When you give a presentation, how does the audience know you're done? If you're half-heartedly saying, "any questions?" as a means to signal that you're done speaking, then you're missing the opportunity to finish strong.
Here are techniques for ending your presentation strongly so the audience knows you're done:
USE CLEAR ORGANIZATION
Like your writing,
your presentation should have an introduction, body (with your supporting
points), and then the conclusion. The easiest
way to organize your material is to have a certain number of points, like three
tips or four steps, so the audience can follow along and know how many more
points you have to present.
SET THE AUDIENCE'S EXPECTATIONS
Be clear and
deliberate about what you're doing and tell the audience. For example, in your introduction, you could
say, "For the next 30 minutes, I'll share with you the five reasons we
should replace our current paper-based process with the new electronic
process. Please hold your questions and
I'll be happy to answer them near the end of the presentation and then I'll
finish with one action step you can take to get comfortable with the new
process."
AVOID ABRUPT ENDINGS
Don't just suddenly
stop speaking; instead give the audience cues that the end is near, such as
"in conclusion" or "my final point this morning is..." (And
avoid giving "false" cues, like saying "in conclusion," and
then going on for another ten minutes.)
USE WORDS & BODY LANGUAGE TO SHOW THAT YOU'RE DONE
Pause before your final sentence and make it strong and declarative. End with a powerful conclusion such as a call to action or a strong reiteration of your message and its importance to the audience. Even if you end with a rhetorical question, ask it deliberately. Use a strong voice that's loud enough to be heard, make eye contact, stand confidently and smile. When you finish speaking, hold the eye contact and your posture for a few seconds.
EXAMPLES OF CONCLUSION SENTENCES
· "As
I've demonstrated today, the three year projection for the business is bright
and we expect to continue our excellent performance."
· "As
we've discussed today, there are 5 steps to the process of preparing and
delivering an effective presentation.
Following these steps will help you be a more powerful and effective
presenter."
Speak to the meeting
organizer well before your presentation to understand what comes next and who
you should transition to after you finish speaking.
If at all possible,
avoid taking questions at the very end of your presentation – doing so shifts
the energy away from you and can also result in a negative conclusion, especially
if you get an off-base or hostile question which you have to reply to
defensively. You also have lost the
benefit of a strong close if the questions just trail off into silence and you
have to say, "…ok, no more questions?"
Decide with the
meeting organizer before your presentation whether you will have time for
questions. If so, take questions near the end of your presentation instead
of at the end. In order to do this, you'll need a
mini-conclusion before you take questions so you can summarize your points and
transition to the questions. Then after you're
finished answering questions, transition back to your presentation for a final
conclusion, which allows you to have the final say and leave the audience with
a strong restatement of your message.
So your presentation outline would look something like:
· Introduction
· Body
o
Point 1
o
Point 2
o
Point 3
o
Mini-conclusion
· Questions
and answers
· Transition
back to presentation
· Conclusion
(Thanks to
professional speaker and consulting guru, Alan Weiss, www.summitconsultinggroup.com
who first introduced me to the idea of not ending a presentation with the
question-and-answer format.)
SAY "THANK YOU" IF YOU WANT AND IF IT'S APPROPRIATE
Some people and organizations
are very strict about whether presenters should end by thanking the
audience. I think either way is fine, as
long as it makes sense for that audience and your choice is deliberate. A
feeble, half-whispered "thank you…" that trails off uncertainly at
the end is not effective.
The next time you're preparing a presentation, also prepare and practice how you will conclude. Ending your presentation strongly will improve the effectiveness of your presentation and clearly signal to the audience that you're done.