When you are putting together a presentation, it is natural to focus heavily on the beginning. You want to hook your audience from the start, giving people a good reason to engage with the meat of your speech that follows. Setting the tone for your presentation is important—but not at the expense of considering its ending.
Presenters Needed To Build Their Own Online Business
If your presentation ends with a fizzle rather than a bang, you risk negating all the information that came before—and the energy you put into delivering it. It turns out how you choose to end your presentation has an effect on retention and audience perception, so it behooves you to put just as much thought into the final stages as you do your opener.
Consider these five ways to close your presentation on a strong note to improve reception and boost sales.
Provide Follow-Up Resources
One of the signs that a presenter has successfully connected with their audience is that people want more information. They may even ask questions like “Where can I get more information on this topic?” or “How can I follow up on X subject you discussed in your presentation?”
One way to end your presentation is by giving people the tools to keep exploring your topic. If you cited a specific resource during your presentation that might be helpful for deeper comprehension, put it on your last slide along with explicit details on how to find it. Avoid linking chunky URLs or jamming your final slide with follow-up resources, however; it is more effective to stick to the basics so people can jot down only what they need as a jumping-off point in their notes.
Refer Back To Your Opening
There is immense narrative value in bringing your presentation full circle. For the most part, we have been conditioned to expect neatly wrapped endings within the media we consume. So, as a presenter, you can tap into this structure as you are designing your talk.
You have a few choices here in how exactly you utilize this strategy, including:
- Set up an anecdote at the beginning to introduce your content; save its ending for the finale of your presentation.
- Ask a thought-provoking question right away relating to the content you’re about to present, then check back to see if people’s answers have changed.
- Outline a case study or real-world example of whatever you’re talking about; share the outcome at the end.
Crowdsource Feedback With A Live Poll
2 Ending your presentation with a classic slide titled “Any Questions?” can actually derail your momentum. Why? First of all, it’s very open-ended. You’ll also have to call on people one at a time or figure out a pass-the-mic system for larger audiences.
A more efficient approach is turning your questions slide into an interactive live poll, allowing everyone with a question or comment to respond in real time using their mobile devices. From there, you can address the top pieces of feedback to round out your presentation.
Ask A Rhetorical Question
We’ve covered setting up your presentation with a question right off the bat, but you can also ask a rhetorical question as your closer. This strategy works because people can incorporate what they’ve learned in your presentation into their internal responses to this final question. It also gives them a guidepost for contextualizing the content you’ve shared through careful consideration of the why as well as the what.
Ask The Audience To Take Specific Action
If your presentation is persuasive in action, a simple yet effective closer to is reiterate the action you’d like people to take as a result. This call to action aims to turn the content you’ve shared into tangible results.
Present With Power And Persuasion
A presentation can make or break your business so your close needs to have a sound strategy. Choose from these five ways to close your presentation on a strong note based on the nature of your presentation and its goals.
I hope you enjoyed this article about ways to close your business presentation on a strong note to boost lead generation and sales.
Interested in more articles about smarter sales strategies?
Read My Related Posts:
- Top Lead Generation Tips To Grow Sales
- Tips To Promote Your Business On Social Networks
If your presentation ends with a fizzle rather than a bang, you risk negating all the information that came before—and the energy you put into delivering it. It turns out how you choose to end your presentation has an effect on retention and audience perception, so it behooves you to put just as much thought into the final stages as you do your opener.
Consider these five ways to close your presentation on a strong note to improve reception and boost sales.
Provide Follow-Up Resources
One of the signs that a presenter has successfully connected with their audience is that people want more information. They may even ask questions like “Where can I get more information on this topic?” or “How can I follow up on X subject you discussed in your presentation?”
One way to end your presentation is by giving people the tools to keep exploring your topic. If you cited a specific resource during your presentation that might be helpful for deeper comprehension, put it on your last slide along with explicit details on how to find it. Avoid linking chunky URLs or jamming your final slide with follow-up resources, however; it is more effective to stick to the basics so people can jot down only what they need as a jumping-off point in their notes.
Refer Back To Your Opening
There is immense narrative value in bringing your presentation full circle. For the most part, we have been conditioned to expect neatly wrapped endings within the media we consume. So, as a presenter, you can tap into this structure as you are designing your talk.
You have a few choices here in how exactly you utilize this strategy, including:
- Set up an anecdote at the beginning to introduce your content; save its ending for the finale of your presentation.
- Ask a thought-provoking question right away relating to the content you’re about to present, then check back to see if people’s answers have changed.
- Outline a case study or real-world example of whatever you’re talking about; share the outcome at the end.
Crowdsource Feedback With A Live Poll
2 Ending your presentation with a classic slide titled “Any Questions?” can actually derail your momentum. Why? First of all, it’s very open-ended. You’ll also have to call on people one at a time or figure out a pass-the-mic system for larger audiences.
A more efficient approach is turning your questions slide into an interactive live poll, allowing everyone with a question or comment to respond in real time using their mobile devices. From there, you can address the top pieces of feedback to round out your presentation.
Ask A Rhetorical Question
We’ve covered setting up your presentation with a question right off the bat, but you can also ask a rhetorical question as your closer. This strategy works because people can incorporate what they’ve learned in your presentation into their internal responses to this final question. It also gives them a guidepost for contextualizing the content you’ve shared through careful consideration of the why as well as the what.
Ask The Audience To Take Specific Action
If your presentation is persuasive in action, a simple yet effective closer to is reiterate the action you’d like people to take as a result. This call to action aims to turn the content you’ve shared into tangible results.
Present With Power And Persuasion
A presentation can make or break your business so your close needs to have a sound strategy. Choose from these five ways to close your presentation on a strong note based on the nature of your presentation and its goals.
I hope you enjoyed this article about ways to close your business presentation on a strong note to boost lead generation and sales.
Interested in more articles about smarter sales strategies?
Read My Related Posts:
- Top Lead Generation Tips To Grow Sales
- Tips To Promote Your Business On Social Networks
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