What Are Some Examples of Closing Remarks in a Speech?

By Staff Writer | Last Updated August 4, 2015

In many cases, the way a speaker finishes his remarks is what an audience remembers, and such strategies as taking the audience back to a story that the speaker used at the beginning, bringing that story to its conclusion or incorporating a quotation from a famous person are just two ways to give a speech a memorable closing. Finishing with a call to action is another powerful way to finish a speech.

Many motivational speeches start with the first part of an anecdote. Perhaps it is the story of a runner who collapsed with an injury 100 meters from the finish line, or perhaps it involves a child who was involved in a terrible automobile accident and left in a coma that doctors said would never cease. After the rest of the speech, the speaker can return to this anecdote and tell the audience how things turned out. The 1992 Barcelona Olympics featured a powerful story when a runner’s father ran down out of the stands and helped his fallen son cross the finish line, and the tale has informed many motivational speeches.

Finishing a speech with a meaningful quotation is also a device that comes in handy for speakers. Concluding a talk about leadership with a quotation from such venerable sources as Abraham Lincoln or Mother Teresa is likely to cement the speech’s ideas in the minds of the listeners.