Its crucial that the audience feels that you are enthusiastic and open for questions. Now comes the Q&A session, probably the most important element of a presentation, as it is this part that differentiates your talk from a video of you talking (you can’t ask questions to a video). The adrenaline that was racing through your body at the beginning has now worn off, your voice is tired and you’d love to sit down and have a beer. It’s only natural that you’ll feel tired when you get to the end of your talk. I know you’re tired, but finish with energy and enthusiasm. And many people will take photos of this slide with their phone to take home as a summary of your talk and to have your contact details.Ĥ. It will be interesting reading for them while you are answering questions they’re not interested in. Having all this information visible during the questions and answer (Q&A) session will help the audience think of questions to ask you. This slide is the only slide you use that can contain a lot of text, you’ll probably need to use bullet points to separate the text (this is the only slide you use that should have bullet-points!). It should also show your name and contact details. A summary slide shows all the main points you have made, along with your main argument and your call to action. When my wife gives me a birthday present I don’t make her a powerpoint to say thank you! The last slide you show, the one that should stay up until every last audience member has left the room, is your summary slide. “Thank you” should come from your mouth with a smile and with eye contact, putting it on a slide cheapens the sentiment and looks naff. Neither of these slides is a good idea and neither helps the audience in any way (every slide you show should help the audience understand what you are saying). Others finish with a slide that says “Questions?”. Some even include smiley faces or happy photos to make the slide more visual. I see so many presenters that show a slide that says “Thank you!” at the end of their talk. At the end of your talk take them back over what you’ve spoken about but don’t just list the different ideas you developed, show how they are related and how they support your main argument. An audience that doesn’t know the stages of the journey you are about to take them on will be less at ease than one that knows what lies ahead. Show how each of your main points support your overall argument.Īt the beginning of your talk, it’s important to map out the main ideas you will talk about. Doing this will give a sense of harmony and completeness to your talk.Ģ. This is the classic structure of a story that recounts a journey - the hero usually ends up back he started at the end of the movie. It completes the circle - you end up back where you started. Doing this will signal to the audience that you are coming to the end of your talk. Or, if you open with an impactful picture, show that image again at the end. Or, if you talk about a problem in a specific context at the beginning, refer back to that context at the beginning of your closing. One great way to do this is to begin your talk with the first half of a relevant personal story and end your talk with the second half. When you begin your closing section (your summary or conclusions), it’s a good idea to repeat or link to an idea from the opening of your talk. In this post I would like to talk about the five best practices for ending your talk confidently and with impact. The beginning is when you will grab the attention of the audience and hopefully persuade them you are worth listening to for the next 20 minutes, and the ending will be where you summarise your main points and key message in such a way that it will be easier for them to remember and take home. The most important sections of your presentation are the beginning and ending.
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