...an ending to remember...

Imagine this scenario: you're in front of an audience of about 100 people. The auditorium is quiet, because they are riveted by what you are saying. You grabbed their attention right from the beginning and you haven't let up since then. Your message is clear and you can see by their nods that they are with you.  You make your last point, they are on the edge of their seats, waiting for your grand finale and you end by saying "thank you for listening, that's the end of my presentation." Oops! I can see the energy leaving the room, as people just sort of deflate at your damp squib of an ending! Up until this stage, you had been doing great, but you forgot a very important point: "your ending is as important as your beginning"

Can you imagine your favourite film, without the grand denouement at the end? What would a romantic comedy be like, if the star crossed lovers didn't get together at the end? What would that great thriller be like, if we never found out who the villain was? Say what you like about Hollywood, they generally write great endings.  They know just how to write an ending, that keeps us gripped, until the very last minute. One of my favourite series is the Good Wife and this season has kept me gripped from the beginning to the end. And every ending, makes me look forward to the next episode. We can't all be Hollywood scriptwriters, but we can certainly learn something from them, about how to end on a high note.

There's a couple of things that you can do to make sure you end well.  If you started with a story, you could save the end of the story, for the end of your presentation. As human beings, we love closure and we always want to know what happened in the end.  I'm so bad that I actually read the end of a story, just to make sure I know what's going to happen (terrible habit I know).

Questions are a great way to start a presentation and so answering the question at the end of the presentation is another effective way of ending your presentation on a high note.

My favourite though, is to end with a powerful 'call to action'.  A call to action is just a way of inviting your audience to do something with the information you have given them. When you communicate effectively, the audience is already inspired and energised and your call to action taps into that. Depending on how powerful your call to action is, sometimes it can actually morph into a slogan, which is incredibly powerful.

So, as I end this week, I'm asking you: what will you do, with what I have just shared? Will you file it away, never to be re-visited, or will you use it in your next presentation? How have you used the tips I've been sharing for the past few weeks? Would you like some help becoming a more effective communicator? Then contact us on +234 706 335 0864 or through this site.


Until next time, speak up, because the world needs to hear your voice.