February 10th, 2010
While it’s true that the most critical part of a presentation is a riveting opening, what you’re most likely to be remembered for is actually your closing. Here are some tips for creating a killer closing.
Grabbing your audience with a stellar opening is essential for getting their attention early on, leading your listeners to sit up and take notice. But the closing of your presentation (also called “the takeaway”) is your opportunity to drive home your most essential one to three key points.
Here are our top 3 tips for nailing the takeaway:
1 – Create a simple yet memorable summary slide.
Too often, presenters try to cram their top 8 or so points onto a single summary slide or — worse yet — use multiple summary slides. Remember that in most cases, your summary slide will remain visible longer than any other slide, so take full advantage of that extended screen time to really drive home your key point (no more than 3 key points). If possible, find a humourous or remarkable image to cement the point into their memories.
2 – Begin with the end in mind.
Before sitting down to draft your presentation, ask yourself this question: If I could only give my audience one key point as a takeaway, what would it be? Build your presentaion around that key point, and be sure it’s front and center on your summary slide.
3 – Repetition is key. Repetition is key. Repitition is key.
While it would certainly become annoying to simply repeat the same statement sequentially, repeating a key statement (short, simple, easy to remember, all-encompassing) throughout your presentation will make it that much memorable once the meeting is adjourned. We are bombarded with so many bits of information every day that repetition is usually necessary to make something stick with us. Create a simple summary statement that concisely and effectively makes your point. “Upsells create more revenue for all of us.” “In sales, repeat the positive and immediately dismiss the negative.” “Women are our largest buyer market, so we must market to women.”
Now you should be equipped to nail that all-important summary slide and really drive that takeaway point home. Go get ‘em, Ace!
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