Effective Presentation Tips: the End is the Beginning

What you say last is what people remember. Use these Effective Presentation tips to create compelling endings for your presentations.

Effective Presentations Inspire Action

Effective presentations have purpose. As the presenter, your job is to arm the audience with information that inspires them to act, whether it’s resolving a project challenge or simply keeping the office kitchen tidier. Whatever you need to communicate, the end of your presentation signifies a new beginning for the audience in terms of the actions they will start to take.  

Inspiring others to act requires a compelling argument with emotional power. Treat the final minutes of your presentation like the climax of a good book or film with our five simple tips for a fabulous finish.

Six Effective Presentation Tips

• 1 Summarise
• 2 Never Add New Material
• 3 10-20-30 Rule of Thumb
• 4 Specify a Call to Action
• 5 Craft a Poignant Final Sentence
• 6 Speak from the Heart 

1. Summarise 

A twenty-minute presentation can cover a lot of ground, and audiences cannot be expected to remember every detail. They need a little help. 

Effective presentations are like funnels. Think of the summary or conclusion of your presentation as the neck of the funnel where you distill the content down to five key takeaway messages. Summaries and conclusions need to be short, so craft those messages with maximum brevity. You want to be saying as much as possible in the fewest number of words.  

Here’s another great tip. Why not write the takeaway messages first and use them to structure the overall presentation? This will help you create a clear and logical progression of ideas. 

2. Never Add New Material

Once you begin your summary or conclusion, avoid introducing new content such as additional explanations or “by the ways”. Unfortunately, these give your audience new things to think about at the very moment they should be reflecting on the messages already delivered.  

Adding new material at the end can also confuse an audience about what the primary messages of your presentation are. If you discover an additional point that seems valuable, then simply write it into the main body of the presentation. Never say “In conclusion” unless you really mean to finish.

3. 10-20-30 Rule of Thumb

An easy way to keep your presentation tight and impactful is to follow the 10-20-30 rule

• 10 Slides
  Nobody can absorb and retain more than ten visual images
• 20 Minutes
  Everyone’s attention begins to fade after this remarkably short period of time.
• 30 point Font
  Use a big font. The short-sighted people at the back will thank you for it.

10 Slides – 20 Minutes – 30 Font

4. Specify a Call to Action

Your most effective presentation tip is your call to action. You must clearly define the actions that the audience should take, so always start by asking yourself, “what do I want my audience to do as a result of this presentation?” 

For example, if your presentation is about donating blood as part of a corporate social responsibility initiative, the main body would cover the reasons for doing so, the conclusion would sum up those reasons, and the call to action would urge colleagues to get involved. 

Endings can be even more effective if you obtain some form of commitment from the audience. For example, you could say “raise your hand if you’re going to give blood when the bloodmobile is here next Monday.” 

5. Craft a Poignant Final Sentence

Effective presentations are memorable and motivational, so try to leave the audience with a compelling final sentence. Ideally, communicate the benefits of taking the action for both the organisation and individual. 

Using quotes from well-known relevant figures can be powerful as they evoke a sense of shared human understanding. A simple, thought-provoking idea lets the audience know how to begin once the presentation is over. 

6. Speak from the Heart

To evoke the strongest possible emotional reaction in your audience, the call to action should come from you rather than your presentation slides or notes.  

As you start your summary or conclusion, make sure you speak directly to the audience, and try to make eye contact with as many people as possible. If you are standing, move towards them to enhance the sense of connection. 

Even if you use a thought-provoking quote from another person at the end of your presentation, it should feel like one that inspires you personally.  

Effective Presentation Tips Summary

To deliver effective presentations, summarise the most important messages adding no new information that risks confusing the audience. 10 slides – 20 minutes – 30 point size. Specify your call to action, and then wrap up with a compelling final sentence that is spoken from the heart. After all, a single well-crafted sentence has the power to change someone’s life. 

We have many other informative articles on these topics, including our seven laws of presentation skills. 

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