In short: Plan the close before the opening. Use a bookend, returning to a story or image from the start, or a loop, opening a question early and answering it at the end. Finish on a plain line that states your one point, then stop.
Audiences remember the start and the end of a talk more than the middle. That is an old observation about how people listen, and it is practical: give the opening and the close most of your care. Plenty of speakers spend an hour on content and a minute on the ending, then trail off looking for the next slide.
Bookend
A bookend returns to something you said at the start. Present Yourself guidance is to back-reference an earlier point and walk the audience round in a circle. The return can be a story, an image or a phrase.
Imagine a talk that opens with a clip of a camera cutting out halfway through a take. The close returns to it: "That camera cut out for a reason. It was a cable nobody had taped down. Next time you see tape across a floor, you will know why it is there." The close proves the opening was built for a purpose.
Loop
A loop opens a question early and answers it at the end. Open the loop at the start, and close it at the end. The question should be one the audience actually wants answered, and the answer should be the payoff of the talk. Promise it plainly: "By the end, you will know which of the two options I would pick, and why." Then keep the promise.
The plain last line
Sometimes the simplest close is the best. One sentence that states the single point you want kept. Write it first, because the rest of the talk should lead there. Make it short enough to say without looking at the screen.
Steps
- Choose the one takeaway the room should leave with.
- Write the last line in plain words.
- Pick a bookend or a loop, and plant it in your opening.
- Rehearse the last two minutes more than the rest of the talk.
- Stop talking. Hold for a moment, then take questions or step away.
Common mistakes
- Ending on "thank you for listening" with no point before it. Put the point first, then the thanks.
- Recapping every slide. The recap belongs in the middle, or in a handout.
- Apologising at the close: "I hope that was useful."
- Trailing off while you hunt for the next slide. Know your last slide before you start.
For keeping attention through the middle, see WIIFM: why should anyone watch?. For the opening that pairs with a good close, see fifty ways to open, and for cutting the padding from either end, see words that cost you credibility.
Related guides
- Hook, Message, Recap, Call to action: the HMRC structure
- Fifty ways to open (hooks that work)
- Writing for the ear: short sentences, short words
- Words that cost you credibility: fluff, superlatives, -ly words, jargon
- WIIFM: why should anyone watch your talk or video?
- All guides and tools
The picture at the top of this page is an illustration, not a photograph of a client or a real job.
Questions we get asked
What is the best way to end a presentation?
End on the one point you most want kept, in a short plain sentence. A bookend or a loop can carry that point, but the last line should still say it outright.
What is a bookend in a talk?
A bookend returns to something you said at the start, such as a story, an image or a phrase. The return shows the audience that the talk was built to arrive somewhere.
Should I end with a question and answer session?
Put questions before your final section, then finish with a short close of your own. Ending on a question from the floor leaves the room with someone else's last word.
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