Closing with Impact

All too often trainers fail to close their sessions with impact. Instead they opt for continuing with content up until it is time to fill out evaluations and call it a day. In order to maximize every minute of the day, trainers need to reserve the last 10 to 15 minutes for a powerful closer. A powerful closer will have all of these three elements:

  1. Action planning, goal setting or reflection time: There is a greater chance participants will retain more of the information and actually apply it when they spend some time in class reflecting and writing about what they’ve learned and how they intend to apply it.

 

  1. Celebration: Your participants have invested time, energy, and maybe even their own money in attending your presentation. Take time to celebrate their investment as well as the new learning that has taken place by awarding prizes, handing out certificates, or simply high-fiving group members to acknowledge their accomplishments.

 

  1. Tie things together: A great presentation comes full circle and ties the opening and closing together. For example, circle back to the stated objectives to make sure participants are satisfied with the outcomes. Then close with a quote, story, or call to action.

 

This tip was adapted from SCORE! Two by Rich Meiss and Bob Pike.

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