Give Your Presentation a Strong Closing by Using a Call-to-Action Slide

Your PowerPoint presentation always sells something to an audience. It may sell your company, project, product or service. It may sell an idea, process or new way of looking at something. The art of PowerPoint is really the art of persuasion.

Many of us aren't comfortable with the selling process. Thus, our presentations dwindle down at their end, when they could close with a clear, bold call to action.

A call to action is an advertising/sales term for telling your audience what you'd like them to do. In sales, you're asking for the order. You've told them how great your product, project, or idea is. Now it's time to see if they're willing to buy it.

In a fund-raising presentation, it's effective and appropriate to end with a slide that asks for a financial commitment: May we have your support today?

If you're giving a motivational speech for Weight Watchers, your final slide might say: Make your commitment to yourself NOW.

An educational presentation given by an environmental non-profit might close with this call-to-action: Sign up for our newsletter and stay informed.

If you've pitched a new project to your management, your last slide should offer the exact steps needed to help you start the wheels of progress rolling:

Whatever the situation, the last slide should tell your audience exactly what you'd like them to do next.

Feel bashful--or hesitant--to do this? It's easy to feel that selling may be fine for used cars and exercise equipment, but it's not right for your presentation. Think again. If you don't tell your audience, simply and directly, what you need them to do, you've wasted their time with your presentation. The decision to buy in (or not) is theirs. All to often, we miss the golden opportunity of getting a "yes"--simply because we flinched when it was time to ask.

At Presentation Tree, we've seen many strong presentations fumble the ball at the 90-yard line. They failed to close with a strong call to action.

A well-designed, simple PowerPoint slide can take this burden off your shoulders. A slide with the words "We need a financial commitment today" makes the message MUCH easier to say. Make sure your call-to-action slide is crisp, clear and bold. A simple sentence in large font, nicely centered will do the job.

Now, to walk the talk: In your next presentation, be sure to close with a strong call-to-action statement.

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