Don't end your presentation with a whimper

I can't count the number of presentations that end with a slide that says "Thank You! Questions?" or some variation on that theme. What a wimpy way to end a presentation. And worst of all, many of these presentations are sales presentations. Where is the call to action? One of the most important parts of your presentation is how you end it. If you are doing an informative presentation, end by summarizing the key points you want the audience to remember and give them additional resources to learn more. If you are doing a persuasive presentation (the sales type), end by summarizing the key benefits for the audience and lay out the next steps in the process. Yes, you should leave time for questions and thank your audience, but not on a slide, do it verbally if you need to. If you have set up an interactive session, the questions will naturally flow. Next time you prepare your PowerPoint slides, don't let the last slide be a wimpy ending, make it the best slide of the entire presentation.