1. The Conclusion
“Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.”
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

2. The Purpose To let the audience know you are ending the speech
To reinforce the audience’s understanding of, or commitment to, the central idea

3. Signaling the End “In conclusion…” “One last thought…” “In closing…”
“Let me end by saying…”
“My purpose has been…”

4. Are you up for a challenge?
Let your audience know you are concluding through the manner of your delivery
The conclusion is the climax of the speech
Carefully build to a peak of interest and involvement and you will not need to say “in conclusion…”
Use voice (tone, pacing, intonation, and rhythm) and you can build the momentum of a speech so there is no doubt when it is over.

5. Advice for Effective Endings
Don’t end abruptly. “I’m done.” “That’s my speech.” “so yeah.” “That’s it.”
Conclude with a bang, not a whimper.
Be creative in devising a conclusion that hits the hearts and minds of your audience
Work on several possible endings; pick the best one.
Don’t be long winded. Should only be 5-10% of speech.
Don’t leave anything in your conclusion up to chance; REHEARSE IT. KNOW IT.

6. Techniques for Conclusions
Summary
Recommendation
Quote
Question
Appeal
Crescendo ending
Challenge
Dissolving ending
Story
Refer to introduction

7. “Just as the comedian should leave ‘em laughing, the speaker should leave ‘em thinking.”

8. Summary—say things in a new way
Quote—can be from someone famous, but doesn’t have to be
Appeal—what can you say about your topic that your audience would find appealing?
Challenge—propose a challenge to your audience
Story—use a story to reinforce your argument
Recommendation—suggest to your audience that they do something/think a certain thought
Question—ask your audience a rhetorical question that makes them think
Refer to Introduction—bring up something specific you stated in the intro to bring the speech full circle

9. Challenge
Challenge your audience to apply what you have told them in the speech.If you were concluding a speech on the importance of taking action, you could say:
“Let’s turn from spectators into participants. Let’s recall the inspiring words of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt who said:
‘Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to remain with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.’
We have too much to do to sit on the sidelines. We need you to step out of the gray twilight into the bright sunshine so that we can all see the dawn of a new day.”

10. Refer to the Introduction
“Remember those bubbles that four year old held so gently in his hands? Well now those same gentle hands are now poised skillfully around the hearts of hundreds of people. Today he is a heart surgeon.”

11. Quotation
Use a famous quotation to harness the audience’s attention, much like turning on a spotlight. For example, if you were concluding a speech on the importance of maintaining self confidence in the face of adversity, you could say:
“We have to be like the bird –the bird that author Victor Hugo one observed – the bird that pauses in its flight awhile, on boughs too light, – on a branch that is likely to break– feels that branch break, yet sings, knowing she hath wings.”

12. Sample Crescendo ending: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UV1fs8lAbg
your-speech/
10 volunteers will read a sample conclusion—you take a guess!

13. Inserting Transitions
Purpose: form a bridge between the parts of your speech
Appear between your intro and your first main point and then again between your main points and finally between your last main point and your conclusion (in some cases).
Internal transitions are used between words and/or sentences and tell the audience how ideas may be related
External transitions tell your audience that one main idea is ending and another is beginning

14. Transitions: The Do’s and Don’ts
NEVER SAY “FIRST OFF”
Never conclude by saying “so yeah. I’m done.”
“First of all,”
“In the beginning,”
“Next,”
“Therefore,”
“Furthermore”
“In addition”
“Primarily”
“To begin”
“Additionally”