You conclusion is just as important in your speech, but I find that most people tend to neglect their conclusions in speaking and in writing. We are so close to being done, we can see the finish line and we just want to sprint for it and revel in triumphant glory. In reality, all this is going to do is leave your audience confused and unsettled due to the abrupt ending of the speech. "Is it over? Is that the end? Just like that? How awkward." The opposite can be just as awkward, when the speaker doesn't know how to wrap it up, and they meander through their conclusion like a drunk trying to say goodbye at the neighborhood block party. Sometimes people can't just shut up and go home.
Instead, what you want to do is restate your thesis, briefly remind your audience of your main points, and give them something to think about. With regards to your thesis, generally you want to be bringing your main points back to the thesis throughout the speech, so your audience should have a pretty good idea of what you are talking about. But bring it on home. Remind them that this is the Granddaddy of all of your points, and that everything you have been speaking about comes back to this. main. point.
Restating your main points will allow you to capitalize on the recency effect so that your audience walks away remembering your topic sentences instead of letting them get lost in the wild tundra of your speech. hogtie those ideas that have been wandering around and hand them back to the audience.
You conclusion is your last chance to leave a good, lasting impression on your audience, so seize the opportunity. Give them some closure. Don't just leave them hanging there with something like, "Ummm....yeah. there ya go." And if you've really got finesse, you can give them closure WHILE giving them something to think about. The book has a few great suggestions for this, including (but not limited to!) ending with a quote, make a dramatic statement, and reinforcing the speaker-audience connection.
Spending some time on your conclusion will ensure that you end your speech on a chord that resolves the dissonance that was your speech symphony. Don't start stumbling around the finish line. Hit it and hit it good.
I can completely relate to this post. I a week ago or so I had to give a speech for my Comm 2 class. My speech was well prepared, and I had a great conclusion. What I was not counting on was that I was running out of time. When the teacher gave me the "one-minute-left" warning I freaked out and just jumped to the last paragraph. When I was done with my speech no one clapped or anything, they didn't realize that I was done after a huge pause. That's when I realize that I had not done a good job on my conclusion. Maybe I should have said: "in conclusion" or something like that. I definitely learned that you have to make clear for the audience that you are ending your speech and make it memorable.
ReplyDeleteI agree, conclusions are usually overlooked when someone is done with their speech. I have that same problem with my conclusions in my speeches. I will usually go over my time limit so I will end up rushing through it or I will completely forget what I was going to say. I need to polish up my conclusion better, since what I say at the end will either be thought provoking enough that the audience will remember what I said, or they will completely forget what my speech was about once I finish since I did not finish it properly.
ReplyDeleteI think it's pretty natural for most people to get stuck on their conclusion. I know for me personally, it's one of the hardest parts, but you are right, it's just as important as the rest of your speech. I am going to try to work on a way to not just review the main points, but to conclude it in a way that the audience will continue to think about it after it's over. I think during the conclusion is also a time when people start staring at the time cards, which makes us nervous and want to speed through it. I think if we keep in mind how important it is, and try to treat it as part of the main speech, not just a way to be over and done, it will all flow, and we will all do a great job.
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