closing remarks that they send with each mail that usually have the following characteristics in small icons:

• Your name and position in the company
• The company’s name (and logo, if possible)
• The company’s website URL

Practice with Orai and become an expert

Final Tips For Thank You Letters and Speeches 

Irrespective of how you decide to make your presentation thank you slide, these six tips will help you:

• Include a call to action for your audience.
• Try not to end with questions.
• Refer to the opening message.
• Use anecdotes to summarize.
• Incorporate the rule of three where you can.
• Avoid leaving your audience confused about whether or not your presentation is over.

Examples of Presentation Thank You Letter

Subject line: A follow-up on (topic or product)

Hi (insert name)

Express gratitude: I am grateful you took the time to attend today’s program. (Include gratitude for any other sacrifice they made.

Here is a quick recap (___) 

Concerning your questions on ___, here is an attachment with detailed answers. Feel free to ask further questions.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regard,

Business Signature

How should you make a clear call to action to the audience at the end of a presentation?

A powerful presentation ends with a clear, direct call to action. Don’t hope your message inspires action – explicitly tell your audience what you want them to do, why it matters, and its impact. Make it specific, compelling, and relevant, using examples or statistics to drive home the importance. Leave them knowing exactly what steps to take next and the benefits or consequences involved, maximizing your chances of a positive response.

When is it beneficial to ask a rhetorical question at the end of a talk?

Want your talk to linger? End with a powerful rhetorical question! It sparks reflection, reinforces key points, and piques curiosity, leaving your audience captivated long after the presentation ends. Use it to challenge, inspire, and make your message truly unforgettable.

How can you utilize a cartoon or animation to conclude your presentation effectively?

Utilizing a cartoon or animation to conclude your presentation effectively involves integrating visuals that complement your message. Consider incorporating a relevant cartoon that conveys a metaphor or key idea of your presentation. Using humor in the cartoon can also help engage your audience and make your message more memorable. By ending on a visual note, you can leave a lasting impression and reinforce the main points you want your audience to remember.

How should you end a presentation without a “Questions?” slide?

To wrap up a presentation without a designated “Questions?” slide, it is beneficial to encourage audience interaction throughout the presentation by allowing questions to be asked at any point. This ensures that the questions and answers are directly related to the content being discussed. However, if questions are to be fielded at the end of the presentation, a powerful technique is to conclude with a striking image that reinforces and encapsulates the central message or theme addressed during the talk. This visual aid should be a memorable takeaway for the audience, leaving a lasting impression that harmonizes with the presentation’s content. Utilizing this method, you can successfully conclude your presentation on a strong note without needing a specific “Questions?” slide.

Why is it recommended to use a summary slide instead of a “Thank You” slide at the end of a presentation?

Skip the “Questions?” slide! Encourage real-time engagement throughout, then end with a powerful image that resonates with your message. It’ll be a memorable takeaway; no dedicated question slide is needed!

How can quotes and interesting anecdotes be effectively integrated into the conclusion of a speech?

Spice up your Speech &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:271&quot;&gt;A form of communication involving spoken language, it is used to express ideas, share information, tell stories, persuade, or entertain. Public speaking is a powerful tool used in diverse contexts, ranging from casual conversations to formal presentations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:27&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Components of a Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-10:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content:&lt;/strong&gt; The information, message, or story conveyed through words.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Delivery:&lt;/strong&gt; The vocal and physical presentation, including clarity, volume, gestures, and eye contact.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-10:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structure:&lt;/strong&gt; The organization of the content, typically following an introduction, body, and conclusion.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-11:21&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speech in Action:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-17:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-13:88&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informing:&lt;/strong&gt; Sharing knowledge and facts, educating an audience on a specific topic.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;14:1-14:119&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuading:&lt;/strong&gt; Advocating for a particular viewpoint, using arguments and evidence to influence thoughts or actions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-15:93&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivating:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspiring and energizing an audience, fostering action and positive change.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-17:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining:&lt;/strong&gt; Engaging and delighting an audience through humor, storytelling, or creative language.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-18:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Public Speaking and Anxiety:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;20:1-20:227&quot;&gt;Many people experience &lt;strong&gt;public speaking anxiety&lt;/strong&gt;, a fear of speaking in front of an audience. While it&#039;s common, effective preparation, practice, and breathing techniques can significantly reduce anxiety and improve delivery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;22:1-22:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Different Types of Speeches:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-28:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:81&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informative speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Focuses on conveying information clearly and concisely.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-25:102&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuasive speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aims to convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;26:1-26:99&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivational speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspires and energizes the audience, building enthusiasm and commitment.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;27:1-28:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aim to amuse and delight the audience, often using humor, storytelling, or anecdotes.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-29:33&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crafting a Compelling Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-35:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Tailor your content and delivery to their interests, needs, and prior knowledge.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:107&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a clear message:&lt;/strong&gt; Identify the main point you want to convey and structure your speech around it.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:111&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Engage your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Use varied vocal techniques, storytelling, and visual aids to keep them interested.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-35:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice, practice, practice:&lt;/strong&gt; Rehearse your speech out loud to refine your delivery and build confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:13&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;38:1-38:281&quot;&gt;Speech is a powerful tool for communication, connection, and influence. By understanding its elements, addressing potential anxieties, and tailoring your delivery to different contexts, you can harness the power of speech to achieve your intended goals and captivate your audience.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/speech/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">speech conclusion: ditch the tired quotes and choose fresh voices relevant to your audience and topic. Share authentic anecdotes that resonate personally, and weave them seamlessly with your reflections for deeper impact. Memorable endings leave audiences thinking long after your final words.

When used as a closing statement, what impact can a short, memorable sentence or sound bite have on the audience?

Short and sweet: Ditch lengthy closings! Craft a concise, magnetic sentence that captures your message. In today’s attention-deficit world, it’ll linger long after your Speech &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;3:1-3:271&quot;&gt;A form of communication involving spoken language, it is used to express ideas, share information, tell stories, persuade, or entertain. Public speaking is a powerful tool used in diverse contexts, ranging from casual conversations to formal presentations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;5:1-5:27&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Components of a Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-10:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;7:1-7:73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content:&lt;/strong&gt; The information, message, or story conveyed through words.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;8:1-8:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Delivery:&lt;/strong&gt; The vocal and physical presentation, including clarity, volume, gestures, and eye contact.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;9:1-10:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structure:&lt;/strong&gt; The organization of the content, typically following an introduction, body, and conclusion.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;11:1-11:21&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speech in Action:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-17:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;13:1-13:88&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informing:&lt;/strong&gt; Sharing knowledge and facts, educating an audience on a specific topic.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;14:1-14:119&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuading:&lt;/strong&gt; Advocating for a particular viewpoint, using arguments and evidence to influence thoughts or actions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;15:1-15:93&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivating:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspiring and energizing an audience, fostering action and positive change.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;16:1-17:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining:&lt;/strong&gt; Engaging and delighting an audience through humor, storytelling, or creative language.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;18:1-18:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Public Speaking and Anxiety:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;20:1-20:227&quot;&gt;Many people experience &lt;strong&gt;public speaking anxiety&lt;/strong&gt;, a fear of speaking in front of an audience. While it&#039;s common, effective preparation, practice, and breathing techniques can significantly reduce anxiety and improve delivery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;22:1-22:32&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Different Types of Speeches:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-28:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;24:1-24:81&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Informative speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Focuses on conveying information clearly and concisely.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;25:1-25:102&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persuasive speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aims to convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;26:1-26:99&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motivational speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Inspires and energizes the audience, building enthusiasm and commitment.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;27:1-28:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entertaining speech:&lt;/strong&gt; Aim to amuse and delight the audience, often using humor, storytelling, or anecdotes.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;29:1-29:33&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crafting a Compelling Speech:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-35:0&quot;&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;31:1-31:106&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Tailor your content and delivery to their interests, needs, and prior knowledge.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;32:1-32:107&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a clear message:&lt;/strong&gt; Identify the main point you want to convey and structure your speech around it.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;33:1-33:111&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Engage your audience:&lt;/strong&gt; Use varied vocal techniques, storytelling, and visual aids to keep them interested.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-sourcepos=&quot;34:1-35:0&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice, practice, practice:&lt;/strong&gt; Rehearse your speech out loud to refine your delivery and build confidence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 data-sourcepos=&quot;36:1-36:13&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p data-sourcepos=&quot;38:1-38:281&quot;&gt;Speech is a powerful tool for communication, connection, and influence. By understanding its elements, addressing potential anxieties, and tailoring your delivery to different contexts, you can harness the power of speech to achieve your intended goals and captivate your audience.&lt;/p&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/speech/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">speech , leaving a powerful impression and resonating with your audience. Remember, short and impactful embodies your voice and drive home your key points. Boom!

In what situations is it appropriate to acknowledge individuals or companies at the end of a presentation?

Say thanks! Publicly acknowledging collaborators, data sources, and presentation helpers in research, information use, and preparation scenarios shows respect, professionalism, and gratitude. Use both verbal mentions and presentation software credits for maximum impact. Remember, a little appreciation goes a long way!

How can visual aids, such as a running clock or images, be employed to emphasize key points during the conclusion of a speech?

End with a bang! Use visuals like a ticking clock to build urgency or powerful images to solidify your message. Leave them on display for reflection, letting the visuals do the final talking and ensuring your key points leave a lasting impression.

How can surprising facts be used to re-engage the audience’s attention at the end of a presentation?

Surprise them! When attention fades, drop a shocking fact with stats. Use online resources to find fresh info, keeping sources handy for Q&A. It’ll re-energize them, offering new insights and solidifying your credibility. Boom!

What role can storytelling play in concluding a presentation and engaging the audience?

Storytime! Wrap up with a short, impactful story – personal or relevant to your topic. Think customer experience or a case study with heart. Make it relatable, spark empathy, and tie it back to your key points. Boom – a memorable, engaging ending that sticks!

How can I make my presentation memorable using the “power of three” communication method?

Rule of three! Organize your conclusion in trios: points, examples, and stories. Brains love patterns and threes stick! Memorable, impactful, and resonating – that’s your ending goal. Keep it simple, repeat key points, and leave them with a lasting impression.

How can I effectively end a presentation or speech to leave a lasting impression on the audience?

Nail your ending! Use the power of three: storytelling, surprising facts, or visuals to grab attention. Acknowledge others, craft a short & memorable closing, summarize key points, repeat key messages, and end with energy to inspire action. Leave a lasting impression, not a fade-out!

How can you ensure that your audience understands when your presentation has concluded?

End strong! Rule of three for impact, clear closing cue (no guessing!), confident “thank you,” and wait for applause. No fidgeting, no weak exits. Leave them wanting more, not wondering if it’s over!

Final Notes: Saying Thank You is a Vital Life Skill

As far as life goes, saying thank you properly is essential. Even if you are giving a paid lecture or presentation, thank you notes give your audience a sense of importance for participating in your work process. 

An asset every public speaker has after overcoming the fear of Public Speaking &lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&gt; &lt;p&gt;Public speaking refers to any live presentation or speech. It can cover a variety of topics on various fields and careers (you can find out more about public speaking careers here: https://orai.com/blog/public-speaking-careers/.  Public speaking can inform, entertain, or educate an audience and sometimes has visual aids.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;!-- /wp:paragraph --&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&gt; &lt;p&gt;Public speaking is done live, so the speakers need to consider certain factors to deliver a successful speech. No matter how good the speech is, if the audience doesn&#039;t connect with the speaker, then it may fall flat. Therefore, speakers have to use a lot more nonverbal communication techniques to deliver their message. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;!-- /wp:paragraph --&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!-- wp:heading --&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Tips for public speaking&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;!-- /wp:heading --&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!-- wp:list --&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Have a sense of humor.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Tell personal stories that relate to the speech you&#039;re giving.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Dress appropriately for the event. Formal and business casual outfits work best.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Project a confident and expressive voice.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Always try to use simple language that everyone can understand.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Stick to the time given to you.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Maintain eye contact with members of your audience and try to connect with them.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;!-- /wp:list --&gt; " href="https://orai.com/glossary/public-speaking/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">public speaking is their ability to express gratitude to their audience for the time they spent listening.

I hope you remember to say thank you creatively!

You might also like

How many words is a 5-minute speech, good attention getters for speeches with 10+ examples, quick links.

• Presentation Topics

Useful Links

• Start free trial
• The art of public speaking
• improve public speaking
• mastering public speaking
• public speaking coach
• professional speaking
• public speaking classes - Courses
• public speaking anxiety
• © Orai 2023

Automated page speed optimizations for fast site performance

Connect with us

How to end a presentation effectively

Present better.

• Flat Design
• Minimalist Design
• Colorful, Bright, and Bold Design
• Infographic-Style Slides in Presentations
• Bold Typography Design

In this blog, we explore the importance of a strong conclusion in presentations. A lackluster ending leaves the audience uninspired, while ending on a high note fires them up for action. We discuss strategies, additional… ... read more In this blog, we explore the importance of a strong conclusion in presentations. A lackluster ending leaves the audience uninspired, while ending on a high note fires them up for action. We discuss strategies, additional tips, and common mistakes to avoid. close

The end is an inevitable part of any good thing, and that includes your presentation. Leaving a final impression with a strong conclusion cannot be an afterthought; it is the spark needed to set your goals in motion. An anticlimactic conclusion leaves your audience uninspired at best, if not outright indifferent. Ending on a high note will fire them up, encouraging them to remain engaged and inspired to take action.

Why is it important to have a good conclusion?

Striving for an effective conclusion is a reliable way to ensure you fulfill the presentation’s purpose. To really recognize a presentation’s success , one must note its efficiency in yielding the desired outcomes from the audience. A powerful and inspiring ending contributes to enhancing a brand or business and has a positive impact within the presenter’s context. Whether the aim was to secure funding, showcase important data, or gain support for an initiative, a strong conclusion is a necessary component to confirm that the message is delivered and received effectively.

Effective strategies to conclude your presentation

A powerful conclusion leaves your audience feeling energized long after you wrap up your presentation. This is why it’s important to use effective tactics to create an impactful finale. How you decide to conclude your presentation impacts how your message will resonate with your listeners. Consider the following strategies to leave a lasting impression:

Bring back your main idea

Repetition is the key to retention. In the world of presentations, there is no surer way to make your message stick than to repeat it. Although you may feel like this approach is redundant, recapping the main points after each section emphasizes the message and improves audience learning. By consistently repeating the core concepts throughout your presentation, you let them become ingrained in the audience’s mind. And revisiting the same ideas several times allows for a renewed understanding, and the space to notice details and patterns. So you can conclude your presentation by reinforcing and ensuring that your main message is remembered by reiterating it one last time. 

Include a call to action

If the main purpose of your presentation is to inspire action, you need to move the audience towards it. You cannot assume that the audience will simply know what the next steps are without any guidance. Sum up your presentation by leaving them with an instructive call to action that lets them know what to do next.

Close the loop

The “loop technique” is when a speaker concludes their speech by referring back to the beginning of the presentation. This technique offers a sense of closure that is satisfying and concrete. You would use your allotted time to build audience anticipation and keep them engaged until the end, where you finally come full circle to the beginning of the presentation. This is a common structure for talks, and for good reason; it reminds the audience of your main idea and why they were there in the first place. 

End with an inspirational quote or surprising statistic

Occasionally, there will be times when you do not have the right words to express how you feel, so don’t hesitate to use someone else’s. You can use the final slide of your presentation to share a quote that appropriately sums up your message and leaves the audience with a strong impression.

3 Additional tips for a memorable conclusion

Tell a story.

Although this is a common technique for opening a presentation, it also makes for a meaningful conclusion. People are social creatures that long for connection, and stories are an emotional tether that creates empathy, which allows the audience to sympathize with your message. If you have been weaving your story with a narrative all throughout, the conclusion is the time to wrap it all up with a purposeful ending.

Use the rule of threes

Using the rule of threes is a super simple and effective way to communicate your main ideas. The idea is that the audience can remember concepts better when they are shared in a pattern of three. This could look like dividing your main idea into three sections or offering the audience the takeaway in a list of three action points, areas for improvement, or any other prompt you want to elicit.

Ask a rhetorical question

For a memorable conclusion, consider leaving your audience with a thought-provoking question for them to chew on. By posing a rhetorical question, you encourage the audience to contemplate and reflect on their answers long after you finish presenting. This leaves your presentation lingering in their minds, but it can also be a conversation starter for them later on. 

Common mistakes to avoid when ending a presentation

There are a few missteps that you should steer clear of when planning your conclusion. A presentation is meant to persuade, and these mistakes can leave your audience apathetic or uninterested in the next steps. 

Failing to announce your conclusion

You want to avoid an abrupt ending to your presentation that confuses the audience by announcing that you are nearing the end before wrapping up. Once you let the audience know that the conclusion is near, it makes them pay attention. You can simply say, “As I conclude my presentation,” for a clear signal before moving into your closing remarks.

Failing to tie up loose ends

In the world of creative writing, Chekov’s Gun refers to the principle by which writers are encouraged to resolve any element they introduce in the story. Similarly, in presentations, this is called the “tie-back principle.” Any time an interesting element is introduced in the beginning, whether a fact, a quote, or a photo, it should eventually be addressed again in the conclusion. It provides a satisfying conclusion and ensures you tie all loose ends together. 

Not offering a summary

With several factors contributing to disordered attention spans, it is crucial to consistently remind the audience of your key ideas. As you conclude your presentation, you can reiterate your points by posing a thoughtful question and using the space to answer it as a way to recap the ideas you covered. As you restate your message, you ensure your audience retains the most important takeaways. 

Concluding with a Q&A

A common mistake made by presenters is concluding with a Q&A session. Of course, audience interaction is encouraged, but it is best to dedicate time for questions during the presentation and not to end on it. Your final words are what are most likely to stay with your audience, so rather than leaving the audience to have the last word, dedicate the final moments to delivering a strong, comprehensive summary and a powerful closing statement.

Not providing a call to action

The main goal of a presentation is to persuade. And while your content may be informative and engaging, you still need to guide your audience toward the direct response you want to receive from them. If your presentation aims to get budget approval, ask for it at the end. Or if your presentation requests support or funding, then tailor your call to action to address this need.

With effective communication strategies, you can end your presentation on a high note and leave your audience with a lasting impression in their hearts and minds. A powerful and well-crafted conclusion not only affirms your message but also contributes to the overall advancement of your desired outcomes. To learn more about presentation tricks and techniques, visit Prezlab’s blog page for insightful and informative articles on all things related to presentation and presentation design.

Recommended for you..

27 December 2023

8 Presentation design trends you should know about for 2024

08 January 2024

Pitch Perfect: A checklist for investor presentations

16 January 2024

Web Design Trends 2024: Elevating web experiences

Your Contact Details

Back to blog home.

101 Must-Know Transition Phrases for Engaging Presentations Online

By Paola Pascual on Jan 17, 2024 1:43:00 PM

Giving presentations is often feared by many professionals, but if the presentation is online  and you're not a native speaker, things get even trickier. One tip to make things easier? Learn useful phrases to help you navigate your presentation. In this article, you will find lots of helpful resources to give remarkable presentations . Listen to the episode above, download the checklist below, and learn some of the phrases we present. If we missed any, tell us in the comments below.

General vocabulary for presentations

Sometimes, the smallest changes in your presentations can make the biggest differences. One of them is to learn a few phrases that give you confidence during your speech. Here are some important verbs to get you started:

• To highlight
• To emphasize
• To walk you through (*very common in business presentations!)
• To send around
• To carry on (similar to  continue)
• To get carried away
• To sum up (similar to  summarize )
• To focus on

Vocabulary to start your presentation

Learn how to powerfully start your presentation with these 4 simple steps. Here's some vocabulary you can use:

Welcome your audience

• Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone. Thank you for joining us today, and welcome to today's webinar.
• Hello everyone, I’m very happy to be speaking with you today.

Introduce yourself

• My name is Susan, and I’m part of the design team here at Globex Corporation.
• First of all, a little bit about my background - I am the Team Lead  at [Company], and I've been in charge of [your main responsibility] for [X] years.
• I'd like to tell you a bit about myself - my name is  Eve  I'm the Operations Manager here at [Company].

Introduce the topic and goal of the presentation

• Today, I'd like to talk about…
• This presentation will take about [X] minutes, and we will discuss...
• We've allocated [X] minutes to this presentation. and I'll talk about...
• I'd like to give you a brief breakdown of...
• I'd like to take this opportunity to talk about...
• The main goal of this presentation is…
• The purpose of this presentation is...
• My objective today is...

Read these 5 tricks the best public speakers use to  captivate their audience .

Addressing questions from the audience

• If you have any questions about anything, feel free to interrupt.
• If anything isn't clear, please click on the 'raise hand' button and I'll do my best to answer your question.
• I'd be happy to answer your questions at the end of the presentation.
• If you have any questions, please kindly wait until the end to ask them. We will have [X] minutes for a Q&A session at the end.
• Since today's audience is considerably large, we will not have time for questions, but please email me at [email protected]

Learning new English words is not easy, but you can achieve effective communication through practice and repetition. If you are a Talaera student, visit the Library to practice your vocabulary for presentations. If are not part of the Talaera community yet, learn how we can help you here .

Clear out technical issues

• Can everyone hear me well? Let me know if you encounter any technical difficulties throughout the presentation.
• If you are not speaking, please put yourselves on mute.
• If you feel that the sound quality is poor throughout the presentation, please let me know.

Transition to the main topic of the presentation

• Hi everyone, I think we might still be missing a few people but I’m going to kick things off now so we have time to get through everything.
• All right, let’s dive right in!
• All right, let’s jump right in!
• Let’s get started.
• Let’s kick things off.
• I’m going to talk about
• The purpose/subject of this presentation is
• I’ve divided the presentation into 3 parts: In the first part, ... / Then in the second part, ... / Finally, I’ll go on to talk about...
• Let me begin by looking at...
• Let me start with some general information on...

Vocabulary for the main body of your presentation

Introduce a topic or section.

• Now let’s move to the first part of the presentation,
• We can see 4 advantages and two disadvantages. First,
• On the one hand… On the other hand…
• There are two steps involved. The first step is… The second step is…
• There are four stages to the project.

Transition to a new section

• All right, let’s turn to...
• Now we come to the next point, which is
• Okay so that’s [topic 1], but what about [topic 2]?
• There’s a lot more to talk about, but since we’re pushed for time , let’s move on to [topic 2].
• This leads me to my next point, which is...

Give examples and details

• For example...
• A good example of this is...
• To illustrate this point...
• This reminds me of...
• To give you an example...
• Let me elaborate further on...

Describe visual aids

• As you can see [from this infographic]
• This chart shows
• If you look at this graph, you will see
• From this chart, we can understand how
• Let me show you this [image, graph, diagram]
• On the right/left
• In the middle of
• At the top/bottom of the picture

Emphasize an idea

• This is important because
• I’d like to emphasize that
• We have to remember that

Repeat the same message with different words

• In other words
• To put it more simply
• So, what I’m saying is that
• Let me say that again.

It's easy to get stuck in the middle of a presentation, especially if English is not your mother tongue. Here are +20 Top Tips You Need To Know if you're learning business English .

Finish your presentation and summarize

The end of a presentation, together with the opening, is one of the most important parts of your speech. Read these 5 effective strategies to close your presentation and use the vocabulary below.

• That’s all I want to say for now about [topic].
• To sum up, ...
• This sums up [topic].
• So in a nutshell, ...
• So to recap, ...
• In brief, ...
• To conclude, ...
• I’d like to conclude by emphasizing the main points...
• That's it on [topic] for today. In short, we've covered...
• So, now I’d be very interested to hear your comments.
• And this brings us to the end of this presentation. I hope [topic] is a little clear after today.
• So to draw all that together, ...

Start and navigate the Q&A session

• Thank you for your attention. I hope you found this presentation useful, and I'd be happy to answer any questions.
• Thank you for listening. We now have [X] minutes left. Do you have any questions?
• Thank you for your question, [Name].
• I'm glad you asked.
• That's an interesting question.
• That's a great question, I must say. I'm not 100% sure, but off the top of my head, I can tell you that...
• Are you asking about [topic 1] or [topic 2]?
• Can you please clarify what exactly you mean by [question]? I'm not sure I fully understand.
• I'm afraid I don't have the exact figures at hand, but if you give me your email address at the end, I can follow up with you later.
• Does that answer your question?
• I hope that makes sense. Is that the kind of answer you were looking for?

Take your presentation skills to the next level. 

Keep reading about presentation skills:

• 21 Helpful Tips For Remarkable and Outstanding Presentation Skills
• How To Start a Presentation: Follow These 4 Easy Steps
• How To Bring Across Your Main Idea In A Presentation Effectively
• 5 Effective Strategies To End A Presentation
• 6 Public Speaking Tricks To Captivate Your Audience
• How To Do Effective Business Storytelling According To Former Prosecutor
• 8 Little Changes That'll Make A Big Difference With Your Presentations
• 3 Quick Public Speaking Tips For Your Next Presentation
• Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are [TED Talk Lesson]

Talaera Talks - Transcript Episode 5

• Topic : Deliver impactful presentations
• Listen : Spotify , Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts
• Duration : 22 min.

Intro Welcome to Talaera Talks , the business English communication podcast for non-native professionals. My name is Paola and I am co-hosting this show with Simon. In this podcast, we're going to be covering communication advice and tips to help express yourself with confidence in English in professional settings. So we hope you enjoy the show!

Okay, welcome back for our third episode of Talaera Talks. This is Simon, and I'm joined with Paola. Paola, how are you doing? 0:37 Hi, Simon. I'm great. Happy to do another episode. 0:41 Yeah, absolutely. And Happy Friday. 0:44 Happy Friday! 0:49 So today, our topic: Presenting in English. I'd like to start this episode with a quote I found on Harvard Business Review that I thought was really interesting. It says, "Even native English speakers often anticipate disaster when making presentations. By but for non-native speakers, the anticipatory and situational anxiety associated with their unique challenges (these challenges - being understandable, choosing the right words, speaking spontaneously), can be overwhelming. Moreover, if these concerns interfere with your willingness or ability to make business presentations, the impact can be career-limiting." So yeah, that's a pretty kind of heavy quote to start. But it is something that we see from a lot of our clients, right? 1:52 Yeah, it's super interesting. It was super interesting to read. It's something we know, but it's important to remind it that it is presentations, the topic we have today is something that is not pleasurable for anyone, not for non-native speakers, but also for native speakers. So that's something to point out. And today, we talked about that... We said that we wanted to start with those challenges or fears that we see from our clients, our learners. 2:25 Yeah, and it's usually around the same things, you know, we, at least for me, I come into contact with so many of these, so many of our students who are so competent in their, in their daily lives, what they're doing in their professional lives. And they come to me with these with these fears, like this just general lack of confidence, or imposter syndrome, right? This I don't know if I really deserve to be speaking and, you know, kind of explaining this concept to all these people. 3:05 Mm-hmm. Yes. And also the fear of not being understood, well, they know what I'm saying, well, they understand my accent. There's a lot of worries and concern around accent and our pronunciation expert, Lisa hosted a webinar, actually last week, where she explained that accent matters. But as long as people understand you, it's fine. You don't need to be perfect. Everyone has an accent. So that's also totally fine. 3:37 And this being Yeah, this being one of I think, at least for me, in my experience, one of the most frequently asked for aspects from students. So you know, and just to like, again, just say that this is a challenge for everyone, not just, you know, non-native English speakers. You know, I think all of us have a tough experience or somebody that we think of when we think about public speaking, it's, it's like this, yeah, really anxiety-riddled thing. I mean, I don't have any, you know, funny personal stories, but uh, do you, Paola? 4:20 You want me to tell my embarrassing story, don't you? 4:22 Please, you must. 4:25 So I used to teach at a university in Vietnam when I lived there, and the classes where it rains, you know, from perhaps 50 students to up to what 300 there's was a class with, you know, 2-300 students and there was a little stage it wasn't too high, but there was a little stage and I fell off. 4:46 You fell off the stage. This was during or after the presentation, or...? 4:56 It was around the beginning of the presentation. So... 5:01 During! Oh, I thought it was it was like after like you were walking off? 5:06 No, I move a lot. I use my body language quite a lot. And that was one of the moments where I overdid it, probably, and fell off. 5:17 Wow. Well, I'm glad that you're still here with us. 5:21 Yeah, you know, but that's the story that I sometimes not always tell it. But I sometimes tell it when my students say, Oh, I'm nervous, and I assume that it can happen, you know, I thought it was going to be a disaster. And then I actually ended up making friends with the students that turned out okay. 5:39 Right. Well, yeah, I mean, today, we're not necessarily going to go into the physical dimensions of how to avoid falling off the stage. But we do have some, some good tips, right? 5:54 Yes. And to provide some advice on how to deliver presentations, and lose that fear, we've divided it into three main blocks. And those are what to do before the presentation, tips for during the presentation. And then even after there's things you can do to, to get better. 6:18 Right, let's start with the first, right, what can we do before the presentation in terms of getting ready, preparing? 6:30 So preparing, it's a very general term, but one of the tips that we like to give is, think of the WHAT, WHY and NEXT. So WHAT is your presentation about? WHY should they listen to you and not look it up online (or listen to a podcast, like ours)? And in what NEXT means - what is supposed to happen next? Do they need to do anything, go on a website, send you feedback? Are you going to send them the materials? So what why our next is so straightforward and simple. But when I asked this question to our clients that are so thrown off, and they don't know what to answer sometimes, 7:10 Yeah, I think that's one of those things. And I struggle with this all the time is, when I get an idea or something like that. It's so easy to just jump over those most basic things of, you know, what, why and index, those are so, so basic, but it's such it's, they're so foundational, right? And in terms of creating something that people will understand and be able to, to really attach to. 7:41 Yep. And do you have any tips around how much you should learn? Should you write the whole thing? Or should you memorize? 7:52 Yeah, that, you know, this is a good question as well, that a lot of our learners ask in terms of, yeah, you know, I'm just going to go and write it all out. And then I'll have an idea. And I'll feel better because I can write it and change it so that it sounds more professional. It sounds like I know what I'm talking about. And I always tell people, please don't try to prepare a presentation where you're reading a script, it is just the most unnatural thing ever. And, and it, you won't end up sounding more professional, if anything, your audience is going to detach, because they're going to sense that something's not really right here, it doesn't seem genuine, right doesn't seem real, it just seems like this person is doing what he's doing, which is reading off of a script. And even still a lot of times with a lot of our learners where they know that, okay, I know this material. But I'm going to put all of my effort into making this perfect slide this perfect presentation. So I would say, focus on actually knowing the material itself really well. More than focusing on how the presentation looks, you know, these kinds of things. Because once you're in that situation where you're on the stage, and people are looking at you, at least you'll be able to Windows like kind of red Sirens of you know, panic and anxiety show up. You'll have learned the material itself so well that you can roll with that. 9:29 Yes. And you also have room for improvisation because your brain is so used to the content and you know, so well what you want to say that that's when your brain starts to come up with anecdotes and that's the fun thing that gets you hooked. And that's the main Why should people listen to you instead of reading an article online? 9:49 Exactly. Because for most of our students, you know what you're talking about. That's why you're up there. That's why you have the opportunities to speak there is because someone thinks you're qualified enough to speak to all these people. So trust in that and go with that. So yeah, so we have right not, not over learning. Don't script it right? What else can we do? 10:14 Practice, practice, practice, practice, practice in your mind, but more importantly verbalize it, say it out loud. And recording yourself is uncomfortable for everyone. But it works. I have never tried it. I always told my students should record yourself, you should record yourself and they were like, Huh. And just a few of them did it. And when we started with the webinars, I haven't done something like it before. And I said, Okay, I'll use my own tip. And it was one I'm comfortable. And two, super helpful. So if you get to go over the sound of your own voice, I would say do it. 10:54 Yeah. You know, this is one thing that I have to be totally honest here. Doing these podcasts is the first time I've actually recorded myself for a long time. And I've learned a lot about, you know, not saying the word Absolutely. 500 times, yeah, within the span of 20 minutes. So those are good learning lessons. Definitely. Okay, and then so we have that. And then the last little tip is, I would say get an English mindset before 30 minutes to an hour before the presentation. And that could be listening to a podcast, you know, like Talaera Talks, or, you know, watching a show on Netflix that's, that's in English, whatever you can do to get your kind of English mind, you know, in the zone before you go up and actually speak English. So So those are all of our kind of pre presentation tips, what you can do before, so what about during, 11:58 so for during, there's a lot of things that you can you can do to improve your presentations. But the first tip is to learn how to start to have a mind map of what am I going to do at the beginning. So you start confident already. So welcome, everyone, introduce the people introduce the topic and go to the main point, those four parts will help you have a nice start. Welcome, everyone. For example. Hi, everyone. Welcome to today's presentation. Today, we'll be talking about business events, introduce the people, you can introduce yourself , like, Hi, my name is Paula and I'm a business English instructor at Telstra, and perhaps even the audience. Today we have with us students from all different nationalities and levels, or, you know, whatever the audiences, that's also helpful for everyone to understand, introduce the topic, or give you some best practices for business emails , and a few templates, and then go to the main point. So a simple sentence like Alright, let's get down to business. So having those welcome introducing people introducing the topic and going to the main point will help you have a nice start. 13:16 Yeah, and I like that concept of that the mind map is so good. Because it's it's not the scripting, like we were talking about before, it's having a kind of a little mental checklist. So that when those first few minutes, were you're up there on the on stage, and you're like, oh god, oh, god, here we go. Here we go. You have that little checklist that I created. Okay, so I welcomed introduced the people the topic, and now to the main point, and that can get you in the zone and going I really liked that. Yeah, so so having that, that starting template. And then another thing would be, I would say slowing down, slowing it down. And this is really I think it touches on a lot of aspects. The first would be just the general anxiety, we tend to speak a lot faster when we're really anxious, you know, but by slowing down, it really helps with non native English speakers because it helps with the accent. And it helps with giving you some time to really think through your next thoughts. Now, I'm not saying that you should, while you're speaking, try to think steps three, four or five ahead of you. But giving yourself a little bit of time to Okay, I'm going through this pattern now. Now I can go to the next one, right. And doing that, you know, another with the slowing down a tip if you're really nervous to go in is prefacing your speech. So before you really get into everything, maybe after the welcome part is just to say, Hey, you know, I'm going to try to speak as clearly as possible, as English as myself. first language and really smile and maybe make a little joke about that. And I think that's a good way to open it out for the audience to show some vulnerability and and help. I mean, what do you think about that? 15:13 Yeah, I mean, we see that with, sometimes with celebrities, when they're not native speakers, and they admitted, and they, they kind of put yourself put themselves, as you said, in that vulnerable position, and that makes them even cuter. 15:28 Mm hmm. 15:29 So it's making yourself human, I think it's always a good tip. And you were saying that slowing down helps with your accent and also for yourself to gain time to really know what you're going to say. But also for the for the audience. We don't mind people making some little pulses, so that they also have time to collect their thoughts. 15:50 Right, right. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Those are, those are two really good aspects, starting, you know, the template and then slowing down, right. Yeah, kind of diffusing the anxiety by saying, Hey, you know, this isn't my first language. And that really gets the audience on your side, right. And then another would be not reading off of your slides. I mean, this is kind of the basic, you know, what you learn in school, but it's also something that a lot of people get, yeah, get, get hooked on, just because it's like a safety net. And I would say that's where the overlearning the material that we talked about beforehand comes into play. Anything else in this? 16:42 Oh, recap for sure. After every section, do a little recap, and at the end to recap where you summarize the main points of the whole presentation? 16:54 Yeah, yeah. Good. Good. So So summarize. Yeah, yeah. And that's a that's a good, you know, I would say three aspects, four aspects that during the presentation, if you keep these in, in your mind, it's, it's, I would say, it's going to help a lot. And so now we're going to move to what can we do after the presentation? We've done it, we've walked off the stage. Whoo, I'm so glad that's over. Now, is all of our work done? No. 17:27 No, not really. That's now it's your chance to actually learn from, from everything you did. So one of the tips we suggest is try to ask for feedback. But that's not so easy, right, Simon? 17:42 Yeah, it's, I think, a big question. And that is, who do you get the feedback from? Right?

17:50 So we, we would always suggest to try and find someone you can trust someone who is honest, and who can give you objective feedback. So in some cases, that can be your manager, but sometimes it's a colleague that understands the topic, and can really provide some feedback on how you did. 18:13 Yeah. And that's, I think, in terms of learning, this is one of the most crucial thing is reflecting back on what you did, and seeing what worked, what didn't work, and how can I take that and move forward? Because especially with presenting, it's a skill, and it takes practice, practice, practice. And, and I think, for a lot of people, you should jump at the chance to do this. So that you can continue to learn and continue to grow. But be sure to reflect by Yeah, by asking for feedback and seeing what worked, 18:47 for sure. And ideally, that would be someone, perhaps from work that can see how you did and like the actual show, if not Talaera teachers also do that. So you can present your own presentation, pretending it's the actual one. And that's how we can provide feedback on the structure, the vocabulary, the language in general. 19:08 Yeah, absolutely. I do that. Oh, there you go. Absolutely. Definitely. See, I'm reflecting back and learning as we go. I'm working. I'm learning that. Yeah. But I've done that recently with a couple of students where we've gone through their deck and looked at what are their plans in terms of presenting and we've kind of gone through in detail that together. So So yeah, so that was kind of I would say the biggest thing in terms of afterward. 19:40 So we have the pre-presentation, just as a quick recap for the pre-presentation and before your presentation, always remember the what why next, what is your presentation about? Why should people listen to you and what should happen next overnight Learn the content. be super confident about what you want to talk about. But don't script it. Don't write everything down. Otherwise, it would sound like you're just reading. 20:11 Write and practice through verbalization. record yourself, even though it may be awkward, but it's a great learning technique. And then get in that English mindset beforehand by Yeah, listening to a podcast or what have you. And then during the presentation, right, starting with the template, Paolo was discussing the welcome introducing the people the topic, and then going to the main point, 20:37 slowing down a little bit. It's not necessary to go super fast. It's not only not necessary, but people will understand you better if you take your time and make some pauses. Of course, don't read off their slides. Tell them the story. 20:54 Right, right. And remember 20:56 to recap, just like we're doing now. Send them or tell them a quick summary and the main points, 21:03 right, and don't fall off the stage as well. That's ideally we forgot. Ideally, it's final for then, as the final point, right, asking for feedback, finding that person that can get you that feedback that's so important to you. Finding what worked and moving forward. 21:21 That's right. All right. Do we have it for today? 21:25 I think that is it for today. Yeah. I had a lot of Thanks. Yeah, I had a blast. And thanks for meeting up. And we have a lot of good stuff coming up with Talaera. Right. 21:38 We have webinars, our blog is busier than ever. So go on the http://blog.talaera.com/ , check out the resources. And what else? 21:51 Find us on LinkedIn. And yeah, please ask any questions, we'd be glad to get back to you. So that is it for today. And thank you to all of our listeners. So far, we're excited to keep growing this. And as always, keep learning! 22:11 And that's all we have for you today. We hope you enjoyed it, and remember to  subscribe to Talaera Talks . We'll be back soon with more! And visit our website at  https://talaera.com  for more valuable content on business English. You can also  request a free consultation  on the best ways for you and your team to improve your communication skills. So have a great day and keep learning!

Share this with a friend:

Explore our Business English Programs

Contact [email protected]

Made with ❤️ in New York City — Talaera © 2017–2024 

52 Phrases for Better Flowing English Presentations

/ Steven Hobson / Business English , English Presentations , Vocabulary

Do you give English presentations at work, but feel that you could communicate your message in a more objective, fluid way?

Maybe you have an English presentation coming up and want to make sure that your speech is clear and structured so that your audience doesn’t lose concentration and stays with you all the way to the end.

A technique that can help you achieve objective, clear, and structured English presentations, is to use linking phrases that join the separate parts of your presentation together.

English presentations normally consist of an introduction, the main body, individual parts of the main body, and the ending or conclusion.

To help maintain your audience’s attention, you need to signal when you are going from one part to another.

In this article, I teach you 52 phrases that do exactly this – linking the different parts together, and therefore, making your presentation flow better. You’ll find that these phrases will act as ‘signposts’ for the audience when you finish one part and start another.

52 Phrases to Improve the Flow of Your English Presentations

The introduction.

All good presentations start with a strong introduction.

There are a number of different ways you can begin your English presentation. Here’s a simple, but effective introduction structure which works for most types of business presentations:

Introduce – Introduce yourself and greet your audience. Introduce the presentation topic – Explain the reasons for listening. Outline – Describe the main parts of the presentation. Question policy – Make it clear to your audience when they can ask questions: during or at the end?

Here are some phrases which you can use to structure the introduction in this way:

1. Good morning/afternoon (everyone) (ladies and gentlemen). 2. It’s a pleasure to welcome (the President) here. 3. I’m … (the Director of …)

Introduce the presentation topic

4. By the end of the talk/presentation/session, you’ll know how to… / …you will have learned about… / 5. I plan to say a few words about… 6. I’m going to talk about… 7. The subject of my talk is…

8. My talk will be in (three parts). 9. In the first part… 10. Then in the second part… 11. Finally, I’ll go on to talk about…

Question Policy

12. Please interrupt if you have any questions. 13. After my talk, there will be time for a discussion and any questions.

 Main Body

Now that you have finished the introduction, we now need to transition to the main body, and its individual parts in a smooth way.

There are three parts of the main body of a presentation where linking phrases can be used:

Beginning the Main Body Ending Parts within the Main Body Beginning a New Part

Here are some phrases which you can use for these parts:

Beginning the Main Body

14. Now let’s move to / turn to the first part of my talk which is about… 15. So, first… 16. To begin with…

Ending Parts within the Main Body

17. That completes/concludes… 18. That’s all (I want to say for now) on… 19. Ok, I’ve explained how…

Beginning a New Part

20. Let’s move to (the next part which is)… 21. So now we come to the next point, which is… 22. Now I want to describe… 23. Let’s turn to the next issue… 24. I’d now like to change direction and talk about…

Listing and Sequencing

If you need to talk about goals, challenges, and strategies in your English presentation, listing phrases can help link these together and improve the flow of your speech. If you have to explain processes, sequencing phrases are helpful:

25. There are three things to consider. First… Second… Third… 26. There are two kinds of… The first is… The second is… 27. We can see four advantages and two disadvantages. First, advantages… 28. One is… Another is… A third advantage is… Finally…

29. There are (four) different stages to the process. 30. First / then / next / after that / then (x) / after x there’s y. 31. There are two steps involved. The first step is… The second step is… 32. There are four stages to the project. 33. At the beginning, later, then, finally… 34. I’ll describe the development of the idea. First the background, then the present situation, and then the prospect for the future.

After you have presented the main body of your English presentation, you will want to end it smoothly.

Here are typical sections transitioning from the main body to the ending of the presentation, and then inviting the audience to ask questions:

Ending the Main Body Beginning the Summary and/or Conclusion Concluding An Ending Phrase Inviting Questions and/or Introducing Discussion Thanking the Audience

Ending the Main Body

35. Okay, that ends (the third part of) my talk. 36. That’s all I want to say for now on (the 2017 results).

Beginning the Summary and/or Conclusion

37. To sum up… 38. Ok, in brief, there are several advantages and disadvantages. 39. To conclude… 40. I’d like to end by emphasizing the main points. 41. I’d like to end with a summary of the main points.

42. I think we have seen that we should… 43. In my opinion, we should… 44. I recommend/suggest that we… 45. There are three reasons why I recommend this. First, … / Second, … / Finally,…

An Ending Phrase

46. Well, I’ve covered the points that I needed to present today. 47. That sums up (my description of the new model). 48. That concludes my talk for today.

Inviting Questions and/or Introducing Discussion

49. Now we have (half an hour) for questions and discussion. 50. So, now I’d be very interested to hear your comments.

Thanking the Audience

51. I’d like to thank you for listening to my presentation. 52. Thank you for listening / your attention. / Many thanks for coming.

Linking phrases are like the skeleton which holds your presentation together.

Not only do they improve the flow and help guide the audience, but by memorizing them they can also help you remember the general structure of your presentation, giving you increased confidence.

To help you memorize, I recommend saying the linking phrases on their own from the beginning to the end of your presentation while you practice.

I also suggest memorizing the introduction word for word. By doing this, you will get off to a great start, which will settle your nerves and transmit a positive first impression.

Author: Steven Hobson

Steven is a business English coach, a certified life coach, writer, and entrepreneur. He helps international professionals build confidence and improve fluency speaking English in a business environment.

Related posts

2 Success Principles for Achieving Your English Goals

How to Improve Your Understanding of Native Speakers

How to Speak English with Confidence

50 Speech Closing Lines (& How to Create Your Own) | The Ultimate Guide

Hrideep barot.

• Public Speaking , Speech Writing

While speech openings are definitely one of the most important components of a speech, something that is equally as important is the way you conclude your speech.

There are few worse ways to end your speech than with a terse ‘thank you’–no elaboration or addition whatsoever.

Speech endings are just as crucial to the success of your speech as speech openings, and you must spend just as much time picking the perfect ending as you do to determine your best possible speech opening.

The words you speak at the beginning and end of your speech are words that your audience will pay the most attention to, and remember longer than any other part of your speech.

Speech endings can put even the most experienced speaker in flux, and increase their anxiousness manifold as they sit there attempting to figure out the perfect way to end your speech.

If you’re someone who’s in flux about your speech ending too, don’t worry. We’ve got some amazing ways to conclude your speech with a bang!

1. Circling Back To The Beginning

The idea behind circling back to the beginning of your speech is to reinforce the idea of your speech being a complete whole. By circling back to the beginning and connecting it to your ending, you let the audience understand that the idea of your speech is complete & standalone.

Circling back to the beginning of your speech also acts as an excellent way of reinforcing the central idea of your speech in the audience’s mind, and makes it more likely that they will remember it after the speech ends.

Need more inspiration for speech opening lines? Check out our article on 15 Powerful Speech Opening Lines & Tips To Create Your Own.

How To Circle Back To The Beginning

The easiest way to do this is to set up your beginning for the conclusion of your speech. That is, if you’re saying something like, say, a story or joke in the beginning, then you can leave your audience in a cliffhanger until the ending arrives.

Another great way to circle back to the beginning is by simply restating something you said at the start. The added knowledge from attending the rest of your speech will help the audience see this piece of information in a new–and better–light.

1. Will Stephen

Ending Line: “I’d like you to think about what you heard in the beginning, and I want you to think about what you hear now. Because it was nothing & it’s still nothing.”

2. Canwen Xu

Speech Ending: My name is Canwen, my favorite color is purple and I play the piano but not so much the violin…

Think of a memorable moment from your life, and chances are you’ll realize that it involved a feeling of happiness–something that we can associate with smiling or laughter. And what better way to generate laughter than by incorporating the age-old strategy of good humor.

The happy and lighthearted feeling you associate with good memories is the kind of emotional reaction you want to create in your audience too. That’s what will make your speech stick in their memory.

Done incorrectly, humor can be a disaster. Done right, however, it can entirely transform a speech.

Humor doesn’t only mean slapstick comedy (although there’s nothing wrong with slapstick, either). Humor can come in many forms, including puns, jokes, a funny story…the list is endless.

How To Incorporate Humor In Your Speech Ending

The simplest way to incorporate humor into your speech ending is by telling a plain old joke–something that’s relevant to your topic, of course.

You can also tell them a short, funny anecdote–may be an unexpected conclusion to a story you set up in the beginning.

Another way would be by employing the power of repetition. You can do this by associating something funny with a word, and then repeating the word throughout your speech. During the end, simply say the word or phrase one last time, and it’s likely you’ll leave off your audience with a good chuckle.

1. Woody Roseland

Ending Line: “Why are balloons so expensive? Inflation.”

2. Andras Arato

Ending Line: “There are three rules to becoming famous. Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are.”

3. Hasan Minhaj

Ending Line: “And you want to know the scariest part? Pretty soon every country on the earth is going to have its own TLC show.”

4. Sophie Scott

Speech Ending: In other words, when it comes to laughter, you and me baby, ain’t nothing but mammals.

5. Tim Urban

Speech Ending: We need to stay away from the Instant Gratification Monkey. That’s a job for all of us. And because there’s not that many boxes on there. It’s a job that should probably start today. Well, maybe not today, but, you know, sometime soon.

6. Hasan Minhaj

Speech Ending: Showing my legs on TV is probably the scariest thing I’ve ever done. And keep in mind last week I went after the Prince of Saudi Arabia.

3. Question

The idea behind posing a question at the end of your speech is to get the wheels in your audience’s minds turning and to get them thinking of your speech long after it has ended. A question, if posed correctly, will make your audience re-think about crucial aspects of your speech, and is a great way to prompt discussion after your speech has ended.

How To Add Questions To Your Speech Ending

The best type of questions to add to your speech ending is rhetorical questions. That’s because, unlike a literal question, a rhetorical question will get the audience thinking and make them delve deeper into the topic at hand.

Make sure your question is central to the idea of your speech, and not something frivolous or extra. After all, the point of a question is to reinforce the central idea of your topic.

1. Lexie Alford

Speech Ending: Ask yourself: How uncomfortable are you willing to become in order to reach your fullest potential?

2. Apollo Robbins

Speech Ending: If you could control somebody’s attention, what would you do with it?

Quotes are concise, catchy phrases or sentences that are generally easy to remember and repeat.

Quotes are an age-old way to start–and conclude–a speech. And for good reason.

Quotes can reinforce your own ideas by providing a second voice to back them up. They can also provoke an audience’s mind & get them thinking. So, if you add your quote to the end of your speech, the audience will most likely be thinking about it for long after you have finished speaking.

How To Use Quotes In Your Speech Ending

While adding quotes to your speech ending, make sure that it’s relevant to your topic. Preferably, you want to pick a quote that summarizes your entire idea in a concise & memorable manner.

Make sure that your quote isn’t too long or complicated. Your audience should be able to repeat it as well as feel its impact themselves. They shouldn’t be puzzling over the semantics of your quote, but its intended meaning.

1. Edouard Jacqmin

Speech Ending: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”

2. Chris Crowe

Speech Ending: “It’s more certain than death and taxes.”

3. Olivia Remes

Speech Ending: I’d like to leave you with a quote by Martin Luther King: “You don’ have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.”

4. Tomislav Perko

Speech Ending: Like that famous quote says, “In twenty years from now on, you’ll be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do.

5. Diana Nyad

Speech Ending: To paraphrase the poet, Mary Oliver, she says, “So, what is it? What is it you’re doing with this one wild and precious life of yours?”

5. Piece Of Advice

The point of giving a piece of advice at the end of your speech is not to pull your audience down or to make them feel bad/inferior about themselves. Rather, the advice is added to motivate your audience to take steps to do something–something related to the topic at hand.

The key point to remember is that your advice is included to help your audience, not to discourage them.

How To Add Piece Of Advice To Your Speech Ending

To truly make your audience follow the advice you’re sharing, you must make sure it resonates with them. To do so, you need to inject emotions into your advice, and to present it in such a manner that your audience’s emotions are aroused when they hear it.

Your advice shouldn’t be something extra-complicated or seemingly impossible to achieve. This will act as a counter-agent. Remember that you want your audience to follow your advice, not to chuck it away as something impossible.

Our article, 15 Powerful Speech Ending Lines And Tips To Create Your Own , is another great repository for some inspiration.

1. Ricardo Lieuw On

Speech Ending: “Learn something new, or a new way of approaching something old because there are a few skills are valuable as the art of learning.”

2. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

Speech Ending: “If we want to improve the competence level of our leaders, then we should first improve our own competence for judging and selecting leaders.”

3. Sharique Samsudheen

Speech Ending: “Some people love money, some people hate money, some people crave money, some people even kill for money. But what they miss is they just need to learn how to manage money well, and that will give them financial freedom.”

4. Kate Simonds

Speech Ending: Teens, you need to believe in your voices and adults, you need to listen.

5. Melissa Butler

Speech Ending: When you go home today, see yourself in the mirror, see all of you, look at all your greatness that you embody, accept it, love it and finally, when you leave the house tomorrow, try to extend that same love and acceptance to someone who doesn’t look like you.

6. Iskra Lawrence

Speech Ending: Speak to your body in a loving way. It’s the only one you got, it’s your home, and it deserves your respect. If you see anyone tearing themselves down, build them back up And watch your life positively grow when you give up the pursuit of perfection.

6. Contemplative Remark

As the name itself suggests, contemplative remarks are intended to make your audience contemplate or mull over something. The ‘something’ in question should be the idea central to your speech, or a key takeaway that you want them to return home with.

The idea is to get your audience thinking and to keep them thinking for a long, long time.

How To Add A Contemplative Remark To Your Speech Ending

To add a contemplative remark to your speech ending, you first need to figure out your key takeaway or main theme. Then, you want to arrange that as a question, and propose it to your audience at the end of your speech.

Remember that your question shouldn’t be something too wordy or complicated to understand. As with the quotes, you don’t want your audience stuck on the semantics. Rather, you want them to focus on the matter at hand.

1. Lisa Penney

Speech Ending: “So I invite you to pay more attention to your thoughts & consider the legacy you leave behind.”

2. Grant Sanderson

Speech Ending: “Some of the most useful math that you can find or teach has its origin in someone who was just looking for a good story.”

3. Greta Thunberg

Speech Ending: “We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up & change is coming whether you like it or not.”

4. Bill Eckstrom

Speech Ending: Now, think about this: it’s not the complexity-triggering individuals or events you should fear the most, but it’s your own willingness to accept or seek discomfort that will dictate the growth of not just you, but our entire world.

5. Robert Hoge

Speech Ending: Choose to accept your face, choose to appreciate your face, don’t look away from the mirror so quickly; understand all the love, and the life, and the pain that is the part of your face, that is the art of your face. Tomorrow when you wake up, what will your choice be?

7. Personal Anecdote

Personal anecdotes, as the name suggests, are anecdotes that are personal to the speaker or instances from their life. Personal anecdotes are a great way to incorporate the magical powers of storytelling in your speech, as well as to make a personal connection with the audience. Using personal anecdotes, you can hit two birds with one stone!

How To Add Personal Anecdotes To Your Speech Ending

To add personal anecdotes to your speech ending, you need to filter through your life experiences to find out ones that directly relate to your topic at hand. You don’t want to include an anecdote, no matter how compelling it is, if it doesn’t relate to your topic.

Remember to not keep your anecdote too long. Your audience will most likely lose their attention if you do so.

1. Sheila Humphries

Speech Ending: “Why do you go work for these people?” My answer to them was, “If I could help one child make it in this world, it’ll be worth it all.”

8. Call To Action

A call-to-action is one of the absolute best ways to conclude a speech with a bang. A well-written speech should aim to alter the audience’s mind or belief system in some way and to make them take an action in that direction. One crucial way to assure your audience does this is by using a call to action.

How To Add A Call To Action To Your Speech Ending

A call to action comes right before the ending of your speech to provide your audience with a clear idea or set of instructions about what they’re supposed to do after your talk ends.

A call to action should provide a roadmap to the audience for their future steps, and to outline clearly what those future steps are going to be.

1. Armin Hamrah

Speech Ending: “So tonight, after you finish your Math homework & before you lay your head down on that fluffy pillow, bring a piece of paper and pen by your bedside…”

2. Graham Shaw

Speech Ending: “So I invite you to get your drawings out there & spread the word that when we draw, we remember more!”

3. Andy Puddicombe

Speech Ending: You don’t have to burn any incense, and you definitely don’t have to sit on the floor. All you need to do is to take out 10 minutes out a day to step back, familiarize yourself with the present moment so that you get to experience a greater sense of focus, calm, and clarity in your life.

4. Amy Cuddy

Speech Ending: Before you go into the next stressful evaluative situation, for two minutes, try doing this in the elevator…

5. Jia Jiang

Speech Ending: When you are facing the next obstacle or the next failure, consider the possibilities. Don’t run! If you just embrace them, they might become your gifts as well.

9. Motivational Remark

As the name clearly explains, a motivational remark motivates your audience to carry out a plan of action. It ruffles the audience’s mind and emotions and has a powerful impact on the steps that your audience will take after you’ve finished speaking.

How To Add A Motivational Remark To Your Speech Ending

The key to a good motivational remark is to inspire your audience. Your motivational remark should act as a ray of hope to your audience and positively inspire them to take a desired course of action.

Your motivational remark should not be negative in any way. You don’t want to guilt or coerce your audience into doing something or feeling a certain way. You want to leave them on a positive note to move forward with their life.

1. Khanh Vy Tran

Speech Ending: “No matter what you’re going through right now & no matter what the future holds for you, please don’t change yourself. Love yourself, accept yourself & then transform yourself.”

2. Mithila Palkar

Speech Ending: “Get a job, leave a job, dance, sing, fall in love. Carve your own niche. But most importantly: learn to love your own randomness.”

3. Andrew Tarvin

Speech Ending: “Anyone can learn to be funnier. And it all starts with a choice. A choice to try to find ways to use humor. A choice to be like my grandmother, to look at the world around you and say WTF–wow, that’s fun.”

4. Laura Vanderkam

Speech Ending: There is time. Even if we are busy, we have time for what matters. And when we focus on what matters, we can build the lives we want in the time we’ve got.

5. Julian Treasure

Speech Ending: Let’s get listening taught in schools, and transform the world in one generation into a conscious listening world, a world of connection, a world of understanding, and a world of peace.

6. Mariana Atencio

Speech Ending: Let’s celebrate those imperfections that make us special. I hope that it teaches you that nobody has a claim on the word ‘normal’. We are all different. We are all quirky and unique and that is what makes us wonderfully human.

10. Challenge

Much like a call to action, the aim of proposing a challenge at the end of your speech is to instigate your audience to take some desired course of action. A challenge should make an appeal to your audience’s emotion, and motivate them to meet it.

How To Add A Challenge To Your Speech Ending

To apply a challenge effectively to your speech ending, you need to make sure that it’s something relevant to your topic. Your challenge should drive the central topic of your speech forward, and make your audience engage in real-life steps to apply your idea in the real world.

While its always a good idea to set a high bar for your challenge, make sure its an achievable one too.

1. Jamak Golshani

Speech Ending: “I challenge you to open your heart to new possibilities, choose a career path that excites you & one that’s aligned to who you truly are.”

2. Ashley Clift-Jennings

Speech Ending: So, my challenge to you today is, “Do you know, would you even know how to recognize your soulmate?” If you are going out in the world right now, would you know what you are looking for?

11. Metaphor

Metaphors are commonly used as a short phrase that draws a comparison between two ideas in a non-literal sense. People use metaphors quite commonly in daily life to explain ideas that might be too difficult or confusing to understand otherwise. Metaphors are also great tools to be used in speech, as they can present your main idea in a simple and memorable way.

How To Add Metaphors To Your Speech Ending

To add a metaphor to your speech ending, you need to first decide on the main idea or takeaway of your speech. Your metaphor should then be organized in such a way that it simplifies your main idea and makes it easier for your audience to understand & remember it.

The key is to not make your metaphor overly complicated or difficult to retain and share. Remember that you’re trying to simplify your idea for the audience–not make them even more confused.

1. Ramona J. Smith

Speech Ending: “Stay in that ring. And even after you take a few hits, use what you learned from those previous fights, and at the end of the round, you’ll still remain standing.”

2. Shi Heng YI

Speech Ending: “If any of you chooses to climb that path to clarity, I will be very happy to meet you at the peak.”

3. Zifang “Sherrie” Su

Speech Ending: “Are you turning your back on your fear? Our life is like this stage, but what scares are now may bring you the most beautiful thing. Give it a chance.”

12. Storytelling

The idea behind using stories to end your speech is to leave your audience with a good memory to take away with them.

Stories are catchy, resonating & memorable ways to end any speech.

Human beings can easily relate to stories. This is because most people have grown up listening to stories of some kind or another, and thus a good story tends to evoke fond feelings in us.

How To Incorporate Stories In Your Speech Ending

A great way to incorporate stories in your speech ending is by setting up a story in the beginning and then concluding it during the end of your speech.

Another great way would be to tell a short & funny anecdote related to a personal experience or simply something related to the topic at hand.

However, remember that it’s the ending of your speech. Your audience is most likely at the end of their attention span. So, keep your story short & sweet.

1. Sameer Al Jaberi

Speech Ending: “I can still see that day when I came back from my honeymoon…”

2. Josephine Lee

Speech Ending: “At the end of dinner, Jenna turned to me and said…”

Facts are another excellent speech ending, and they are used quite often as openings as well. The point of adding a fact as your speech ending is to add shock value to your speech, and to get your audience thinking & discussing the fact even after your speech has ended.

How To Add Facts To Your Speech Ending

The key to adding facts to your speech ending is to pick a fact that thrusts forward your main idea in the most concise form possible. Your fact should also be something that adds shock value to the speech, and it should ideally be something that the audience hasn’t heard before.

Make sure that your fact is relevant to the topic at hand. No matter how interesting, a fact that doesn’t relate to your topic is going to be redundant.

1. David JP Phillips

Speech Ending: 3500 years ago, we started transfering knowledge from generation to generation through text. 28 years ago, PowerPoint was born. Which one do you think our brain is mostly adapted to?

14. Rhethoric Remark

Rhetoric remarks are another excellent way to get the wheels of your audience’s minds turning. Rhetoric remarks make your audience think of an imagined scenario, and to delve deeper into your topic. Rhetoric remarks or questioned don’t necessarily need to have a ‘right’ or one-shot answer, which means you can be as creative with them as possible!

How To Add Rhethoric Remarks To Your Speech Ending

Since rhetorical questions don’t need to have a definite answer, you have much freedom in determining the type of question or statement you wish to make. However, as with all other speech endings, a rhetorical question shouldn’t be asked just for the sake of it.

A rhetorical question should make your audience think about your topic in a new or more creative manner. It should get them thinking about the topic and maybe see it from an angle that they hadn’t before.

Rhetorical questions shouldn’t be too confusing. Use simple language & make sure it’s something that the audience can easily comprehend.

1. Mona Patel

Speech Ending: Pick your problem, ask “What if?” Come up with ideas. Bring them down. Then execute on them. Maybe you’re thinking, “What if we can’t?” I say to you, “What if we don’t?”

2. Lizzie Velasquez

Speech Ending: I want you to leave here and ask yourself what defines you. But remember: Brave starts here.

Another great way to end your speech with a literal bang is by using music! After all, if there’s something that can impact the human mind with just as much force as a few well-placed words, it’s the correct music.

How To Add Music To Your Speech Ending

To add music to your speech ending, you must make sure that the music has something to do with your speech theme. Remember that you’re not playing music in your concert. The piece of music that you choose must be relevant to your topic & work to have a contribution in your overall speech.

1. Tom Thum

Speech Ending: *ends the TED Talk with beat boxing*

16. Reitirate The Title

The title of your speech is its most important component. That’s why you need to pay careful attention to how you pick it, as it is something that your viewers will most likely remember the longest about your speech.

Your title will also act as a guiding hand towards how your audience forms an initial idea about your speech and is what they will associate your entire speech with.

By repeating your title at the end of your speech, you increase the chances that your audience will remember it–and your speech–for a long time.

How To Retierate The Title In Your Speech Ending

Your title is something that your audience associates your entire speech with. However, you don’t want to simply add the title in your speech end for the sake of adding it. Instead, make it flow naturally into your speech ending. This will make it seem less forced, and will also increase the chances of your audience remembering your entire speech ending and not just the title of your speech.

1. Ruairi Robertson

Speech Ending: I feel we can all contribute to this fight worth fighting for our own health, but more importantly, our future generations’ health by restoring the relationship between microbe and man. There is SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

Need more inspiration for speech closing lines? Check out our article on 10 Of The Best Things To Say In Closing Remarks.

Level up your public speaking in 15 minutes!

Get the exclusive Masterclass video delivered to your inbox to see immediate speaking results.

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

To sum up, speech endings are just as imperative to the success of your speech as speech openings, and you must spend just as much time picking the perfect ending as you do to determine your best possible speech opening. The words you speak at the beginning and end of your speech are words that your audience will pay the most attention to, and remember longer than any other part of your speech.

Still looking for inspiration? Check out this video we made on closing remarks:

Enroll in our transformative 1:1 Coaching Program

Schedule a call with our expert communication coach to know if this program would be the right fit for you

8 Ways to Rise Above the Noise to Communicate Better

How to Negotiate: The Art of Getting What You Want

10 Hand Gestures That Will Make You More Confident and Efficient

• [email protected]
• +91 98203 57888

Get our latest tips and tricks in your inbox always

Copyright © 2023 Frantically Speaking All rights reserved

Kindly drop your contact details so that we can arrange call back

Select Country Afghanistan Albania Algeria AmericanSamoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Rwanda Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Tajikistan Thailand Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Wallis and Futuna Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe land Islands Antarctica Bolivia, Plurinational State of Brunei Darussalam Cocos (Keeling) Islands Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Cote d'Ivoire Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Guernsey Holy See (Vatican City State) Hong Kong Iran, Islamic Republic of Isle of Man Jersey Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Lao People's Democratic Republic Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Macao Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Mozambique Palestinian Territory, Occupied Pitcairn Réunion Russia Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Sao Tome and Principe Somalia Svalbard and Jan Mayen Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tanzania, United Republic of Timor-Leste Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S.

• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Credit card rates
• Balance transfer credit cards
• Business credit cards
• Cash back credit cards
• Rewards credit cards
• Travel credit cards
• Checking accounts
• Online checking accounts
• High-yield savings accounts
• Money market accounts
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Car insurance
• Home buying
• Options pit
• Investment ideas
• Research reports
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

Trump's hush money trial resumes as ex-National Enquirer boss testifies

A well-known figure in a german far-right party tells his trial he is completely innocent, germany far right.

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

BERLIN (AP) — One of the best-known figures in the far-right Alternative for Germany party said Tuesday at his trial on charges of using a Nazi slogan that he is “completely innocent.”

Björn Höcke went on trial at the state court in the eastern city of Halle last week, months before a regional election in the state of Thuringia in which he plans to run for the governor's job. He is accused of using symbols of unconstitutional organizations, a charge that can carry a fine or a prison sentence of up to three years.

Höcke is accused of ending a speech in nearby Merseburg in May 2021 with the words “Everything for Germany!” Prosecutors contend he was aware of the origin of the phrase as a slogan of the Nazis’ SA stormtroopers, but Höcke has argued that it is an “everyday saying.”

There are no formal pleas in the German legal system and defendants aren't obliged to respond to the charges. But Höcke did so on Tuesday, German news agency dpa reported.

“I am in fact completely innocent,” he said. The former history teacher described himself as a “law-abiding citizen.”

Court sessions in the trial are scheduled through May 14.

The 52-year-old Höcke is an influential figure on the hard right of Alternative for Germany, or AfD.

He has led the AfD’s regional branch in Thuringia since 2013, the year the party was founded, and is due to lead its campaign in a state election set for Sept. 1.

He once called the Holocaust memorial in Berlin a “monument of shame” and called for Germany to perform a “180-degree turn” in how it remembers its past. A party tribunal in 2018 rejected a bid to have him expelled.

The Thuringia branch of the AfD is now one of three that the domestic intelligence agency has under official surveillance as a “proven right-wing extremist” group.

The Point Conversations and insights about the moment.

• Share full article

Farah Stockman

Editorial Board Member

Rural Voters Are More Progressive Than the Democratic Party Thinks

If you caught the scathing takedown of the book “White Rural Rage” in The Atlantic , then you’re aware of how intellectually dishonest it is to single out rural voters for special contempt. It’s also politically foolish, as a new poll by Rural Democracy Initiative , which will be released to the public in May, illustrates.

The group, which supports a network of progressive organizers in rural areas, commissioned the poll to help its members shape their messages in the most effective way. The survey, which was answered by 1,713 likely voters from rural areas and small towns in 10 battleground states, suggests that rural voters tend to be economic populists who would overwhelmingly support parts of the Democratic Party’s agenda — as long as the right messenger knocked on their doors.

Some 74 percent of rural voters who answered the poll agreed that decisions around abortion should be made by women and their doctors, not politicians or the government. That high figure helps explain why efforts to preserve abortion rights in Kansas, Ohio and other places have been so successful.

But it’s not just abortion. The survey found overwhelming support for leaders who fight to raise the minimum wage, to protect the right to form a union and to make quality child care more affordable — policy descriptions that seem ripped from President Biden’s campaign speeches.

The trouble is that a significant number of the respondents didn’t associate these policies with Democrats. In fact, once that partisan affiliation was added, support dropped significantly. Nonetheless, 47 percent of respondents said they would prefer to vote for a Democrat who grew up in a rural area and shared their values over a Republican business executive from the East Coast.

But perhaps the biggest problem the survey uncovered was that large numbers of respondents — especially young voters and people of color — reported that no one from the Democratic Party had reached out to them to offer information or ask for their support.

“It’s really clear that Democrats have a significant work to do to rebuild their brand in rural America, but that investment could pay dividends for Democrats, not just in the future but this year,” Patrick Toomey, a partner at Breakthrough Campaigns, which conducted the survey, told me.

In an election in which a few thousand votes could decide who wins the presidency or controls the Senate, it’s foolish to write off rural America.

Jonathan Alter

Contributing Opinion Writer

Jurors Begin to Understand the ‘Trump Tower Conspiracy’

Donald Trump always wears a red necktie, right? Not anymore. For the last four days in court he’s gone with a blue one. Whether this is a lame bid for the sartorial sentiments of blue-state jurors or just a reflection of his mood, he heard more bad news in court on Monday.

We learned that if Trump testifies in his own defense, he will be chewed up on cross-examination. Justice Juan Merchan ruled that Trump can be questioned about lies he told in four of six prior judicial proceedings, including the E. Jean Carroll case and the ruling that the Trump Foundation was a fraud. Only a foolish megalomaniac would take the stand under such circumstances — so perhaps he will.

Merchan also made it very clear he doesn’t approve of “jury nullification,” instructing jurors, who seemed very attentive, that they must convict him if they are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty.

In the prosecution’s opening statement, Matthew Colangelo outlined what his team calls the August 2015 “Trump Tower conspiracy” hatched by Trump, Michael Cohen and David Pecker, boss of The National Enquirer, who began his testimony later in the day. Colangelo previewed a large amount of evidence that will corroborate Cohen’s testimony about the falsified business records (including handwritten notes) that will most likely be damaging to Trump.

The worst day for Trump could come when the prosecution plays a September 2016 taped call in which Trump can be heard asking Cohen, “So what do we have to pay for it? 150?” (Meaning $150,000.) The answer was $10,000 more. Colangelo concluded: “It was election fraud. Pure and simple.”

By saying of Trump, “he’s a man, he’s a husband, he’s a father, he’s a person like you and me,” Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead attorney, seemed to be setting up a defense partly based on Trump not wanting the Stormy Daniels story made public in order to protect his family. But Cohen and others are expected to testify that Trump tried to avoid paying the hush money on the theory that it wouldn’t matter if the story came out after the election. So much for shielding Melania.

The Trump lawyers are denying everything — the alleged affairs and the cover-up — which is unlikely to be persuasive. But they may have better luck arguing that for all the prosecution’s talk of conspiracy, that wasn’t a count in the indictment. Blanche’s best line was: “Spoiler alert: There’s nothing wrong with trying to influence this election. It’s called democracy.”

What the jurors don’t know yet and won’t learn until the judge instructs them just before they deliberate is that there is nothing in New York state law requiring prosecutors to prove that Trump broke tax laws, campaign finance laws or conspiracy laws to win a felony conviction. All they need to do is prove that Trump intended to do wrong in these areas.

And by insisting that Trump is completely innocent, his lawyers have made it harder for the jury to convict him of just misdemeanors, not felonies. But it will be a few weeks before the jury understands all of that.

Advertisement

Parker Richards

Opinion Staff Editor

The Impossible Matzo Ball

What do you call a person who keeps trying the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result? My mom, apparently: Each Passover, she tries once more to make vegan matzo ball soup. I’m sure she’s tried every published recipe, tried variations, tried anything she can think of. The thing about a matzo ball, of course, is that its structural integrity is everything: You need the egg, and most vegan egg substitutes just don’t seem to cut it.

The quixotic pursuit is an essential part of our Seders each year. It’s as much a tradition now as adding the Yankees to the list of Ten Plagues or slight eyebrow raising that accompanies the repeated crossing out and reinsertion of the founding years in Israel on the list of Jewish struggles in our much-modified family Haggadah — or even, for me, of the story of the first matzo, the unleavened bread made by the Israelites as they fled Egypt.

Standard matzo balls — which also have matzo meal and spices and herbs — are held together with egg. There are many vegan egg substitutes that add a bit of stickiness. Bananas work well in muffins; you might try cornstarch for a pie. The two most common versions are silken tofu and flaxseed mixed with water.

When I asked The Times’s recipe columnist Melissa Clark for a tip, she pointed me to Joan Nathan’s vegan matzo ball soup recipe. It calls for the use of aquafaba — chickpea water — as an egg substitute. (Clark noted that Ashkenazic dietary rules prohibit consuming legumes like chickpeas and soybeans, known as kitniyot, on Passover but Sephardic rules allow it. My mom’s veganism is more observant than her Judaism, however, so it’ll probably be all right.) The inside scoop is that this year my mom is going to use both silken tofu and flaxseed. Next year maybe aquafaba will join the list.

The plethora of options seems fitting for a holiday that celebrates liberation and, thus, relaxation; the need to labor in someone else’s name is gone, and so the labor of love that is the matzo ball can continue unhindered.

The quest for the structurally sound vegan matzo ball always made sense to me as latter-day Passover tradition. Judaism — especially of my family’s assimilated, not-really-observant-at-all kind — never seemed to me to require a logic that made sense independent of its own tradition. Jewish history and practice are rife with coincidences and traditions and loopholes. Why not add failed vegan matzo balls to the list? And who knows? Maybe this year the matzo balls will hold together.

Zeynep Tufekci

Opinion Columnist

The N.I.H.’s Words Matter, Especially to Long Covid Patients

Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee , has proposed allocating $1 billion annually for 10 years to the National Institutes of Health for long Covid research. One potential stumbling block to this good idea is bipartisan criticism of the N.I.H.’s sluggishness in producing useful results from the initial $1.15 billion allocated to long Covid.

It’s in that context the current N.I.H. director, Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, responded to a question about long Covid last week, saying, “We see evidence of persistent live virus in humans in various tissue reservoirs.” She said that the virus can “live a long time in tissues” and that this is “likely one of the ways that it produces some of its terrible symptoms.”

The statement rattled researchers and shocked communities of long Covid patients. Proving persistent live virus that can replicate long after the acute phase and showing that it relates to long Covid symptoms would be a Nobel-territory breakthrough and point to effective treatments.

However, while viral persistence is one hypothesized mechanism for long Covid, as far as I knew, only viral remnants — leftover virus pieces that cannot replicate — have been shown, not persistent live whole virus. Further, such remnants haven’t correlated with long Covid symptoms. (Some healthy and sick people have them.)

Patients were abuzz . Was this more unacceptable sluggishness? Was the N.I.H. sitting on crucial unpublished information? Was the N.I.H. director completely out of touch with the research? Had they all misunderstood the science?

I reached out to the N.I.H. The answer turns out to be mundane. Dr. Bertagnolli said she “misspoke” and had “meant to say ‘viral components’ rather than ‘live virus.’” The N.I.H. also confirmed to me such remnants have not yet been shown to correlate with long Covid symptoms.

Viral remnants may still play a role — maybe only some people are sensitive to them — or maybe leftover viral components are common and harmless. The N.I.H. also told me this is “an area of active investigation,” as it should be.

It’s good that Dr. Bertagnolli is so engaged with long Covid, and misspeaking during an interview is human. Hopefully, the institution keeps in mind that suffering patients are hanging on their every word.

An earlier version of this article misstated the initial amount of money allocated to the National Institutes of Health to study long Covid. It is $1.15 billion, not $1.5 billion.

How we handle corrections

Patrick Healy

Deputy Opinion Editor

What Toll Will the Trial Take on Trump?

Every Monday morning on The Point, we kick off the week with a tipsheet on the latest in the presidential campaign. Here’s what we’re looking at this week:

The spring of a presidential election year is usually a slog, but this week brings more proof that 2024 is unlike any other campaign, with Donald Trump’s criminal trial getting fully underway, President Biden finally showing how he’ll frame abortion in the race and the Supreme Court taking up campaign-related cases.

But it’s Trump’s legal issues that matter most right now. Opening arguments are set for Monday in his 2016 election interference case, and the ultimate outcome of the trial will affect the presidential race. A conviction would be a blow to Trump in what will be a tight Electoral College race in November, while a hung jury would be a win for his effort to portray himself as a victim of partisan prosecutors. (An acquittal is a long shot, but you never know.)

I’m curious about the toll the trial takes on Trump. It’s already visible in his face, his body language. He’s frustrated and annoyed, tired, sometimes angry or sleepy. A lot of Americans like Trump’s brash, high-energy, sarcastic, upbeat performances. So will Dour Donald sour voters? Also, when pressure takes a toll on politicians, they can do dumb things (i.e., the Clinton-Lewinsky affair). As I wrote last week , Trump has never been more vulnerable (the NBC News poll out yesterday underscored that), and the trial will wear on him.

Biden will deliver a speech Tuesday in Florida on abortion rights, denouncing the state’s six-week abortion ban. Biden doesn’t like to say the word “abortion” and has a long and uneasy history on the issue — he has never been a vocal champion. Does he start changing that with this speech? Whatever he says will tell us a lot about how Biden plans to frame this race around abortion, which could be a winning issue for Democrats in Arizona, Nevada and some other swing states this November.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the historic Trump presidential immunity case on Thursday, as well as in interesting cases on abortion and homeless camps this week. Check out this good preview article .

As for the House speaker, Mike Johnson, it looks increasingly likely that he will hold on to his job through November, thanks to Democrats, after a grumpy Marjorie Taylor Greene held back on her motion to vacate after the foreign aid votes this past weekend. The House is in recess this week, and Greene might try to oust Johnson when the chamber is back next week, but it has the look of a fool’s errand right now.

Inside the Courtroom, Trump Is Trapped With His Past

As a kid, Donald Trump was “a brat,” according to his sister Judge Maryanne Trump Barry. He pelted rocks at other toddlers and was sent to a military academy for being disobedient. Ever since, he has listened to no one about anything.

A big theme of the first week of his criminal trial is that Trump had to sit in a dingy New York courtroom he despises and listen as prospective jurors (who were not selected) trashed him. On Thursday he was called a “racist, sexist narcissist,” “unchristian,” “evil” and more. On Friday he heard a social media post from a few years ago describing his “egomaniac, sociopathic incompetence,” with one of his many critics concluding, “I do believe that he was the devil.”

He was trapped, unable to use the remote to change the channel to Fox News.

This was followed by lawyers arguing about which of his many lies and rebukes from judges and juries in earlier cases are admissible.

Justice Juan Merchan will rule Monday on how much of the detritus from Trump’s past can be used on cross-examination if Trump makes the foolish but still conceivable decision to take the stand. This could include the E. Jean Carroll civil case (where Trump was found liable for sexual assault); the smack-down from the bench when he filed a frivolous suit against Hillary Clinton; the judicial finding that he breached his duties by allowing his campaign to grab $2.8 million from his now-shuttered charity; and certain key parts of Michael Cohen’s testimony.

In the meantime, Trump had to sit still while the judge tongue-lashed his harried lawyers for the obnoxious strategy of delay he insists they continue to pursue. “The defense is targeting my decisions one by one by one,” Merchan said. “That has to end. … There comes a point where you have to accept my rulings. There’s nothing else to clarify. Nothing else to argue. We are starting this trial Monday morning.”

Trump thought this was his excuse to leave and violate courtroom protocol by standing up. He was sorely mistaken. “Sir, would you please have a seat?” Merchan calmly told the former president. Trump quickly sat down like the obedient little boy he never was. He is accustomed to ending meetings when he wants to, or stalking out when he feels like it. Those days are over for him, at least until summer.

Serge Schmemann

Is the Violence Over Between Iran and Israel? It’s Never That Simple.

Deciphering Middle Eastern enmities and conflicts has never been easy or even remotely certain. What happened on Oct. 7 and since is not simply Israelis versus Palestinians; it includes the shadow war with Iran, the calculations of Arab states, the political maneuvering of devious politicians and the concern of the United States that it could all erupt into a regional war that would suck in America and other outside powers.

The eruption of a confrontation between Israel and Iran was a case in point. Israel launched an attack on an Iranian consulate building in Syria to take out senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps who were meeting with agents. This was not an unusual feat for Israel, whose storied operatives have long hunted Iranian and other targets throughout the region, but the timing — when Israel was already mired in a war — was troubling.

Was this simply an opportunity so great that Israel could not resist, even at the risk of inviting a new conflict? Might Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have welcomed a sideshow with Iran to deflect attention from the death and destruction in Gaza?

Iran’s response came quickly in the form of a barrage of missiles, drones and rockets, which were successfully — and amazingly — neutralized by Israel, with the help of the United States and its allies, including Jordan. That led to speculation that Iran really didn’t want to escalate the conflict, but it’s too much to assume that Tehran really believed it could launch 200 drones, 36 cruise missiles and more than 100 surface-to-air missiles without even one getting through and potentially doing terrible damage. That would mean war.

On Friday a number of explosions in Iran were presumed to be an Israeli retaliation against the retaliation and, hopefully, the end of this clash. It seemed, on the face of it, a remarkable Israeli victory, demonstrating the power to strike Iranian targets inside and outside Iran and to neutralize Iranian air attacks.

But nothing is ever that simple in the Middle East. Iran’s theocratic regime, heavily invested in hatred of Israel and facing opposition at home, might now feel compelled to, for example, prod its Hezbollah proxies in Lebanon to escalate their attacks. And Netanyahu, who has openly defied President Biden’s appeals for restraint in Gaza, may still find it useful for his political ends to broaden the war and drag America into it.

Meanwhile, 133 Israeli hostages are still in Hamas’s hands, and a cease-fire in Gaza that would allow urgent food and medicine to reach the suffering population is still eluding negotiators. This is hardly the time to pick new fights.

David Firestone

Deputy Editor, the Editorial Board

Mike Johnson Deserves to Keep His Job

Given Mike Johnson’s election-denying mischief and ties to the evangelical right, liberals like me were skeptical when House Republicans made him their speaker, as were old-school centrists who simply wanted government to do its basic job. But this week I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised by his pragmatism, particularly his brave decision to allow a vote on aid to Ukraine on Saturday.

This grudging respect, of course, is built on an earlier expectation that the House would kneel to its furthest-right members and get nothing done — that it would allow the government to shut down and that the Republican Putin acolytes would succeed in their perverse goal of letting Ukraine fall to Russia by cutting off military aid. Admittedly, that’s the lowest possible standard for any responsible governing body. But both disasters could easily have happened if the Marjorie Taylor Greenes of the world had gotten their way, and Johnson decided to prevent it.

He did it by reaching across the aisle and governing with Democrats.

In January and again in March he defied the extremists and put spending packages on the floor to avert a shutdown, which easily passed once he invited Democrats to join him. The same thing happened on the aid packages for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan this week. Once it became obvious that a few dozen dead-end Republicans would block even the procedural rules for voting on the aid, Johnson agreed to submit the issue to what he called “ the will of the House ,” a slightly fancy way of saying that the whole chamber gets to vote on it. That process may seem obvious in any majoritarian body, but normally Republicans won’t let any bill come up for a vote unless they can pass it themselves.

Johnson, to his full credit, recognized that saving Ukraine was too important to be left to the whims of an ungovernable party. On Friday, the aid package cleared a key procedural hurdle only with the help of Democrats, opening the door for full approval of the aid package the same way on Saturday. If the Senate can quickly agree, Ukraine might not run out of bullets.

The next test is whether Johnson can keep his job after committing this sensible heresy against everything the MAGA caucus stands for. Greene and her ilk will try to take it away, and so he will once again need the support of Democrats. Surprisingly, he’s earned it.

Jesse Wegman

Jurors Do Their Jobs, Even in New York

Admit it: You were among the many who didn’t believe an impartial jury could ever be seated for the felony trial of Donald Trump on charges of falsifying business records for the purpose of election interference. Not in the dark blue bubble of New York City.

When the proceedings opened on Monday , the smart money was that it would take weeks, if not longer, for prosecutors and defense lawyers to settle on the 12 souls who will, for the first time ever, sit in judgment of an American president.

And yet here we are, only three days in, with a full complement of 12 jurors plus an alternate having been selected by Thursday evening. (Five alternates remain to be chosen.) Contrary to Trump’s repeated claims of witch hunts and political persecutions, Justice Juan Merchan, the state trial judge, said all of these jurors — drawn from a randomly selected sample of New Yorkers — could be fair. He told the jurors to return on Monday; at this pace, he said, the jury will be fully seated by then and ready to hear the case.

What does this tell us? As I argued in an audio essay on Wednesday, and as a jury consultant wrote in a guest essay for Times Opinion on Monday, the vast majority of Americans who are called for jury duty, whatever their personal or political background, take their role with the utmost seriousness. They understand the gravity of their obligation to decide on the guilt or innocence of a fellow citizen. Research shows that despite the negative rap that jury duty often gets, most jurors leave with more respect for and confidence in the justice system than they had going in.

New Yorkers are no different. It’s true, anti-Trump types are more common here than in, say, Georgia or Florida, where Trump is also facing criminal trials, but both sides have an incentive to root out anyone who can’t put aside their biases. On Monday, more than half of the first 96 potential jurors did that themselves, requesting to be excused because they could not be impartial. (Two seated jurors were dismissed Thursday, but not for reasons of bias.)

I’m well aware of the cynicism about juries — one commenter on my audio essay called jury duty “ crowdsourcing with bad parking ” — and of the fact that Trump himself has no regard for the truth or the Constitution. Both are understandable concerns, as is the risk that a holdout will hang the jury. Is it possible? Sure. Nothing human is perfect. But given the alternatives, I’ll take my chances.

Two Jurors Dislike Trump. One Will Judge Him.

Two potential jurors who both despise Donald Trump were questioned at his felony trial Thursday. One was dismissed, the other was seated on the jury that will decide his fate. How did that happen?

The courthouse, first of all, was stunned that a jury was selected on the third day of the trial. It was like a baseball game expected to last three hours that’s over in 45 minutes.

The jury includes three lawyers, who as a species dislike Trump at about the same level as Ph.D.s but come naturally to following a judge’s instructions. They and most of the others who were selected left no incriminating digital trail on social media and were smart enough not to insult Trump to his face. But there were two exceptions — people who said the kinds of things about Trump that he routinely says about others.

Juror B430, a longtime paralegal, was found by Trump’s jury consultants to have called him “a racist, sexist narcissist” in 2016, when she was a self-described “Bernie Gal.”

“I wouldn’t believe Donald Trump if his tongue was notarized,” she wrote. “He is anathema to everything I was taught about love and Jesus. He could not be more fundamentally unchristian.”

When questioned by the judge and lawyers, she apologized to Trump directly and said she no longer holds those positions.

Justice Juan Merchan concluded that the court “couldn’t take a chance” with her, and she was dismissed for cause.

Juror B500 was candid when questioned by lawyers. “He is selfish, self-serving and I don’t like him,” she said of Trump from a distance of 12 feet. Susan Necheles, one of Trump’s attorneys, said the woman should be dismissed by the judge for cause.

Joshua Steinglass, a prosecutor, argued that the juror was challenging Trump’s persona, just as any prospective juror would do with a defendant who was a skinhead.

The judge said the question wasn’t whether jurors liked accused criminals but whether they could be fair and impartial. But Necheles had a point when she said jurors have preconceived notions about people like sex offenders, since that’s about the crime, not the person. In this case, she said, it’s about Trump, not the crime.

Nonetheless, Merchan overruled her, saying that if courts eliminated all prospective jurors with preconceived notions about people “we would never have juries.”

Unfortunately for Trump, the defense was out of peremptory challenges and Juror B500 was seated. Fortunately for him, he needs only one of her fellow jurors to give him a break and he’ll have a hung jury.

Pamela Paul

At Columbia, the Grown-Ups in the Room Take a Stand

There’s plenty to condemn on today’s college campuses, including the behavior of both administrations and students. So it’s a rare pleasure to get a chance to applaud the president of a university, in this case Minouche Shafik of Columbia, who on Thursday called in the police to remove student protesters who have camped out on campus in violation of university policy.

I happened to be on campus Wednesday when this latest wave of protests was getting started. Students marched around outdoors in virtue-signaling masks yelling “N.Y.P.D., K.K.K.!” along with the usual anti-Israel slogans. For this passer-by, the fury and self-righteous sentiment on display was chilling. But for Jewish students on campus, for supporters of Israel or for anyone who doesn’t subscribe to the simplistic good-versus-evil narrative of the anti-settler-colonialism crowd, it must be unimaginably painful. Many of them are at the university to learn in a safe and tolerant environment.

As for tolerance? One can’t help but wonder, no matter what one’s opinion of Israel, or its despicable government under Benjamin Netanyahu or the particulars of its military response, why one rarely hears pro-Palestinian demonstrators condemn the terrorist organization Hamas, which has controlled Gaza without an election since 2006. Or why those who wish Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to end don’t likewise urge Hamas to end the fighting, which it could easily do by freeing the hostages it took during its Oct. 7 rampage.

Lofty, unrealistic goals, all. But no more unlikely than the wholesale eradication of Israel that many of these protesters seem to advocate above all else. As far as I could tell, the word “peace” was notably absent in the student display at Columbia.

On Wednesday, Shafik acquitted herself well under questioning in Congress . When asked about a glossary of politicized language, put together by students at the university’s School of Social Work, which I reported in the fall, Shafik condemned the language that implicitly denigrates Jews. When asked why the document spelled the word “folks” as “folx,” Shafik gave an appropriately sardonic reply: “Maybe they can’t spell.”

Spoken like a real grown-up. And Thursday, with the authority at her disposal and with the courage that too many academic leaders have lacked, Shafik did what any responsible adult should do in her position: She ordered the police to clear Columbia’s campus of the students seemingly unaware of how lucky they are to attend one of the nation’s top universities. Let’s hope this teaches the students a lesson. They clearly still have a lot to learn.

David French

Why Israel Might Want to Retaliate Against Iran

It’s easy to state a compelling case against the idea that Israel should strike Iran after Iran’s weekend drone and missile attack. Iran’s assault failed, spectacularly. Its vaunted long-range arsenal proved ineffective (at least in that strike), and the attack itself rallied Israel’s allies to its aid. American, British and even Jordanian forces intervened to protect Israel.

In other words, if Israel stops now, then it will have clearly gotten the better of Iran. A direct strike from Israel into Iranian territory carries substantial risk of further escalation, including perhaps a large-scale attack from Hezbollah and a two-front ground war in Gaza and Lebanon. Plus, what’s the real risk in restraint? If Iran attacks again, won’t Israel and its allies simply shoot down the missiles once more?

Perhaps not . While Iran’s bombardment failed, no one should minimize what it tried to do. As Gen. Mark Hertling (I served under his command in Iraq in 2007 and 2008) observed on CNN, Iran’s effort was comparable to the first day of America’s “shock and awe” strike against Iraq in 2003. We fired 500 precision weapons. Iran fired more than 300 against Israel.

As he also noted , the attack failed not just because Israel’s air defenses are so advanced but also because the attack was poorly executed.

As we’ve seen from Russia’s similar barrages against Ukraine, militaries tend to learn lessons from failure. If Iran improves its tactics (as Russia has) or cracks appear in Israel’s air defense, then the consequences could be catastrophic: a potential mass casualty event, making the Middle East a very different place.

Under these circumstances, Israel could rationally believe that offense is the best defense. It may not always be able to count on immediate, effective allied help, and degrading Iran’s capabilities could deter Iran, diminish the missile threat and preserve the precious ( and expensive ) missile defenses that saved so many Israeli lives. Israel recently paid a terrible price for its lost deterrence, and restraint could lead Iran to believe that it could launch missiles at Israel again without paying a terrible price.

No one should understate the difficulty of Israel’s decision, including not just the decision whether to retaliate but also how to strike back. There is no clear, safe path to peace and security. But the wisdom of Israel’s next move may depend on the answer to two key questions: Can diplomacy secure Israel more effectively than an I.D.F. response? And if diplomacy fails, how confident is the I.D.F. that it can stop Iran again if another 300 drones and missiles fall from the sky?

Lindsay Crouse

Opinion Writer and Producer

Even Clarkenomics Can’t Solve Sexism in Sports

Caitlin Clark is the most famous female college basketball player in history and was the No. 1 draft pick for the W.N.B.A. this year. But the public has been scandalized to discover what awaits this talented young woman as she enters pro sports: Her first-year salary will be only $76,535.

Her starting salary is far from that of the No. 1 N.B.A. draft pick, which is estimated at $10.5 million. In fact, as Axios reported , next year any random N.B.A. player is set to earn more than Clark’s entire team, the Indiana Fever, combined.

The outrage is refreshing.

Women in sports have been screaming about the athletic wage gap for years. Finally, people get it. On Wednesday even President Biden called on female athletes to be “paid what they deserve.”

He’s right. Sports are the ultimate expression of America’s values when it comes to many things, especially gender. The glass ceiling in women’s sports salaries has been accepted for so long that it’s easy to come up with plausible reasons that the best women are paid so much less than even the average man: lower demand for their games, suboptimal agreements between players and the league, inadequate broadcast deals.

But there are always reasons for blatant inequality. The question is whether America wants to continue to accept them. There’s not some craven force artificially keeping women’s sports salaries down; salaries follow the market. Ever since the dawn of professional women’s basketball, the league has been treated like the J.V. of the men’s game. When we invest in something as though it will never measure up, we effectively ensure it becomes that way. Let’s call it what it is: sexism.

Luckily, the fans see it differently. The W.N.B.A. now has a rising star player who is shattering TV viewership records everywhere she goes, and there are plenty of others ready to share her spotlight. Corporate sponsorships and better broadcast deals, and ultimately, better contracts, follow the fans. As we saw in soccer, where the U.S. women’s national team now makes the same as the men’s team, salary parity is achievable only when the public demands it and delivers the ratings to back it up. The more that goes into the pie, the easier it is for players and the league to get more in turn.

(And it’s not as if Clark were being sent off to the poorhouse. She is said to be closing an eight-figure contract with Nike, and her other endorsement deals are already worth millions .)

Women’s basketball finally has the thing the market wants: attention. And that’s translating to sales. The Fever’s ticket prices are up almost 200 percent from last season, and Clark’s games are already set to pack stadiums. Trickle-down Clarkenomics is on a thrilling rally.

The W.N.B.A. is only going to continue to soar — Clark is already a one-woman rocket booster for its success. But ultimately, Caitlin Clark can’t fix sexism. Only those of us watching can.

The Scent of a Struggling Campaign Is Emerging From Trump’s Courtroom

The Trump trial hit some speed bumps Thursday morning, with one juror quitting and a second likely to be thrown off, but it is still moving forward at a pace much faster than anyone expected. Jury selection will probably be completed by Friday and opening arguments could get underway on Monday.

So far in this trial, the Trump campaign has lost the states of Delay and Pretrial Motions Denied, with more battleground contests looking iffy for the putative Republican nominee, at least in the short run.

Inevitably, trial coverage is melding with campaign coverage. That’s not because of Donald Trump’s nonsense that his prosecution is being orchestrated by President Biden’s operatives (as if they somehow control state judges), and I have no idea how this 2016 election interference case will ultimately affect the 2024 election. But for now the Trump campaign trail is the Trump criminal trial, and he’s reminding me of some of the wounded candidates I’ve covered over the last 40 years.

While Biden has what his campaign calls “kitchen table conversations” with voters around the country, Trump is stuck having whispered defense table conversations with his lawyers, unable to leave the courthouse and what he considers to be its “disgusting” bathrooms four days a week under penalty of law.

While Biden blasts Trump’s tax cuts for billionaires, Trump is stuck trying to figure out how to beat the rap on the tax fraud charges that could be attached to his falsification of business records. And while Biden’s campaign war chest is devoted to spreading his message, Trump is stuck using his lesser haul to pay for civil judgments and pricey attorneys.

There’s a smell to struggling campaigns that you can pick up on the press bus, which in this case is the press overflow room in the courthouse. The crowds get thin (fewer than a dozen pro-Trump protesters outside the courthouse since Monday) and the attack lines grow stale. Of course Trump will probably keep using “Sleepy Joe” as part of his pattern of accusing others of what he does himself.

At least Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, Bob Dole and the other losers I’ve covered had members of their families with them when the trail turned rough. Not Trump.

Of course, there’s still plenty of time for Trump to recover. Don’t forget that Bill Clinton survived in 1992 after tabloid sex stories almost derailed his campaign.

David Wallace-Wells

Opinion Writer

Our Carbon-Hungry World Has Already Cost Us

Even if carbon emissions stopped on a dime tomorrow, new research published in Nature on Wednesday suggests, the economic damage to come from climate change would be jaw-dropping and indeed world-shaping: a 19 percent reduction in global incomes by midcentury.

As climate economists are careful to point out, this does not suggest that in 2050, the world will be 19 percent poorer than the one we inhabit today. It’s projecting a world in 2050 that is 19 percent poorer than the one we might’ve been living in, had we not put trillions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere. The proposition is basically this: Imagine being presented in, say, 2000, with two maps of the future economy, one which landed the world at today’s level of overall wealth and one which made it 19 percent poorer. Just the warming we have already ensured, the authors write, means that we will be following the poorer path rather than the more prosperous one. And because we are still emitting — indeed, doing so at record rates — there is also more warming to come.

Disconcertingly, the authors write, this will happen whether the world decarbonizes quickly or not. Although their estimate lands at the very high end of published research, it also joins a growing number of papers emphasizing the accumulation of climate costs over time; even small climate effects, tabulated across several decades, really begin to add up.

One bit of encouraging news from climate research over the last decade has been that scientists have largely turned against what was often called “warming in the pipeline” — the idea that, even if emissions went to zero tomorrow, the planet might continue to warm as natural feedback loops played themselves out.

Instead, climate scientists have generally coalesced around a more reassuring thesis, which suggests that whenever the world hits net-zero, temperature rise will stop soon thereafter. But this does not mean that damages will stop. Stabilizing temperatures at 1.5 degrees implies decades of damage, and stabilizing the climate at 2 degrees or higher implies decades of more intense damage.

This is one of the reasons that the effort to estimate the global economic consequences of future warming has produced a disorientingly wide array of intensely debated estimates. Some models, making certain assumptions, project that even very high-end warming would only cost the global economy a few percentage points of G.D.P.; others, using different assumptions, project far higher costs. But even the moderate estimates are increasingly eye-popping .

Biden’s Steel Tariffs Are Merely Symbolic

The most important thing to know about President Biden’s request for fresh tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum is that they will make almost no difference.

In case you missed it: On Wednesday, the White House announced that Biden would use a campaign speech to steelworkers in Pittsburgh to ask his trade representative to more than triple some tariffs on steel and aluminum products from China.

The reason it doesn’t matter much is that, last year, just 2 percent of steel imported to the United States and about 3.5 percent of imported aluminum came from China, according to the Global Steel Trade Monitor and the Global Aluminum Trade Monitor of the U.S. International Trade Administration.

Customers have switched away from China because tariffs on its steel and aluminum are already high, averaging 7.5 percent, and Chinese imports are further subject to anti-dumping and countervailing duties .

So Biden’s gambit is primarily symbolic. On the downside, it won’t save many steelworker jobs, if any. On the upside, it also probably won’t cost many jobs at companies that make products from steel, since so few of them are using Chinese steel in the first place.

“This is all politics,” Paul Nathanson, the executive director of the Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users, which opposes high tariffs on imported metals, told me.

Nathanson said there are approximately 68 jobs in industries that use steel for every one job in steel-making itself, which is a shadow of its former self. He said the United States has some of the highest steel prices in the world, which puts his members at a disadvantage against fabricators of steel products in other countries.

This is basic economics, but it seems to elude Biden as it eluded Donald Trump before him. Last month, Biden opposed the purchase of U.S. Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel — even though Nippon is seeking to revitalize the tired American company.

Biden’s move Wednesday is primarily symbolic, as I said. But the symbolism isn’t good.

An Absurd Impeachment Reaches a Satisfying End

Senate Republicans pretended to be aghast Wednesday that anyone would think of dismissing their hopes for an impeachment trial of the homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas.

“Tabling articles of impeachment would be unprecedented in the history of the Senate,” sputtered Senator Mitch McConnell , the minority leader. “It’s as simple as that.”

But Democrats nonetheless quickly dismissed the absurd charges against Mayorkas, preventing a trial with a satisfying snap of closure. A 51-vote majority of the Senate agreed the charges were unconstitutional, because they failed to specify a high crime or misdemeanor that Mayorkas had committed. And with that, the whole sorry case ended.

There was nothing particularly unprecedented about the Senate’s rejection. In 2021, after Donald Trump helped lead an insurrection against Congress, 45 Republicans (McConnell among them) voted to dismiss the impeachment charges against Trump before a trial. They failed because they lacked the numbers, but their goal was precisely the same.

What was unprecedented was the impeachment effort itself, the first against a sitting cabinet official and the first time the House had abused the Constitution’s impeachment provisions for nakedly political reasons against an executive branch official without bothering to state a significant high crime. House Republicans claimed Mayorkas had lied to Congress about the security of the southern border; in fact, they simply disagreed with him and the Biden administration about how to define a secure border, and they decided to create a fake election-year impeachment process to once again wave the immigration flag before voters.

Senate Republicans looked equally ridiculous Wednesday, frantically making repeated motions to adjourn the trial, having realized they couldn’t stop the dismissal. But Democrats held firm and did future senators a favor by setting down a marker that impeachment charges have to be serious to be considered.

They did the country a favor, too, by sparing the public a farcical trial, in which we would all have been subjected to the sight of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene on the floor of the Senate as an impeachment manager. That would bring back too many uncomfortable memories of Jan. 6, 2021.

Michelle Cottle

The Real Reasons Trump Set Foot in a Bodega

With this season of “Law and Order: Presidential Campaign Hush Money” underway, Donald Trump is looking to make the most of his time back in his hometown New York, preferably not too far from the Manhattan courthouse.

After catnapping in the courtroom on Tuesday, Sleepy Don had enough pep in his step to head uptown to Harlem to drop by, as the advance announcement trumpeted , a “Bodega Victimized By Soros-Funded D.A. Alvin Bragg.”

But I should let the exquisite hyperbole of the news release speak for itself:

“Today, President Trump will be visiting the New York City bodega where Jose Alba, a New York bodega clerk, was robbed, attacked , and, ultimately, wrongfully accused of murder after being forced to defend his life. President Trump’s visit to one of New York City’s bodegas comes at a time when retail theft is skyrocketing and the New York City police force is on track to fall to its lowest numbers since the 1990s by 2025. Bodegas are a lifeline to underserved communities, and President Trump believes that only by undoing the Democrat party’s soft-on-crime policies can law and order be fully restored to every borough throughout New York City.”

For background purposes: Alba did indeed lethally stab a robber in self-defense in 2022. He was brought up on murder charges, which were dropped not three weeks later.

No matter. This Trumpian stunt is a genius bit of political theater, allowing the former president to do several things at once: Smear the granddaddy of Dem-run cities as a crime-infested hellhole; imply the city is anti-law enforcement; attack the prosecutor overseeing his criminal trial as the puppet of one of the right’s favorite supervillains; claim common cause with a fellow victim of misguided prosecutorial zeal; and, perhaps most impressive of all, pander to Hispanic voters with his oily ode to bodegas.

Seriously, when was the last time this guy set foot in a bodega? How would he know anything about an “underserved” community?

That said, if this is how the campaign wants to play things, just think of the opportunities for future field trips to places with which the defendant presumably has little or no familiarity. How about visiting a day care center next? A homeless shelter? A public school? A library? A mosque — any house of worship, really?

Would such establishments appreciate the chaos that the MAGA king invariably brings? Does it matter? These little drive-bys, like everything Trump does, are all about serving his own needs. Everyone else is just an extra in his endless melodrama.

The Split Screen Democrats Have Been Dreaming About

For a few fleeting seconds on Tuesday, CNN showed the view of the two campaigns that the Biden campaign must be fantasizing about. On one side of the screen, President Biden was disembarking from a plane in Scranton, Pa., to give a speech about making billionaires pay their fair share of taxes. On the other side, Donald Trump was glowering in a New York courtroom, accused of falsifying business records and paying hush money to a porn star.

But CNN’s split screen didn’t last long. The network quickly switched back to dissecting the New York courtroom drama. I switched to C-SPAN to watch Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania introduce Biden — a speech that reminded voters that the Trump administration tried to pass a rule that would have allowed bar and restaurant owners to pocket the tips of waitresses and bartenders.

Then a local educator talked about the importance of the expanded child tax credit, remarking, “It’s pretty nice to have a president who sees the view from Scranton.” Then came Biden, who hammered home the message of stark contrast .

“I don’t see things from the eyes of Mar-a-Lago,” he told his audience. “I see things through the eyes of Scranton, where honesty and decency matter.”

Under a sign that read, “Tax fairness for all families,” Biden noted that there were about 1,000 billionaires in the United States and that they pay an average federal tax rate of 8.3 percent — a lower rate than most Americans pay.

His plan would require billionaires to pay at least 25 percent of their income in taxes to fund the Medicare trust fund permanently, he said. Trump, on the other hand, intends to extend his 2017 tax cuts, which simplified taxes for many people but had the principal effect of helping the wealthiest.

I suspect that coming a day after Tax Day, that message will hit home with many — if they saw it. Probably far more eyeballs were glued to news about Trump’s day in court than Biden’s day in Pennsylvania. But it is worth remembering that no matter what is happening on television, this split screen is real life.

When a Mob Gets to Veto a Valedictorian’s Speech

On Tuesday the University of Southern California canceled a planned graduation speech by its valedictorian, a young woman named Asna Tabassum. My newsroom colleague Stephanie Saul reported that the “school said the decision stemmed from security concerns based on emails and other electronic communications warning of a plan to disrupt the commencement, including at least one that targeted Ms. Tabassum.”

Shortly after Tabassum had been named valedictorian, two student groups, Trojans for Israel and Chabad, objected. Her social media bio apparently included a link to a group that condemns Zionism as a “racist settler-colonial ideology.” Trojans for Israel said Tabassum “openly traffics antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric.”

Oddly enough, Andrew T. Guzman, the university’s provost, claimed the decision to cancel Tabassum’s address “has nothing to do with freedom of speech. There is no free-speech entitlement to speak at a commencement.” While Guzman may be correct as a matter of broad legal principle — there is no right to be a graduation speaker — he is completely wrong that the decision to cancel has nothing to do with free speech.

In fact, canceling a speech because of future safety concerns is a more egregious form of censorship than the classic “ heckler’s veto ,” when protesters silence speakers by disrupting their speeches. U.S.C.’s decision to cancel Tabassum’s speech was a form of anticipatory heckler’s veto. U.S.C. canceled the speech before the heckling could even start.

To support Tabassum’s ability to speak is not to minimize very real safety concerns in a tense and volatile time. In February, for example, a violent mob at the University of California, Berkeley, forced attendees to evacuate an event featuring a speaker from Israel. But it is the responsibility of the state and the university to protect both the liberty and the security of their students and guests.

I disagree strongly with condemnations of Zionism as racist, and I think it would be a serious mistake if Tabassum chose to commandeer her commencement platform to express such views. But I’m far more concerned about setting yet another precedent showing that threats and intimidation work than I am about the content of a single graduation speech. It is exactly when security feels most precarious that American institutions must be most vigilant in the defense of freedom.

The alternative is grim. If a fail-safe method of silencing speech is summoning a mob, or even merely threatening to summon a mob, then expect to see more mobs.

The Supreme Court May Side With Jan. 6 Rioters and Their Leader

Because of a couple of ambiguous words in a federal law, a majority of the Supreme Court seems poised to throw out hundreds of convictions of Jan. 6 attackers. That was the main takeaway after oral arguments Tuesday morning in a case challenging the Justice Department’s reliance on an Enron-era law in prosecuting some of the more than 1,200 rioters who broke down barricades and stormed the Capitol in a violent effort to overturn the 2020 election.

The right-wing justices, who sound increasingly as if they were dictating replies to a MAGA social media thread, expressed concern about the risk of selective prosecution. Why, they asked, hasn’t the same law been used against Black Lives Matter protesters or, say, Representative Jamaal Bowman, the Democratic lawmaker who pulled a fire alarm in Congress last year?

It’s fair to ensure that laws are applied equally, but this line of questioning from these particular justices was, at best, disingenuous. They seemed to forget that there is no precedent for a violent mob invading Congress in an attempt to block a constitutionally mandated vote count and overthrow an election. (Bowman, in contrast, was censured by his colleagues for his stupid and reckless but not insurrectionist act.)

The bigger question looming behind Tuesday’s arguments involved the man who incited the Jan. 6 mob: Donald Trump, the former and perhaps future president. Jack Smith, the special counsel, included violations of the same law in one of his federal indictments of Trump, and if the court tosses the charge in the cases of the relatively low-level attackers, Trump will surely exploit that in his case.

Of course, Trump’s own Jan. 6 trial, which was supposed to begin in early March, has been on hold for months, thanks to his outrageous claim of absolute immunity, which the justices agreed last month to hear on an oddly relaxed schedule . Oral arguments are more than a week off, and a ruling might not come until late June.

If there’s any silver lining in all this, it’s that Smith will know by then what the court thinks of this obstruction charge, and he can adapt his Jan. 6 prosecution accordingly.

In the meantime, Congress may want to update the federal criminal code for the age of Trumpism.

Trump’s Plan to Expose the Secret Bias of Jurors Isn’t Working

It isn’t easy being orange in Manhattan, but it helps to have a bunch of jury consultants scouring the web for anyone with a sense of humor about you. Even spouses making bad orange jokes.

Donald Trump’s legal team isn’t wrong to be concerned about bias. In the first batch of potential jurors in his hush-money trial, more than half volunteered that they could not be fair and were dismissed. And when a former Lands’ End employee was found to have posted in 2017 on Facebook to “lock him up,” Justice Juan Merchan rightly dismissed the potential juror for cause. Same for a bookseller who posted an A.I. parody video of Trump saying he is “dumb as ….”

But as the court seated seven jurors on Tuesday (out of 12, plus a half-dozen alternates), Trump and his lawyers tried the judge’s patience.

I wish there were audio footage of the angry voice from the bench when Merchan told Trump’s lawyers that the defendant “was audible, he was gesturing and he was speaking in the direction of the juror. I will not tolerate that. I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom.”

A few minutes later, the still-irritated judge said he thought that Trump’s lead lawyer, Todd Blanche, was using the jury selection process to — wait for it — delay the proceedings. When Blanche tried to have a high school teacher from the Upper West Side dismissed for cause because she had taken a cellphone video of a street dance party on 96th Street celebrating Joe Biden’s victory, the judge summoned the potential juror. After ascertaining that she was sincere in her assurance that she could be fair, he refused to dismiss her for cause.

And Merchan rebuked Blanche for also offering a video the juror took of New Yorkers saluting health care workers by banging pots and pans each night at the start of the Covid pandemic. Blanche suggested the video was disqualifying, but the judge said there was “nothing offensive” about it, adding that making such irrelevant challenges was a waste of everyone’s time.

When the defense wanted Juror No. 3 dismissed for cause because her husband posted three joking photos (one during the transition from Barack Obama to Trump with the caption “I don’t think this is what they meant by ‘orange is the new black’”), the judge was not amused.

“If this is the worst thing you were able to find,” he said, “that her husband posted this not very good humor from eight years ago, it gives me confidence that this juror could be fair and impartial.”

Will Trump finally get the message that he’s not calling the shots? Not likely, but the judge will almost certainly keep delivering it for the duration of this trial.

Bret Stephens

The Assault on American Jews Is Getting Worse

Ten years ago, the Anti-Defamation League released its annual audit of antisemitic incidents in the United States. The group reported just 751 incidents targeting Jews in 2013, a 19 percent drop from the previous year.

“In the last decade we have witnessed a significant and encouraging decline in the number of antisemitic acts in America,” Abraham Foxman, the A.D.L.’s director at the time, said in a news release. “The falling number of incidents targeting Jews is another indication of just how far we have come in finding full acceptance in society.”

That was then. On Tuesday, the A.D.L. released its audit for 2023 . It recorded 8,873 antisemitic incidents in the United States — a 140 percent increase over 2022 and a tenfold increase over a decade ago. The numbers include 161 physical assaults, 2,177 acts of vandalism and 1,009 bomb threats against synagogues and other Jewish institutions, as compared to 91 bomb threats for 2022. Jewish cemeteries were desecrated 13 times last year, up from four times the year before.

Much of the increase came after Hamas’s massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, and the A.D.L. changed its methodology somewhat to take account of anti-Zionist expressions it deemed to be effectively antisemitic. But even without the methodology changes, the A.D.L. would still have recorded 7,523 antisemitic incidents last year.

What do some of these incidents look like? The report offers dozens of examples.

In February 2023, a man shot two Jewish men as they were leaving a synagogue. In May, “swastikas made of feces were smeared in a residence hall bathroom at the University of California, San Diego.” In July, a group of about 20 people assaulted three Jewish teens at New York’s Rockaway Beach after noticing that one of the teens was wearing a Star of David. In October, Jemma DeCristo , a professor in American studies at the University of California, Davis, threatened “Zionist journalists”: “they have houses w addresses, kids in school,” she wrote, before signing off with knife, hatchet and blood emojis.

Antisemitism can be difficult to define — a fact that has long offered antisemites an opportunity to hide their prejudice behind terminology. But as Justice Potter Stewart once said about pornography — “I know it when I see it” — so it could be said about hatred of Jews.

To see it in America today, you don’t have to look very far.

New York’s Flawed Housing Deal Still Deserves Approval

New York’s politicians have finally struck a deal to address the state’s disastrous housing crisis, the most pressing issue facing the region.

The deal, announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers Monday, is solicitous of real estate interests. But it may help accomplish some of what the state and its tenants need anyway.

Under the compromise, which would be included in the state budget, developers would receive generous tax incentives to build more housing. In exchange, developers would make 20 percent of the units affordable. A limit on building sizes would be raised, providing an incentive for more construction in New York City. Owners of rent-stabilized buildings could charge higher rents for making improvements. Hochul officials say the plan would lead to just under 190,000 units of new housing in the state over the next decade.

Tenants in New York City would win new protections against evictions, a long-sought goal. But other benefits for tenants are weak. Municipalities outside the city would have to opt in to the protections, which would prohibit owners of market-rate buildings from increasing the rent by more than 10 percent over the previous year, or 5 percentage points above the rate of inflation. There is a feast of exemptions, including properties with 10 or fewer units, and new units built wouldn’t be covered under the protections for the first 30 years. The weakness of these tenant protections, which have been fought hard by groups like the Real Estate Board of New York, is a reflection of the industry’s continued outsize sway on state politics.

But as flawed as this compromise is, walking away from it entirely would be irresponsible.

Four in 10 New York State residents are spending 30 percent of their income or more on housing. More than half of New York City residents are doing the same. Evictions are up nearly 200 percent .

Doing nothing isn’t an option. Instead, lawmakers and state officials can work quickly to make the deal better. Tenant protections can be strengthened. Allowing residents to rent accessory dwelling units, known as in-law apartments, would also be a win.

Truly facing this crisis will require bigger fights, like confronting restrictive zoning laws in Westchester and Long Island that have made it almost impossible to build multifamily housing. It’s also past time to reform New York City’s embarrassingly regressive property tax system, in which renters get stuck with most of the bill.

Residents, voters and businesses invested in New York City need to build a powerful pro-housing coalition, one that not even Albany can ignore.

Trump Beats Biden on the Economy, Voters Say. Are They Right?

President Biden must be tearing his hair out over the latest New York Times/Siena College poll of likely voters. Half of the respondents describe economic conditions as “poor.” Only 20 percent say they strongly approve of Biden’s handling of the economy, while 45 percent strongly approve of Donald Trump’s handling of the economy as president.

This would make sense if the economy were in recession, but the opposite is true. The Covid-19 recession happened while Trump was still in office, and the economy has snapped back powerfully since. On Monday, the Census Bureau released retail sales data for March that economists described as “solid,” “strong” and “booming.”

To be clear, what this means is that there are some likely voters whose opinions and actions don’t line up. They’re saying the economy is poor, but they’re behaving as if things are really good. How is Biden supposed to respond to this in his economic speech in Scranton, Pa., on Tuesday, without antagonizing voters by telling them they’re wrong?

Here’s a chart I made based on the Times/Siena poll about the two presidents’ handling of the economy:

And here’s one about economic conditions, which only 5 percent of likely voters rate as excellent:

I asked Ludovic Subran, the chief economist of Allianz Research in Germany, for his explanation of the divergence between the economy’s performance and voters’ perceptions. He put it into an international perspective. Around the world, he said, voters have turned against people who were in office when the inflation shock hit. Biden’s predicament doesn’t look unusual from that point of view.

Subran also said that inequality has increased during the recovery from the pandemic because the strong stock market has lifted the wealth of the stock-holding class. He attributed part of the stock market gains to the Biden administration’s policies, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, which directed government aid to companies that are investing in the fight against climate change. (Partially offsetting that, wage gains have been strongest at the bottom end of the income scale.)

The good news for Biden in the Times/Siena poll is that the two candidates are nearly tied in terms of whom voters would pick if the election were held today. But if Biden can’t persuade voters that he’s better than Trump on the economy — or at least somewhere in that neighborhood — his re-election campaign will remain in peril.

Justice Merchan Starts to Hold Trump Accountable

Beyond seeing its historical importance, those of us covering the Trump trial expected the first day to be relatively uneventful, with housekeeping details and rules of the road for jury selection. But it turned out that the morning also had the first stirrings of accountability for Donald Trump.

As part of the pretrial housekeeping, Justice Juan Merchan delivered the so-called Parker warnings on courtroom behavior directly to the defendant, reminding him that he could be jailed if he disrupted the proceedings.

Trump, who earlier seemed to be dozing, muttered, “I do,” when asked if he understood this and the other elements of the warning, which Merchan was delivering to Trump for a second time — now orally — just to make sure it sank in.

Then the former president had to sit and listen to a discussion of the admissibility of his years of witness intimidation, his arguably illegal social media posts and his efforts to use The National Enquirer to destroy his rivals. The jury didn’t hear any of this, but Trump and everyone else in the courtroom did.

All morning, Trump’s side only won once: when Merchan ruled that during the testimony of Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, there could be no mention in front of the jury of Trump’s wife being pregnant and then being with a newborn (Barron Trump) at home when McDougal says they were having a long-running affair.

At one point, Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead attorney, saw that his slumped client was looking straight ahead, dejected. He reached out and patted Trump on the back.

Merchan said he would hold a hearing on April 23 on the prosecution’s motion that Trump be held in contempt of court and possibly jailed for three Truth Social posts attacking Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, which seemed to be a clear violation of Merchan’s gag order preventing Trump from trying to intimidate witnesses.

Merchan indicated that he would reject Trump’s go-to argument that he was just responding in kind.

In the meantime, Merchan was also concerned about the logistics of accommodating Trump’s desire to be heavily involved in jury selection. Part of that process can take place in conference, outside the courtroom, if a potential juror wants to talk to Merchan and the lawyers in private. The unspoken worry hanging over the courtroom: Would a potential juror feel intimidated if Trump, exercising his right, was there, too?

Merchan is working that out. He reminds me of the old deodorant ad for Ice Blue Secret. The bespectacled, snow-haired Merchan is “cool, calm and collected” and will do a terrific job in this trial.

Frank Bruni

Have Voters Really Forgotten Trump’s Presidency?

Memory plays tricks on us. It’s famously unreliable. That’s the bane of estranged lovers weighing the wisdom of reconciliation. Of jurors determining the credibility of a witness.

And of Americans deciding how to vote in a presidential election? The latest poll by The New York Times and Siena College makes me wonder.

The poll, published Saturday, shows Donald Trump holding on to a slight edge of 46 percent to 45 percent over President Biden. And it includes this detail: When survey respondents were asked whether they remember the years of Trump’s presidency as “mostly good,” “mostly bad” or “not really good or bad,” 42 percent said “mostly good,” while just 33 percent said “mostly bad.”

Mostly good? Which part? His first impeachment? His second? All the drama at the border (because, yes, there was drama at the border then, too)? All the drama in the West Wing? The revolving door of senior administration officials, his good-people-on-both-sides response to the violence in Charlottesville, Va., his wishful musings about violent attacks on journalists and Democrats, his nutty soliloquies at news conferences early in the coronavirus pandemic, his recklessly cavalier handling of his own Covid infection, his incitement of the Jan. 6 rioting, the rioting itself?

Those were the days.

I realize that the “mostly good” camp comprises many MAGA loyalists who will simply answer any Trump-related question in a Trump-adoring way. Tribalism triumphs. I realize, too, that Americans tend to prioritize economic realities in assessments of this kind, and that much of what they’re remembering and referring to are the lower prices of housing, food and other essentials during Trump’s presidency.

But I fear that they’re forgetting too much else in a wash of voter nostalgia . A fresh presidential bid by someone who was in and then away from the White House isn’t just highly unusual. It’s a memory test — and, in the case of a politician as potentially destructive as Trump, a profoundly important one.

Americans unhappy with Biden’s presidency need no reminders about why. They’re living it every day. But their present discontent may be claiming the space on their mental hard drives where their past discontent was stored, purging all the discord and disgrace that created Biden’s opening.

Absence makes the Trump grow stronger.

As History Is Made, Trump Can Only Glare in Silent Fury

On Monday morning, those of us fortunate enough to have a seat in the courtroom will feel the hush of history as Justice Juan Merchan opens the People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump. This will be the first time since the founding of the American republic that a president of the United States has gone on trial in a criminal court.

As jury selection begins, my thoughts will inevitably turn to this striking lack of precedent. Richard Nixon was pardoned, Bill Clinton was disbarred, and Ulysses S. Grant paid a ticket for speeding in his carriage, but none faced a criminal trial.

This case is about highly credible charges that Trump falsified business records as part of a scheme to silence an adult film star and tilt the outcome of the 2016 election.

The prosecution’s argument that this is a 2016 election interference case is prompting Trump to pursue his usual I’m-rubber-you’re-glue strategy and claim that it’s really the judge and the Manhattan district attorney who are interfering — in the 2024 election. But he won’t be able to make that argument inside the courtroom.

Trump will probably have to settle for sitting silently and glaring at the judge. He is a domineering client, even when it’s not in his interest, and he’ll probably weaken his case by forcing his lawyers to back his ridiculous claim that the whole extramarital affair is made up. They’ll have a better shot arguing that the hush-money payments were not illegal and Trump did not intentionally break tax and campaign finance laws.

Among the witnesses expected to testify are Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime fixer turned major accuser, whose credibility will be a big issue; Hope Hicks, Trump’s former press secretary, who could help corroborate Cohen’s testimony; Stephanie Clifford (Stormy Daniels), the porn star who received $130,000 in payments Trump is charged with laundering through Cohen; Karen McDougal, a former Playboy playmate of the year who also received hush money; and David Pecker, the National Enquirer chief testifying for the prosecution, whose catch-and-kill scheme to bury dirt on Trump will open a window on how tabloid journalism, well, changed world history.

Trump claimed on Friday that he’s willing to testify, but that may be just his usual posturing. If he rejects the pleading of his attorneys and takes the stand, cross-examination about his many lies would be admissible.

I’ll be back on Monday afternoon with a report on how the day went.

Could These Two Twists Change the 2024 Race?

Donald Trump has spent this year projecting political strength. His renomination was inevitable , and he has been ahead of Joe Biden in many battleground state polls and national polls. Keep in mind: Trump rarely led in general election polls 2016 and 2020, making his strength in the first quarter of 2024 notable. It’s one reason there’s so much talk of him winning the presidency this year.

But this week? It’s the start of the Trump vulnerability chapter of the campaign. I haven’t seen him looking this vulnerable since his 2022 Senate endorsements blew up in his face. The reasons are two twists in the race: the Trump trial and abortion.

As everyone knows, Trump’s trial in the Stormy Daniels hush money trial is set to start Monday in Manhattan. Trump has never faced a criminal jury trial in his life. I don’t think he ever thought one of these criminal trials would actually happen — he’s been an escape artist his whole life. The big question: Will this trial actually change anyone’s opinion of Trump when so much about his bad behavior is already baked into our brains? I think a conviction might — there’s some polling that suggests that independents and some Trump leaners would be less likely to vote for him if he’s convicted, especially of a criminal cover-up. Based on a lot of years reporting with voters, and our Times Opinion focus groups, I think voting for a recently convicted criminal for president will be a bridge too far for some Americans otherwise inclined to back him.

On issues, Trump has boxed himself into a position on abortion that he thought was awfully clever when he rolled it out: Let each state decide its abortion law. Then Arizona’s Supreme Court did just that, upholding a ban from 1864. I’ve rarely seen Trump look as slippery and untrustworthy with his own base, and he’s running away from abortion as far as he can. Do swing voters really believe him when he says he wouldn’t sign a national abortion ban if he had the chance? Doubt it.

As you’ll keep hearing, the election is more than six months away, and so much can change: we barely know how the Iranian attack on Israel might affect things, for instance. But for all those known unknowns, one thing is clear: Trump is entering his riskiest phase yet of the race.

Trump and O.J.: Antiheroes in a Cracked Mirror

In the mid-1990s, I spent an afternoon in the courtroom covering O.J. Simpson’s criminal trial in Los Angeles. The effect of being there — like the effect of seeing Donald Trump in court during pretrial proceedings in New York — was to shrink the whole spectacle into something more quotidian. In person, the carnival looks not just smaller than it does on TV but also a little pathetic.

I’ll be covering Trump’s hush-money trial in New York beginning Monday for Times Opinion. It won’t be televised, but the comparisons between the two cases and two men are already so common that The Los Angeles Times made a typo — or Freudian slip — on Thursday, referring to Trump when the obit writer meant Simpson.

Yes, both cases are media circuses revolving around shameless and manipulative antiheroes who have exploited race for their advantage. Both tap into the weakness Americans have for toxic celebrities who play victim as they stick it to the man. Both lead millions to despair over whether justice can ever prevail.

But the similarities can be misleading and not just because the Simpson trial was for murder and the Trump case is about falsifying business records.

While murder is obviously more serious legally and morally, the fate of a former president of the United States indicted on 88 counts across four criminal cases in four jurisdictions is more serious and important historically than the fate of a former N.F.L. star who did TV ads for Hertz.

Simpson’s epic journey — with its mix of fame, race and violence — was a quintessentially American story. The Trump saga has all of that plus immense political stakes, but the fundamental question remains: Is he un-American or in the American grain?

Trump’s shocking victory in 2016 did not settle the matter. We will learn in this trial what almost every political consultant in both parties agrees on: that Trump would have lost that year and been reduced to a footnote if Stormy Daniels had told her story on the heels of the “Access Hollywood” debacle, which sent his campaign reeling. He won only because the 2016 election ended with the focus on Hillary Clinton’s emails.

So beyond legal culpability and political maneuvering, what’s at stake in this trial and this election is whether Trump is an aberration or the embodiment of a new, darker American identity.

Both Simpson and Trump are mirrors reflecting two images of America — one Black, one white, in Simpson’s case; one Democratic, one Republican, in Trump’s. All of the mirrors are cracked and coming apart, with the shards sharp enough to puncture any remaining illusions we have about ourselves.

Biden says uncle shot down over area populated by cannibals in World War Two

• Medium Text

Sign up here.

Reporting by Steve Holland; editing by Susan Heavey and Jonathan Oatis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. New Tab , opens new tab

World Chevron

Migrants drown in English Channel hours after UK passes Rwanda policy

Five migrants, including a child, died in an attempt to cross the English Channel from France to Britain in an overcrowded small boat on Tuesday, hours after Britain passed a bill to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda in a move to deter the dangerous journeys.

Twenty one migrants died and another 23 are missing after a boat carrying 77 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the second such incident in two weeks, the United Nations migration agency said on Tuesday.