Beyond summarizing and providing closure, a key function of the conclusion is to make the speech memorable—to increase the odds that the speaker’s message will linger after the speech is over. A speech that makes a lasting impression is one that listeners are most likely to remember and act on.

Strong conclusions contain vivid language that captures the audience’s attention (see Chapter 16). Conclusions rely on (but are not limited to) the same devices for capturing attention as introductions (e.g., quotations, stories, startling statements, humor, and rhetorical questions; see Chapter 14). Following are examples of speakers who have created compelling conclusions using quotations, stories, rhetorical questions, and material first mentioned in the introduction of the speech (a technique known as “bookending”).

Use Quotations

As with introductions, using a quotation that captures the essence of the speech can be a very effective way to close a speech. Note how Sue Suter quotes a character in Star Trek to conclude her speech on discrimination and the disabled:

That brings us to the final lesson from Star Trek. I’d like to leave you with two quotations from Captain Picard that define what it means to be human. In The Next Generation, Picard confronts discrimination by agreeing that, yes, we may be different in appearance. Then he adds, “But we are both living beings. We are born, we grow, we live, and we die. In all the ways that matter, we are alike.”⁴

Quoting from poetry is also a highly effective way to conclude a speech, as seen in this commencement address given by Oprah Winfrey to graduates of Wellesley College:

I want to leave you with a poem that I say to myself sometimes. . . . Maya Angelou wrote a poem and I don’t know a poem more fitting than “Phenomenal Woman” for this crowd, because you are and these words are for you.

She says, “Pretty women, honey, they wonder just where my secret lies ’cause I’m not cuter, built to suit a fashion model size, but when I start to tell them, they say, Girl, you’re telling lies and I said, no, honey, it’s in the reach of my arms, it’s in the span of my hips, it’s in the stride of my stepping, it’s in the curl of my lips, ’cause I’m a woman, honey, phenomenally, phenomenal, phenomenal woman.”⁵

Tell a Story

A short concluding story, or anecdote, can bring the entire speech into focus very effectively. It helps the audience to visualize the speech:

I would conclude with a story that applies to all of us in this industry. In ancient times there was a philosopher who had many disciples. . . .

Another technique is to pick up on a story or an idea that you mentioned in the introduction, bringing the speech full circle. James May does this by reminding his audience of the story of Apollo 13 that started his speech:

If I may draw one final lesson from the crippled spacecraft that made it back to earth on an empty fuel tank, it is that one should never underestimate the human capacity for doing “impossible” things. All through history, enterprising people have surprised themselves—and others around them—by finding ingenious solutions to the most complex problems. We can do that here.⁶

Pose a Rhetorical Question

Another effective way to make a speech memorable is to leave the audience with a rhetorical question. Just as such questions focus attention in the introduction, they can drive home the speech theme in the conclusion. President Barack Obama concluded his remarks on the Trayvon Martin shooting with a poignant rhetorical question. This served both to leave a lasting, emotional impression and to reiterate key speech points.

If we’re sending a message as a society in our communities that someone who is armed potentially has the right to use those firearms, even if there’s a way for them to exit from a situation, is that really going to be contributing to the kind of peace and security and order that we’d like to see?⁷

Bring Your Speech Full Circle

Picking up on a story or idea you mentioned in the introduction—a technique known as “bookending”—can be a memorable way to close a speech and bring the entire presentation full circle. You can provide the resolution of the story (“what happened next?”) or reiterate the link between the moral (lesson) of the story and the speech theme. You might also repeat lines from a poem you cited, or repeat a quotation you mentioned.