The Grand Finale
Somehow, you have managed to retain the attention of the audience through the body of the speech without too many falling asleep. Perhaps it was the dramatic rise and fall of your voice, the hilarious asides, the amazing statistics, or striking slides (not to mention the jumping jacks you had everyone do at the halfway point). Finally comes the second-easiest and second-most important part of the talk. Clearly, this is not a time to wing it. You want to announce, as with trumpets, when you are coming down to the wire: even those whose minds have been wandering will tend to perk up, hoping you will say something they can take away with minimal effort. “I would like to make one last point,” or “now that our time together has come to a close, let me leave you with this important thought” will alert them to this moment. In addition to the methods you used to create initial interest, remember the following tips.
Tell them what you told them. If you were one of several speakers, this is especially important to help you stand out from all the things that have been said that day. Reiterate your main points.
Never go over your allotted speaking time. If you practice carefully without rushing, you should finish a few minutes early, allowing time for starting late, interruptions, and audience laughter. If you are asked to finish a little early, be prepared to cut secondary points and keep to your planned closing.
Close with eloquent power phrases like “moving forward to meet the future” or “let us all get up tomorrow, determined to overcome this evil together.” Action words, vivid imagery, and alliteration (the repetition of similar sounds) will create a strong closing.
If you have not only informed them, but drawn conclusions you want them to share, use forceful, positive language. “As we have seen tonight, no informed student of UFOs can dismiss them as swamp gas or the planet Venus” or “Clearly, conventional wisdom in Western medicine about acupuncture has been far behind the evidence.”
This is the time to put out a call for action out of patriotic duty, to close with a moving poem, recount one last inspiring story, or make an assertion that touches on something the audience members are passionate about (children, animals, religion, human rights, Mother Earth, abortion).
If you are talking about something complicated, use visual aids and vividly descriptive words to fix your message in the brain's visual memory. Studies show that this is the best way for people to remember what you said.
Remind them that there will be handouts at the door (see Chapter 8) and that this will have Web sites and other resources listed, as well as your contact information.
Keep your closing brief or the audience will feel tricked into having paid closer attention. You might even get a standing ovation, if you close with enthusiasm.
