232 11.2 ConClUdinG YoUr speeCh
In Chapter 10, you read the extended illustration Matt used to open his
speech on the dangers associated with BPA. He concluded the speech by refer-
ring to that introduction:
What would Algeta have said to me if I were to tell her that her healthy
lifestyle would be the same reason that she would die one day? Well,
she was my grandmother. I knew her very well, and she was completely
stubborn, so she would have called me crazy... but today I’m going to
let you decide what her answer should have been.^8
Matt’s conclusion alludes to his introduction to make his speech memorable, to
motivate his audience to respond, and to provide closure.Inspirational Appeals or Challenges
Another way to end your speech is to issue an inspirational appeal or chal-
lenge to your listeners, rousing them to an emotional pitch at the conclusion of
the speech. The conclusion becomes the climax. Speechwriter and communica-
tion consultant James W. Robinson explains why such conclusions can work
well:
It’s almost as if, for a few brief moments [the audience] escape from the
stressful demands of our high-pressure world and welcome your gifts:
insightful vision, persuasive rhetoric, a touch of philosophy, a little
emotion, and yes, even a hint of corniness.^9
One famous example of a concluding inspirational appeal comes from
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Dream” speech, for which you can read the entire tran-
script in Appendix B. That King’s conclusion was both inspiring and memorable
has been affirmed by the growing fame of his closing passage through the years
since he delivered the speech.
In his 2013 commencement speech to the graduates of Elon University,
which included his son Doug, NBC anchor Brian Williams talked about his
recent visit to tornado-devastated Moore, Oklahoma. Williams told the gradu-
ates that he had met there with a father whose 9-year-old son had been killed
by the tornado. As he concluded his speech, Williams noted that the Oklahoma
father would give anything he had simply to be able to toss a baseball back
and forth with his lost son. Williams then produced a baseball from under-
neath his ceremonial robes and tossed it to his own son, proposing that the two
have a game of catch when they returned home after the ceremony. Conscious
of his entire audience, Williams ended the speech after this powerful symbolic
gesture by affirming to listeners that tragedies, as well as joyful events such as
graduations, can serve as reminders to us all to be mindful of the importance
of how and with whom we choose to spend our time.^10
Both King’s and Williams’s inspiring conclusions reemphasized their cen-
tral ideas in a memorable way, provided closure to their speeches, and inspired
their listeners.