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By now everyone has heard the advice that it’s bad practice to finish a presentation with a blank screen. Conventional wisdom says it looks poor and breaks the flow of the talk. I’m going to go one step further today and say it’s also a missed opportunity — one that many presenters don’t take advantage of.

To avoid having a blank screen, presenters often have another slide that says something like “Questions?”. This is better, but not by much.

The projector rarely gets turned off after a presentation, which means the audience is probably going to be staring at that slide for the next 30 minutes or so. Your last slide will be seen longer than any other slide in the deck. Moreover, people tend to remember more about the beginning and the end of things. Now, are you sure the final impression you want to leave the audience with is “Questions?”.

It might be a good idea to put some more design into that last slide.

Building a better final slide

Up for discussion.

One tactic we used recently was to create a “big picture” diagram for the last slide. In our experience it’s helpful to have something that people can point to when they’re asking questions, rather than asking for a particular slide or speaking in abstract terms. So, for example, you could make a storyboard that recalls the main points of your talk or show them an overview of the system you’re pitching. Make it a conversation piece. Ending with a visual summary not only jogs people’s memories during the discussion phase, it will help them remember the talk later.

Another useful technique is to leave the audience with something actionable. This is an old marketing trick. When writing copy, they say the last sentence should tell the audience to do something, such as: “If you’re concerned about water safety, write to your congressperson”. You can do the same thing with your final slide. Leave your audience with a task that will supplement their understanding of your presentation or put them on the road to joining your cause.

In any case, consider what your goals are for your presentation and put yourself in your audience’s shoes. Your final slide is not just a placeholder, it’s an important tool in delivering your message. Take advantage of it.