Public Speaking

Conclude with Impact (^133)

Signal the Ending

Just as your preview provides a transition to the speech body, your ending signal

provides a transition to your conclusion. Both beginning speakers and professionals use

common phrases such as in conclusion or finally. However, the following signal is more

creative:

I hope my information about safe water has given you a new respect for your own

drinking water and an awareness that others around the globe aren’t as lucky as

we are.^22 [Here, she transitions to the conclusion and restates her speech goal.]

You can also use nonverbal actions to signal that you’re nearing the end. For instance,

pause and shift your posture, or take a step back from the podium. A combination of

verbal and nonverbal elements generally works well.

Review Your Main Ideas

To fulfill the “Tell them what you said” axiom, briefly summarize or recap your main

ideas, but the key word is brief. The audience has already heard your speech, so don’t

repeat or add new supporting material. The following example is an effective review:

I have explained how lack of safe water is detrimental to the human body as well as to

communities, and how the nonprofit organization, Living Water, is combatting this

problem.

One common strategy is to combine your signal with your summary, as this example

shows:

In conclusion, [phrase signaling the end] hovercraft are low-friction machines, but

noise pollution, steering problems, and their inability to climb hills keep them from

being street legal^23 [restatement of major points].

Provide Psychological Closure

Linking your conclusion to something from your introduction brings the speech full

circle and provides your audience with a sense of psychological closure. Consequently,

look in your introduction for something that you could repeat at the end. For instance,

if you began with an example, you might return to it in the conclusion. Or you could

refer to startling statistics or to quotations you presented in the opening. Here’s how

Bonita began and ended her speech:^24

Opening. On July 3, 2003, a man and his family are driving their van down the road as

it is getting light. An oncoming driver has been driving since midnight; he tries to pass

a bus but fails to see the van coming toward him. Because he is tired, the would-be

passer cannot react quickly enough to slide back into his own lane, and his car collides

head-on with the van, killing the woman in the passenger seat.

Ending. I myself will avoid driving while tired because the woman who was killed in

the van that July morning was my mom. Next time you drive, consider those in the

cars around you and think of whose friend, mother, sister, or brother they are. Do

you really want others to go through pain and suffering simply so you can get to

your destination a little earlier?

You can access the entire text of this speech on your online resources and also watch

her deliver the speech as well.

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