Quoting Yehuda Berg, “Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity.”
Your closing remarks in a speech help the audience remember the main points of your address and the reason you gave it. It’s a summary of your most essential points. As a result, more people will remember what you say at the beginning and end of your speech than anything said in between.
If you don’t end your speech with a power statement or call-to-action, it loses its appeal and the power you’ve built up. Closing remarks keep you from leaving your audience feeling confused and let down.
This guide can assist you if you want to design a Ted-style talk that can land you future speaking opportunities. Here are 11 of the finest closing remarks examples for speeches.
1. Using the Circle Concept to End Your Speech
The circle concept involves taking listeners on an adventure and bringing them back to where they began. In other words, you refer to the material you started your speech with by restating it at the end of your talk. Most speakers use quotes from movies, in-demand books, or popular phrases.
Our client, Christine Ramsay, often uses the circle concept in her speeches. One particular example is in a speech she gave on ‘The Extraordinary Power of Neurodiversity’ where she starts her address by quoting the famous movie, Toy Story: “To infinity and beyond.”
She concludes her speech with the exact same statement. This ending encourages her audience to release the inner brilliance and extraordinary powers of neurodivergent individuals for the benefit of all!
2. Using Humor In Speeches
Humor is an effective instrument in any speaker’s repertoire when used correctly, and it can have enormous benefits:
- It establishes a connection with the audience
- It energizes and keeps people interested
- It has the potential to provide emotional relief to the audience
- It aids the audience in remembering your points
- It gives the audience a favorable opinion of the speaker
So, whatever statement your speaker is attempting to convey, adding humor to the mix will make it a more prosperous and unforgettable speech. It will also give the audience the opportunity for better takeaways from speeches.
This is especially true if they choose to inject some humor into the speech’s closing remarks.
3. The Rule of Three Closing Remarks in a Speech
The Rule of Three is a useful method that helps you say what you want to say more clearly by highlighting your points and making your message easier to remember.
People are usually good at recognizing patterns; three is the lowest number to make a pattern. It can also have the most impact if you say it in the right tone of voice at the close of a speech. When information is given in groups of three, we remember it better than when in groups of, say, four or five.
Two very famous examples of using the rule of three in a speech are:
“Friends, Romans, Countrymen. Lend me your ears.”
– Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
– Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg speech
This example from Lincoln is also a great example of parallelism in a speech.
4. Tell a Story
Storytelling is a great way to make your speech stand out. Because stories connect with us as people, a short story can be an effective way to end an address. But it has to be pertinent to your speech and not go on for too long.
Using this method, you could end your speech with the same story you began in the introduction. This approach is mainly better for strong emotional appeal speech.
For example, Michelle Obama’s DNC speech was praised for its emotional appeal by discussing her life story of growing up on Chicago’s South Side and leaving an extensive law career for public service.
5. Finish Your Speech Using a Poem
Poetry effectively conveys your message as it helps you leave a mark on your audience’s minds. You can conclude your talk using a poem that sums up everything you’ve said. You can either create your own or choose one that works best with your speech. Keep in mind that if you choose one, quote the source.
While reciting a poem, use inflections of emotion and drama by raising your voice on a key phrase and pausing when necessary for emphasis.
6. Closing Off With a Quote to Remember
Another way to end is using quotes in speeches related to the topic of the address. Consider whether your goal was to finish on a compelling or enlightening note when you use a quote.
Some quotations call for action, whereas others will summarize or provoke thought.
Quoting strengthens your ideas. A quote adds a second voice to your claims, making them more powerful.
Maya Angelou best describes the impact emotions can have on a speech when she says,
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou
7. Using Questions as Closing Remarks
Questions can become overwhelming for an audience if used too much throughout a speech. However, asking one at the end of the address is effective because your question will linger in the minds of your audience.
One example of a compelling closing remark question is what President Jimmy Carter asked during his campaign debate in 1980. Reagan asked the audience, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”
Since then, this message has become a frequent question during every campaign season.
8. Throw Your Audience a Challenge
In addition to questions, challenges are exemplary alternative closing remarks. A challenge is an invitation to participate in an activity that requires extra effort.
What do you want your audience to do? Would you like them to take action? Such as voting, donating, signing up, or hiring you for their following speech?
By answering these questions, you can distinguish between a good speech and one that gets people to act.
For example, a presenter could conclude a speech on the importance of fund-raising by giving the audience a challenge to raise 15% more than their initial forecasts.
Make a challenge that is both ambitious and reasonable at the same time. The challenge should be seen as something to work towards but not impossible.
9. Use Inspiration With Your Closing Statement
Inspire means to move or excite. An inspirational concluding remark aims to stir someone’s emotions in a specific way that appeals to the audience’s values and emotions.
What’s the number one thing someone wants to hear about? Themselves, of course. So, if you want to inspire your audience, your content should be about them and how they can blossom.
When drafting your speech, create an image of your audience’s viewpoint and how your talk can help them reach that vision. Then, you can use stories or personal past experiences to relate to your audience and bring your message to life.
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed — we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
One example of using inspiration in a closing statement is Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream Speech.” He paints the picture of what life could be like if black and white people worked together. In doing so, he inspires thousands of individuals to make a difference in their communities.
10. Use Factual Evidence to End Your Speech
Your audience may yawn if you only use facts in a speech; however, they can empower a speech if you use them at the right time.
Using facts as a speech closing remark can help you re-engage your audience and keep them captivated. Only include facts pertinent to your topic. For example, Barack Obama used facts and logic to convince the audience of his views.
This is particularly apparent when he spoke in honor of the late Nelson Mandela during a speech in South Africa. In that speech, he mentions:
“You have to believe in facts. Without facts, there’s no basis for cooperation.”
Barack Obama
Throughout the many speeches, he gives facts and issues to rally the American public to action.
11. Using an Appeal to Conclude Your Speech
The best approach to composing an impactful emotional appeal is understanding who you’re attempting to persuade. Use these questions if you’re having difficulty understanding your audience:
- What is their current state of mind?
- What is the focus of their emotions?
- Why are their feelings being guided in this manner?
Finally, remember that persuasion depends on you, the speaker, and your audience. If you can plug into an audience’s emotions during your speech, you’ll be more effective at touching their hearts and convincing them of your points.
Give Your Speech That Final Punch!
Your closing remarks can empower an audience, depending on your speech. That can include asking them to do something, changing their attitude toward a specific individual or topic, or simply making them understand what you’re trying to say.
Nonetheless, your closing remarks aim to leave the audience optimistic about you and the topic of the speech. According to poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.”
Do you need help with your closing remarks in a speech? Then, book a session with us today! We provide premium public speaking training!
