Recently, in reviewing articles on pulse media, I came across this article from Business Insider- Worst Ways to End a Presentation by Jacquelyn Smith. In the article Smith discusses the 6 worst ways to end a presentation from a book written by Darlene Price “Well said! Presentations and Conversations that get results.” While a few of these may be a given, some were a good reminder of tactics to utilize  when giving a presentation to drive results.

1. Not announcing you are wrapping up

Announcing you are wrapping up signals to the audience to pay attention. Phrases like “in conclusion,” “in summary,” or “as I conclude, let me leave you with a brief thought” not only highlight that you are ending finishing, they also heighten the audiences attention level and make the closing more memorable.

While I have always tried to signal a conclusion to a presentation, I never thought of it as heightening the audiences attention. Keeping this is mind, I will be more tactical when concluding a presentation and calling it out to the audience by announcing it before the most important point of the conclusion.

2. Not including a summary

Smith points out that the average adult attention span is 5 minutes. This is a limited time frame, and much shorter than an average presentation. Hence it is important to remind the audience of your key points.

Ending the presentation with a question that leads to your purpose is a great example of how to provide a summary in an interesting way that will grab the audiences attention.

3. Not providing a call to action

This is a point I often forget about and want to work on using more often in a presentation.

Smith notes that the point of the presentation is to persuade your audience. There is an action you are asking for from your audience. Whether it is to buy into your product,  formulate a solution, agree with your position, or any others, it is necessary to use an action verb that denotes what you need to take place.

The article provides some great examples from famous leaders. Below is a link if you would like to read more:

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/worst-ways-to-end-a-presentation-2014-7#ixzz381gp0EIw

4. Leaving the audience with a dud ending

It is important to leave the audience with the most important piece of information at the very end. Smith correlates concluding with “i’m done,” “thats all,” or “any questions?” to a firework with a wet fuse- dull & boring. Instead she suggests leaving the audience with a compelling thought or phrase that drives the purpose home.

Again in the article she provides some great examples of famous speeches that end with a bang not a dud.

5. Failure to tie up loose ends

Smith summarizes Prices point that failing to link the opening of a presentation – whether it is a story, quote, picture, etc- to the purpose leaves a loose end. By linking the opening to your purpose, whether in the middle of the presentation or in the conclusion, it provides significance and leaves a memorable reminder with the audience.

6. Concluding with Q &A

Smith proposes that ending a presentation with Q&A is the wrong way to go. Instead she via Price, suggests opening for questions during the middle. This will leave your ending for you to define the purpose of the presentation and give the ability to end with the summary and call to action that will drive the point home.

Overall, the tips given by Smith & Price are helpful in crafting the end to any presentation. We all should keep these in mind over the next few weeks as we present for MP.  Maybe Brandon & Smith will even allow for Q&A in the middle, instead of at the end 🙂