How to Stop: The Final Slide and Final Words
Winston closes on endings. He argues the final slide should list your contributions—not a wall of collaborators or a blank 'Thank You'—because it stays up during questions. He surveys ways to signal the end without a reflexive thank-you, including a closing joke, a benediction, a salute to the audience, and established conventions.
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The Final Slide That Keeps Working
Winston argues the last slide should be a 'contributions' slide—not a wall of collaborators, a blank 'Thank You', or a list of conclusions nobody cares about—because it stays on screen while questions are being asked and the room is filing out, leaving the audience with what you have done.
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Final Words: How to Signal the Talk Is Over
With the contributions slide still up, Winston surveys verbal ways to end: a closing joke that makes people feel they had fun the whole time, the weak reflexive 'thank you' (which implies the audience stayed out of politeness), classic benedictions like 'God bless you', established conventions such as 'ite missa est' and the conductor's handshake, and a direct salute that tells the audience you valued your time with them.
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How to Stop: The Final Slide and Final Words
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