Winning at the Final Four

March Madness has rolled into April, with the Final Four games upon us. Both the women and the men have given us some exciting, down to the wire games. I was heartbroken over the UConn Women’s team loss, but impressed by the Mississippi team; nail biting over the game between Oregon and UNC and torn between who to root for in the championship.
 
Our anticipation and excitement grows from the opening round, through the quarterfinals to the championship game. The Final Four is filled with emotion, intensity and hope. The best presenters also develop this anticipation and excitement as they advance to their closing remarks. 
 
Here are my picks for the Final Four – what to do as you reach your closing remarks.

1. Repeat your main message in a slightly different way.  Dr. John Medina, author of Brain Rules, explains that multiple repetitions, in a variety of forms, are necessary in order to move new information from immediate memory into working memory. Adding sensory detail makes it even more likely that the learning will stick.
2. Celebrate the journey you have taken together.   No matter how long your presentation, your audience has travelled the road with you. Thank them for their interest, their time, their contributions, their openness – whatever makes sense as long as it is sincere.
3. Call to action.  What do you want participants to do differently as a result of your presentation? Now is your last chance to inspire them, to move them to action. Don’t be afraid to ask for next steps. People who write down a commitment are much more likely to follow through with it.
4. End on time.  While overtime on the basketball court can make for an exciting game, overtime during a presentation is deadly. Check your time throughout your talk and try to gift the audience with an early finish.

3 Points for a winning closing! For more "pointers" check out Caffeinated Learning: How to Design and Conduct Rich, Robust Professional Training.
 

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