Communication Assessment & Learning Lab
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Developing a Strong Conclusion 

1. End the speech after you finish your concluding point
2. Do not say in conclusion, which sounds unprofessional and unskillful; instead use another transition
3. Be sure that your audience is engaged as you begin the conclusion part of your speech
4. Remind the audience of the ideas you covered by paraphrasing those thoughts as part of your conclusion
5. One way to gain an audience’s attention is to vary your voice by changing the volume, pitch or rate of speech
6. Another way to gain audience attention is with an appropriate closing such as a newspaper or magazine article or an update to a story you referred to when you began your speech
7. Consider using a quote that supports the points you have made and sums up your speech
8. Use a story or joke that relates to the main point of your speech
9. If you have delivered a persuasive speech, you will conclude with a call to action
10. Do not talk too much or for too long a time.  If your audience appears to have lost interest and has stopped listening to you, they may become agitated or distracted