October 7, 2026
A strong presentation deserves a strong ending. Your conclusion is your final opportunity to reinforce your message, connect with your audience and inspire them to act. Learn how to finish your speech with purpose—and leave your audience knowing exactly what you want them to remember and do next.
October 1, 2026
In early 2020, I helped an organization pivot a major conference for more than 1,000 attendees from in-person to completely virtual. What began as a stressful challenge became a powerful lesson in virtual communication—and why mastering the screen has become an essential leadership skill.
January 28, 2021
Often, when I tell someone to “Keep Dreaming,” it comes from a sarcastic place and means “this will never happen.” However, as I reflect on the crazy, challenging year we all experienced in 2020, I think it’s time to get back to our dreams literally. At the beginning of 2020, I had big dreams. I […]
December 16, 2020
I was very disappointed with the op-ed written by The Wall Street Journal reporter Joseph Epstein suggesting that Jill Biden drop the “Dr.” before her name: “Dr. Jill Biden sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic,” wrote Epstein, who opened his op-ed by addressing President-elect Joe Biden’s wife as “Madame First Lady—Mrs. […]
November 19, 2020
We often spend hours laboring over what we are going to say or finetuning the words in our presentations. While planning and reviewing our content are always important, verbal communication isn’t the only thing that matters. The feelings and reactions your body conveys through facial expressions, gestures and body movements, vocal tone and volume are […]
October 12, 2020
When it comes to negotiating, I sometimes feel like Sophia from the movie, The Color Purple, “All my life I’ve had to fight…” Whether it’s negotiating a contract, buying a house or going back and forth on getting the best job offer, negotiating can be uncomfortable for many of us. A friend recently reflected on […]
July 23, 2020
As we are all experiencing high anxiety during this pandemic, it is sometimes difficult to step back and find the bright spots. I am in a national women’s organization. The nearly 100-year old organization is focused on friendship and community service. A few weeks ago, approximately 15 of our chapter members came together for a […]
June 18, 2020
My last blog post, entitled “Fighting for Change” highlighted several encounters I have experienced from childhood through adulthood as an African American in the United States. The sad thing is, I still have racist experiences from time to time. For instance, a store clerk questioning whether I can afford something. Or worse yet, being followed […]
June 3, 2020
The past few weeks have been unsettling. First, Covid-19 forced us to stay at home, and we became masked-people. Then we witnessed on national TV the senseless murder of George Floyd. Now, protest marches have sprung up across the country crying for justice.
April 16, 2020
Last week I joined a virtual happy hour with my homegirls from Pittsburgh. Amid this #Shelterinplace situation, it was a pleasure to connect with friends that I have known for more than 40 years all at one time. A big shout out to my friend Marcia for bringing us together via Zoom. It’s been a while […]
Have you ever listened to a great presentation, only to have the speaker end with:
“Well…that’s all I have. Any questions?”
Just like that, all the energy disappears.
Your conclusion is one of the most important parts of your presentation because it’s your final opportunity to connect with your audience. Yet many speakers spend hours working on their opening and slides—and almost no time thinking about how they’re going to finish.
Don’t just stop speaking. Finish with purpose.
Before you conclude, remind your audience why they should care.
You don’t need to repeat your entire presentation. Instead, reinforce the one idea you want them to remember.
Ask yourself:
If my audience remembers only one thing I said today, what do I want it to be?
Then make that idea the centerpiece of your conclusion.
I once coached a senior leader who was preparing to roll out a new business strategy at a quarterly employee meeting.
He knew the strategy inside and out. He could explain the business objectives, the priorities and where the organization was headed. But as we worked through his presentation, something was missing.
He was telling them where the company was going, but he wasn’t helping them understand their role in getting there. So I asked him a simple question:
“When employees walk out of that room, what do you want them to do differently?”
That changed the conversation. Instead of simply concluding with another summary of the strategy, we focused his ending on the employees—the role they would play, what was expected of them and why their contribution mattered. That’s an important lesson for any speaker. Your audience shouldn’t leave your presentation thinking, That was interesting.
You want them thinking, I understand what this means for me—and I know what I need to do next.
One of my favorite techniques is to connect your ending to your opening. If you started with a story, tell us how the story ended. If you asked a question, answer it. If you shared a surprising statistic, return to it and put it into perspective. This creates a sense of completion. Your presentation feels intentional rather than simply finished.
Great presentations don’t just give people information. They encourage people to do something with it.
Your call to action doesn’t have to be dramatic. It might be: “Before your next presentation, identify the one thing you want your audience to remember.”
Or: “This week, have the conversation you’ve been avoiding.”
Be specific. Your audience should leave knowing what their next step is.
People may forget your bullet points, but they’ll often remember a good story. A short personal story, client experience, leadership lesson or moment of realization can create an emotional connection to your message. Just remember:
The story isn’t the point. The lesson is the point.
Make sure your audience understands how the story connects to them.
Here’s something I encourage every speaker I coach to do: Write your final sentence.
Don’t leave it to chance. Your last sentence should sound like a last sentence. It might challenge your audience, inspire them, reinforce your message or leave them with a thought-provoking question. And once you say it…
Stop. Pause. Look at your audience. Let the words land.
Don’t weaken a powerful conclusion by adding, “So…yeah…that’s pretty much it.”
Think of your presentation as a great movie. You wouldn’t want to watch an engaging story for two hours only to have the screen suddenly go black. Your audience deserves an ending. So, the next time you’re preparing a presentation, don’t spend all your time figuring out how you’re going to start. Ask yourself: How do I want my audience to feel, think or act when I finish?
Then build your conclusion around that answer. Because people may not remember every word you said.
But when you finish with purpose, you give them a reason to remember your message—and a reason to act on it.
Hi! I'm LaNella Hooper-Williams. Through my blog, my mission is to give you tips and practical tools that will help you build a powerful brand and accomplish your personal and professional dreams. You’ll learn strategies that help you manage your personal brand, get noticed and rewarded for your unique talents, and gain greater career focus.
