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Brian Tracy shares four techniques for ending a speech powerfully: using a call to action, summarizing key points, telling a story, and inspiring the audience.
Brian Tracy shares four techniques for ending a speech powerfully: using a call to action, summarizing key points, telling a story, and inspiring the audience.
Hello, I'm Brian Tracy, and as you know, I've done more than 5,000 seminars to more than 5 million people in 70 countries over the years. And I know a little bit about the subject. So I want to give you four ways that you can use to end a speech with a bang so that it ends with people really happy that you spoke to them. Your final words at the end of your talk can have an extreme impact on your audience. Carefully chosen, your final words can cause your audience to think and feel and act differently than they would have without your influence. Very often it is your final words which are the message that your audience remembers the longest. So one of the best ways to close your talk is to end with a call to action. A call to action is the best way to wrap up your talk with strength and power. Remember, the whole purpose of professional speaking is to get people to take an action that they would not have taken in the absence of your speaking. So you must be clear, what action do I want these people to take? It's almost like a sales presentation is. At the end of your sales presentation, the action that you want the person to take is to buy your product. At the end of a speech, your action that you want them to take is you want them to do what you are suggesting that they do. So, for example, a closing statement with a powerful call to action is, we have great challenges and great opportunities, and with your help, we will meet them and make this next year the best year in our history. That's a great way for a manager or director or even the chairman of the board to. To end a talk about the state of the business. Whatever you say, imagine an exclamation point at the end. As you approach the conclusion of your talk, pick up your energy and tempo. Speak with strength and emphasis. Drive the final point home. Another effective way to close your talk is with a quick summary. As you approach the end of your talk, you can say something like, let me briefly restate these main points that we just talked about. And then use your fingers. You then list your key points one by one and repeat them to the audience, showing how each of them links in to each of the other points. Audiences enjoy a linear presentation or a repetition of what they have just heard. This makes it clear that you're coming to the end of your talk, and it also reminds them of your key points so it's easier for them to remember and take action. So you can also close with a story. As you reach the end of your talk, you can say, let me tell you a story that illustrates what I've been talking about. People love stories. You then tell a brief story with a moral and tell the audience what the moral is so it's clear this is the point of the story. Don't leave it to them to figure it out for themselves. Often you can close with a story that illustrates your key points and that clearly links back to the key message that you're making with your speech. Another way to close your talk is to close it with inspiration. If you have given an uplifting talk, remember that hope is and always has been the great religion of mankind. People love to be motivated and inspired to be and do something different and better in the future. Thanks for watching. What are some of the ways that you have closed a talk or a presentation? Please comment below. We'd love to hear from you. If you'd like to see more videos like this, please subscribe to my YouTube channel.
