Public Speaking Course: 

How to Close a Speech

Professional public speakers know that a huge mistake you can make during your speech is talking too long. You will not only make your audience but you will send some of them off to never, never land. It doesn't matter whether your speech was given well and the audience came away with great information. If you talk too long, they will leave thinking, "That speaker just didn't know when to stop." Don't let this mistake happen to you! Say what you came to say and then sit down. You will learn a lot about using good closings during  my public speaking course, but here are a few tips to get you started.

A good closing is extremely important because the last thing you say is usually what the audience will remember when they leave. That means you need to put as much time into selecting and practicing your closing as you do the rest of  your presentation. Just like with your opening, your closing doesn't necessarily need to be funny or start with a joke. It could be motivational, challenging, thoughtful, or it could restate your main point or idea in a different way. This closing should have a very strong influence on what the audience will take home with them when you are finished.

Making an impact and being remembered by your audience is part of using what you learned in your public speaking course. To help your audience remember your speech, ask them to do something during the course of your presentation. Many a great NO ZZZZZs presentation went no further than the walls of the meeting room because the audience wasn't moved to action. If you haven't ask them to do something by the end of your presentation, the closing is your last chance.

If the topic allows, I like to use funny closings for several reasons. If you leave them laughing and applauding as you exit, you will leave a very positive lasting impression.
Another reason to leave the stage with them laughing is so the room won't be totally silent as you're walking back to your seat. I hate when that happens. I love laughter and feeling good so finishing a speech
in a funny way gives me and the audience an opportunity to feel good. Speeches that are for entertainment purposes only should generally leave the audience laughing. All of these are great tools you can practice during my public speaking course.

Lastly, if the topic is not appropriate to end with laughter, you
could end with a touching story or quotation that leaves the audience
thoughtful and quiet. Even the most serious topics can still benefit from humor, so learn to practice these skills in your public speaking course.  The humor should be well sprinkled throughout the body of the presentation. Don't put it at the end because closings are powerful and the audience will think your overall attitude toward the subject is flippant.

This same skill can be very effective in ending a mostly funny presentation. Have them laughing all along while you make your points. Then finish seriously. This contrast will create a great
impact. It will convey the fact that you believe in a lighthearted
approach to the subject, but the results are very serious to you.

Don't be afraid to use humor when you speak in public. Just make sure
you remember what you learned in your public speaking course  and deliver it right.

Home 
Articles Index