It’s a good question, and everyone has probably been guilty of lame last slides. For example, it’s easy to simply put “Thanks!” on the last slide. But this kind of slide doesn’t add anything to your presentation.

There’s no one right answer of course, but our recommendation is that your last slide should contain your key takeaway and also give your audience an uplifting and motivating finish.

If you have a Question and Answer period, you may use a Questions slide. Many presenters just put a big question mark on the slide. But you shouldn’t end your presentation with a question mark. We recommend always summarizing your talk after the Question and Answer period to focus the audience again on your message. This strategy will help them remember what you said and let you end on an up note.

It’s fine to put your logo on the last slide, especially if you’re selling something. But you still want that takeaway message. Perhaps you could end a sales presentation with something like, “We’re here to help you achieve great customer service.”

So, we would suggest the follow order for your final slides:

1. Last content slide
2. Question and Answer slide
3. Special offers, if any, or other necessary details
4. Uplifting takeaway

Filed under: Microsoft Office Tutor