The final words we exchange during an interaction can have an even more lasting effect<\/strong>. And that applies to public speaking, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2026, the success of a presentation isn\u2019t measured by the applause at the end, but by the action that follows. That\u2019s why learning how to end a presentation has evolved from a simple thank you slide into a strategic transition toward collaboration<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you\u2019re presenting a quarterly report to stakeholders or delivering a creative pitch to a client, your final minutes are the most critical for retention and impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With that in mind, this article will walk you through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, before we discuss how to end a presentation, let\u2019s establish why having an impactful conclusion is so essential.<\/p>\n\n\n It\u2019s tempting to treat the end of your presentation as the finish line and wrap things up, say thanks, and move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But that moment could be just where things start to take off. A strong closing shouldn\u2019t necessarily be about shutting things down. It could actually be a perfect opportunity to open the door to what comes next. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can think of it as a handoff rather than a sign-off. Whether you want your audience to make a decision or start a project, your presentation ending could serve as the nudge that points them in that direction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The harsh reality is that most of what you say won\u2019t stay with people for long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, the research on learning retention<\/a> shows that people forget up to 90% of presented information within a week<\/strong>. The idea dates back to 1885, when German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus introduced the \u201cforgetting curve\u201d \u2014 a model that illustrates how quickly we lose new information over time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What this means for your presentation is that, without a memorable close, your key points can slip through the cracks almost instantly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is what creates the \u201cretention gap.\u201d You may have delivered valuable insights, but if you don\u2019t bring them together in a way that truly lands, your message fades fast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A well-crafted ending helps: <\/p>\n\n\n\n For a long time, presentation endings were all about putting on a bit of a show. A powerful quote here, a dramatic pause there, and maybe a polished \u201cthank you\u201d slide, and we thought we were all set up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And while those elements can still technically work, they often don\u2019t go far enough. If you\u2019re aiming for real impact, you should be less concerned with wrapping things up neatly and more about getting things moving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words, instead of aiming for applause, aim for action. That means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, let\u2019s take a closer look at how you can achieve this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Host engaging presentations on Pumble<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we know why having an impactful conclusion is so crucial, it\u2019s time to find the right way to successfully carry it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To that end, we have highlighted the top 5 tips that can help you wrap up your presentation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, many of these methods we\u2019ll discuss can be combined. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Making sure the audience remembers your main points is one of the most important objectives your conclusion should accomplish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With that in mind, you should dedicate some time at the end of your speech to reinforcing what you were trying to say throughout your presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take it from Mark Beal<\/a>, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Communication, at Rutgers University:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMost audience members will not recall more than 3 messages. Some may only recall one or two. With that [in mind], an engaging and effective presentation should conclude with the 3 messages the presenter wants the audience to take away.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n In essence, you\u2019ll want to summarize your presentation by reiterating up to 3 key points<\/strong> and then repeating your thesis statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To make your recap more impactful, you can sum up your key points into a two-minute video message<\/a> and keep the absent stakeholders in the loop.<\/p>\n\n\n Record a short video message in your dedicated team collaboration software<\/a> such as Pumble<\/a> by CAKE.com<\/a>, and use it to: <\/p>\n\n\n\n This approach adds a more personal touch and helps people get up to speed quickly, without having to sift through the entire presentation deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Host your presentations on Pumble by CAKE.com and make sure your core message sticks.<\/p>\n\n Once the presentation wraps up, the last thing you want is for all those great ideas to just sit on a shelf and gather dust. You need to find a way to direct your listeners to the next step. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the authors of \u201cCommunicating at Work<\/a>,\u201d there are two ways to deliver a call to action<\/strong> at the end of your presentation. Namely, you can either phrase it as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To ensure your suggested next steps take a more concrete form immediately, you can direct them straight to a task management tool<\/a> such as Plaky, where you\u2019ll lay out all the: <\/p>\n\n\n\n This makes it easy for everyone to see what\u2019s on their plate and jump right in. <\/p>\n\n\n You don\u2019t have to suffer through another annoying back-and-forth email exchange or try to piece things together later. Simply plug everything straight into the app, so everyone can view their tasks and start working. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Plaky integration also lets you receive notifications directly in Pumble when someone completes a task. This means you can see updates right away, reducing back-and-forth between apps and making communication easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This lets you keep your team on the same page, monitor progress, and keep the momentum going. It\u2019s a straightforward way to turn talk into action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Improve collaboration and cut down on emails by moving your team communication to Pumble.<\/p>\n\n Let\u2019s take a look at a couple of call to action examples you can use in different scenarios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Business presentations often double as networking opportunities<\/strong>, for both presenters and audience members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With that in mind, you might want to put your contact information on one of your closing slides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For one, doing so would show the audience how they can get in touch with you<\/strong> after your presentation ends. After all, they may have additional questions or even interesting business opportunities for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On top of that, putting your contact information on the last slide is also a good way to remind the audience of your name and credentials<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think of your contact slide as a sort of digital handshake, or a simple way to carry the conversation forward instead of letting it drop once the meeting is over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, instead of saying a quick goodbye and hoping people remember to reach out, you can give them a clear next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can do this by pointing people to a dedicated channel in Pumble<\/a>, for example. If you don\u2019t want to juggle multiple emails and lose track of messages, you can invite your audience to join a dedicated Pumble channel where they can ask questions and share ideas. Moreover, this type of space lets you introduce collaborative follow-up strategies more naturally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if your audience members aren\u2019t part of your company or members of your workspace, they can still join using Pumble’s guest access<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n This way, you\u2019re letting people reach out when they feel like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep the conversation going on Pumble<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, how can you encourage your audience to keep in touch? Well, you might say: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many presenters decide to include a \u201cthank you\u201d slide at the end of their presentations, but that slide doesn\u2019t have to be there just to be there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to express appreciation and leave a lasting impression, consider turning your closing slide into a live extension of your presentation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How? <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll need a simple tool like Pumble, which will do most of your work for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of ending with static text on a yet-another-slide, you can direct your audience to a dedicated Pumble channel that hosts all key materials from your talk. Thanks to Pumble’s real-time file sharing<\/strong><\/a>, attendees can instantly access your slides, supporting documents, links, or templates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Share files and documents in Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Even better, Pumble\u2019s unlimited messaging history<\/a> acts as an ongoing \u201csource of truth.\u201d This means your audience can revisit the discussion and share insights long after the presentation ends. It transforms your \u201cthank you\u201d from a one-time gesture into a continuous resource. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, your final slide could: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lastly, some speakers might benefit from knowing what the audience thinks about their delivery and other aspects of their presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why some of the experts we\u2019ve spoken to suggest that conducting a brief survey of the audience could be a good activity to end a presentation with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark Beal says that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOffering audience members the opportunity to take a concise survey at the conclusion of a presentation will result in valuable insights that will inform how to consistently evolve and improve a presentation.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n You could encourage this type of feedback by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Structure your feedback in Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Having gone through the best practices for how to conclude a speech memorably, we also wanted to include what are some of the mistakes speakers should avoid as they reach the end of their speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are the top 5 worst ways to end a presentation<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the course of our research, we\u2019ve found many practical phrases one might use to wrap up a presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"How_to_end_a_presentation-cover\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/How_to_end_a_presentation-cover.webp\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhy your presentation end is actually a beginning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Most presentations don\u2019t stick <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Your ending is where action begins<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How to end a presentation with a bang: 5 tips + examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Reiterate the key points and your core message<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/mark-beal.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Record](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/video-message-in-Pumble-.webp\")
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![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/templates@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nCall to action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Plaky](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Plaky-lets-you-view-all-your-tasks-in-one-place.webp\")
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/bundle@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nCall to action examples<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Keep the conversation going<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Continue](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Frame-3466614-1.webp\")
Phrases you can use to provide contact information<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Thank the audience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"File](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Frame-3466613.webp\")
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Ask for feedback<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
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![\"Keep](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Frame-3466612-1-1.webp\")
The worst ways to end a presentation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Closing remarks for different scenarios<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Nadia](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/nadia-bilchik.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/The-final-slide-of-a-presentation-about-phishing.webp\")