When you are designing your next speech, you’re going to have an important decision to make: how do you want your audience to feel once you’re done talking? More often than not, you’re going to want them to be in a happy, positive mood. This means that you’re going to have to end your speech in a way that makes this happen. Say hello to the Great and Bridge speech closing techniques.
The “How Great It’s Going To Be” Speech Closing
When you use this speech closing technique, you use the ending of your speech topaint a mental picture of the futurefor your audience. The image that you are going to leave them with is one filled with unlimited possibilities.
In order to set the stage for this mental image, you are going to have to use the part of your speech that comes before the closingto paint an entirely different picture. During the body of your speech you are going to want to show your audience just how bad life is right now. We’re talking about serious doom and gloom.
In order to make this sequence work out, when you are creating your speech you are going to want to work out what your closing image is going to look like and thenwork your way back. By doing this you’ll be sure that your story is consistent.
The “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” Speech Closing
Sometimes you won’t have to convince your audience that things are bad right now –they already know it!In this case, you are going to want to take a different approach with your speech closing.
The challenges that your audience are currently facing probablyseem insurmountable to them. It’s going to be your job to show them how they can overcome them.
When you are using the bridge over troubled waters closing, you’ll want topaint a clear picture of where your audience wants to get to. Next you’ll want to acknowledge the obstacles that are standing in their way of getting there. Finally, you’ll want to show how your idea or solution can offer them a bridge over the troubled waters that they are facing that will allow them to get to where they want to go.
What All Of This Means For You
Attend any course on public speaking or read any book on the subject and you’ll be told thatit’s what you cover in your closing that your audience is going to walk away from your speech remembering.
This means that if you can leave them happy, your audience will have apositive impressionof what you’ve told them. The “How Great It’s Going To Be” and the “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” closings are two ways of accomplishing this.
Havinga selection of different ways to close your speechis like having the right tools to complete a wood working project. Sure you could do it with the wrong tools, but having the right tools makes it that much easier. Next time you are writing a speech, take a look and see if either of these two happy ending techniques can make your audience walk away remembering what you said.
– Dr. Jim Anderson
Blue Elephant Consulting –
Your Source For Real World Public Speaking Skills™
Question For You: Do you think that it is always a good idea to leave your audience feeling happy?
Click here to get automatic updates when The Accidental Communicator Blog is updated.
P.S.: Free subscriptions to The Accidental Communicator Newsletter are now available. Subscribe now: Click Here!
What We’ll Be Talking About Next Time
Giving a speech in front of an audience can be one of the toughest things that you’ll ever do.Unless of course you are invited to be on television. Having watched 1,000’s of hours of television you might naturally assume that you are the perfect TV guest. That’s where you’d be wrong…