You might not know that in the original script for the first “Rocky” movie written by Sylvester Stallone, in 1976, Rocky dies after the fight that ends the film? It might have saved us from the dreadful Rocky’s II through VI but I bet that “Rocky” (Which was a truly original piece of writing in the fat, bloated, lazy America of the late ’70’s) would never have won the ‘Oscar’ for Best Picture if that original ending had survived.
A great ending sticks with an audience, and the way that film built to the crazy, violent, climax of Rocky vs Apollo Creed meant that anything other than vainglory, defeat and pride would have short changed the paying public. The first time I saw “Rocky,” I was fifteen years old and was so inspired that I bounced out of the cinema wanting to be Rocky.
I was inspired, elated, energised by a great story, made in to a cheap movie. That explosive finish did something to me, and I remember the feeling of power to this day. And as a professional speaker now I try to use the ‘Rocky’ lesson every time I speak. A great ending can lift a presenter’s audience too. Think of Martin Luther King Jr.’s great finish to the “I Have a Dream” classic:
“When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!’”
You don’t have to be Martin Luther King or a profesional speechwriter to end ‘on the up’. A strong close works no matter what the the context. Too often, we stumble, trip, and crawl across the finish line with limp last lines like-
‘That concludes our presentation and we’d be happy to take your questions…’ or ‘It’s been a pleasure talking to you today do you have any questions’ or worst of all they just stop talking and say ‘Thank you’ and leave the audience confused and slightly embarrassed.
Don’t do that. Sprint across that finish line! Get your audience fired up and keep them there all the way to the end. Challenge them, surprise them, inspire them, give them something to act upon. Give them a great ending that keeps you and your message er… right on message .
Who knows? They might even end up inspired.
This is a part of my Fit, Focus & Flair model. To be great, a presentation must be a perfect FIT for the situation; the content must have complete FOCUS on it’s purpose and message; and it must have enough FLAIR to stand out on the day, and in our memories. Learn more about developing your Fit, Focus and Flair.
