As crucial as the beginning of a speech presentation is, the conclusion of your speech is what you leave your audience with. This may appear to be a straightforward task because, after all, you could just say thank you at the conclusion of your presentation, right? Both yes and no. Yes, since practically every presentation can be concluded by saying thank you and going away. No, because it is not unique and you should aim to make your thank you note a memorable element of your presentation. Here are 5 ways to make that “thank you” as memorable as possible.
Why is a good thank you important?
According to research, people are more likely to recall the beginning and finish of anything than the activities that occurred in between.
As a result, the beginning and finish of your presentation are critical since those are the areas that the majority of people will remember the most. A sincere thank you leaves a lasting effect on the audience, and it is a sentiment they carry with them.
8 Ways to say “Thank You”
1. Appreciate the audience
This is the simplest way of saying thanks. In this form of giving thanks, the speaker thanks the audience for giving him the time of the day, and for being attentive. An example of this would be, “Thank you for being here today, I really appreciate that you took the time to be here and listen to my presentation”. It can also be something short and sincere, like a “Thank you very much!”
2. Summary
When concluding an oration, an age-old approach of finishing your presentation is to summarise major aspects of your speech. It’s a closing tactic used by presenters and authors to guarantee their audience recalls their primary message.
With lectures and conventional presentation thank you speeches, including a summary for closure is fairly typical. That’s because, no matter how wonderful your presentation was, you’ll have to remind your audience of what you talked about.
A satisfactory thanks can be produced by reiterating a topic or significant concept from the introduction. The speaker may appear to be coming full circle to the audience, signalling the end of the discussion.
3. Call-To-Action
A call to action is a brief, straightforward remark intended to elicit an instant reaction from the listener. It is a great way to finish a presentation. A CTA should state clearly what you require of your audience, as well as why you’re providing the presentation in the first place.
Your CTA doesn’t have to be difficult to understand. It might even be as basic as asking your followers to like your social media pages. Alternatively, you may ask them to join your email list.
Alternatively, as can be seen in this Leonardo Di Caprio speech, a call to action can also be a wake up call asking the crowd to do something about the topic.
4. Quote
A quotation is commonly used as a presentation ender to leave the audience with a memorable ending. There are two methods to use quotes. In the first type, the speaker can use a quote that has already been spoken by someone else. A quote that is pertinent to the presentation will increase the audience’s understanding of the issue. We can see an example of this in the speech given by Dr Meenakshi Chaudhary.
The other way to use quotes is to make your own. It is to say something confidently, indicating that this is not merely the finish of the speech, but also a memorable piece of dialogue. At the conclusion of his address, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the famous phrase “Free At Last!”
5. Rule of Three
The Rule of Three is a fantastic public speaking method that you can learn, practise, and adjust to any circumstance rapidly. The Rule of Three is a fundamental notion that argues that giving your audience three thoughts in a row is more engaging, pleasant, and remembered. Information given in a group of three sticks with us longer than information given in other groups.
To learn how to unlock the full potential of this incredibly powerful tool, read up on our article about it here.
6. Emotional
A thank you that appeals to emotion is as memorable as it gets. Emotions might range from humour to wholesomeness, or they can be a moment of realisation. In this speech by Sam Berns, in which he discusses how to live a happy life, he expresses his gratitude by bringing a lighthearted twist and a heartfelt conclusion to an otherwise serious presentation.
In another example, Obama appeals to the crowd with feelings of hope and change. He promises betterment and says thanks by leaving them with an optimistic memory.
7. A Trust-Builder
This is a niche way of ending a presentation, usually used only by professionals or companies who wish to express their clientage. If you have said something which makes people question you or your presentation in any way, you can end your speech or presentation with a reminder of who you are, or how valid your presentation content is.
8. Question
Giving the audience a thought-provoking question at the conclusion of your presentation is a fantastic method to ensure that they remember it for a long time. Ensure the question is relevant to the circumstance at hand, and your audience will think about the replies after hearing them.
Important Tips to Remember While saying Thank You.
- Remain professional: Just because the presentation is ending, it doesn’t allow the presenter to go back to a casual form. Stay professional and use the same language you have in the rest of the presentation.
- Perfectly time it: Timing is critical to a thank you. The thank-you shouldn’t go on for too long, and it shouldn’t be small enough to be something the audience can miss.
- Be polite: Doesn’t really need a lot of explaining. By keeping the ending polite we eliminate the possibility of offending anyone, and we win over the majority of the crowd.
- Don’t make grammatical errors: The last thing you want is to confuse your audience. Saying thank you should be something simple, memorable, and grammatically correct. Mistakes at the end will be remembered more than the content since it is at the end of the presentation.
- Personalise: Using a copy and paste thank you message after a presentation is pretty lazy. Instead, construct a one-of-a-kind, personalised thank you card that is tailored to the recipient.
- Stay on Topic: Make sure you remember and stay on topic. Don’t end on a tangent, come back to the core message.
How to say Thank You in a Powerpoint Presentation
Typically, presenters do not give their ‘Thank you’ slides any attention. A ‘Thank You’ slide does not have to mark the conclusion of your presentation; it might represent a summary or the beginning of a commercial partnership.
- Summary: You may quickly summarise the things you mentioned during the presentation on your ‘Thank you’ page. This is considerably more likely to assist your audience to remember your message than a simple ‘Thank you.’
- Build Trust: Making a duplicate of your business card on the screen is an easy approach to stay in your audience’s memory even after the presentation is over. If you’re giving a corporate presentation, your Thank You slide might simply be a large logo of your corporation with your contact information next to it.
- CTA: Instead of a dull ‘Thank you,’ have the ‘Next steps’ or ‘How to order’ slide as your final slide. If your presentation was strong, this slide will generally prompt lots of new useful questions that will assist you to make your argument.
How to Send a Thank You E-mail
Following a presentation, it’s critical to send a thank-you email. It validates the organisers’ approach to you, and it also helps you strengthen your field contacts. A thank-you email should be brief and to the point, and it should include your name. This is due to the fact that individuals receive too many spam emails and are too busy to read long emails.
To get your idea through in the shortest amount of time, include your gratitude in the subject line. Your subject line might be as straightforward as “Thank you for asking me to speak at Event Name,” or it could be more sensitive and specific. Lastly, don’t forget to add an email signature to end it in a professional manner.
Should you say Thank You?
A thank you is seen as polite and should usually be used, but it depends on the context. In business and conferences, say thank you and add a slide. For toastmaster’s speeches, the general consensus is to not add a thank you. The Thank You feels suitable and necessary in the following situations:
- When you have an audience that is sitting in voluntarily.
- If members of your audience had to travel to see you.
- If you’re thanking your staff for their hard work, use this phrase.
Instead, when in situations like these, it is better not to say thank you:
- A thank you will be callous and improper if your presentation contains bad news.
- It’s best to close with a follow-up rather than a thank you slide when you need to assign a job or leave a call to action on anything.
Should you end by asking questions?
Avoid stopping your presentation with a Q&A session, even if you include a time for the audience to ask questions. To wrap up the presentation, you’ll want to reclaim control and make some closing statements
Asking for questions, however, is important. A good way to do that is by making it clear beforehand when you are taking questions. Additionally, you also need to anticipate what sort of questions the audience will ask of you. This will ensure you are not caught off guard at the moment. Finally, don’t forget to take pauses after each question. Make sure you comprehend the question and express gratitude to the person who asked it.
Takeaway
Thank you is a way of showing thanks for a job well done or a present received. Your capacity to express thankfulness, regardless of whether or not you deserved the service you received, goes a long way in any situation.
With these methods you’re linking the end of your presentation to your topic, which will assist your audience recall what they just heard. These will keep your audience interested and help them remember your talk. In the majority of these cases, you’re employing an old trick: abruptly ending your presentation when your audience isn’t expecting you to do so. That element of surprise also makes your presentation memorable and makes them want to hear more from you.
So, while you’re planning your presentation material and wondering how to say thank you, remember to employ these approaches and end when people aren’t expecting it.
