Ambitious professionals like you must sound intelligent, powerful, polished, articulate, and confident during business presentations, interactions with senior management, and networking in your professional community. Consider these focused strategies:
How to Sound Intelligent
Pace Your Speech: Speak more slowly to allow yourself time to select the most appropriate vocabulary. This pacing gives the impression of thoughtfulness and ensures your audience can follow complex ideas more easily. For example, when explaining a new business strategy, carefully choose each word to convey your message.
Utilize Precise Language: Specificity builds credibility. Always use the correct word for what you are talking about, avoiding vague and unspecific language. Instead of referring to “things,” name the exact concept, product, or strategy you mean. This clarifies your message and enhances the perceived intelligence of your delivery.
As an Executive Speech Consultant and creator of Fripp Virtual Training, I’m dedicated to helping you sound as intelligent and credible as possible during your presentations. Whether you’re delivering a sales presentation, a keynote speech, or a critical boardroom report, selecting the right words elevates your message and ensures it resonates and sticks. This is true in the boardroom and on the convention stage.
Many of my speech coaching clients have difficulty memorably closing their presentations. Like a great opening that arouses interest in your subject, your closing words should support your message and leave a lasting impression on your audience.
Whatever you do, don’t end with: “Well, we’re out of time.” Even if it’s true, it weakens your conclusion. Avoid thanking the audience as your final statement—it’s polite but forgettable. Before you close, you can say, “Thank you for your enthusiasm and great questions. Last story…”
Never assume you can “wing it.” A well-crafted conclusion is as critical as a strong opening.
Plan it. Script it. Rehearse it. Deliver it.
Here is the unforgettable six-step process to close your presentation:
Ask a Rhetorical Question Based on Your Premise
For example, if your topic is sales, begin the close with: “How can you double your sales with your current client list?” This reinforces your central theme while encouraging reflection.
Review Your Key Points of Wisdom
Recap your main ideas, tying each to one of your examples or taglines. For instance, in my talk on presentation skills, I might say, “Remember, Michael Caine says, ‘Rehearsal is the work, performance is the relaxation.’ Would practicing on the treadmill or your morning walk work for you as it does for me?” This approach reinforces learning and helps the audience retain your message.
Challenge Your Audience
Connecting your message to their needs can inspire action. Remind them of the benefits of applying what they’ve learned. For example, “Will you be the one who elevates your team’s communication and drives results?” Challenges ignite motivation.
Call Them to Action
Specific actions lead to real change. Encourage your audience to act immediately. For example, say, “Take 10 minutes today to outline your next presentation,” or “Commit to one new habit that will transform your communication.” Clear steps make your ideas actionable.
Revisit Your Opening
Bring your presentation full circle by referencing your opening. This is the circular technique. Even if you do not choose to use it, you will be well served to revisit your opening remarks when preparing your close. If you began with a story or question, return to it. For instance, if you begin with a story of a person with a challenge that your presentation solves, you can close with, “Three months ago Brenda called and said, ‘I would not have believed it possible that…’ You now give the audience an example of what happened when Brenda incorporated the techniques they just learned.
Let Your Last Words Linger
Your first five steps do work as they are. When your audience is satisfied and feels you have closed, you take two steps forward in silence and say, “Remember…” Then, repeat your best or main idea or quote. This is usually my Frippicisms®, such as “Remember, all learning requires repetition and reinforcement.” Or, “Remember, don’t celebrate closing a sale. Celebrate opening a relationship.”
The Art of Unforgettable Closings
Following these six steps transforms your closing from an ordinary goodbye into a powerful, memorable finale. Remember, the end of your presentation is your final opportunity to influence and inspire your audience. Make it count. With careful planning and a touch of creativity, your last words can echo in the minds of your audience long after you’ve left the stage.
If you need help, let’s talk.
“Patricia Fripp is a genius speech coach. Even for seasoned professional speakers.” Tracy Hooper, President, The Confidence Project
“As a seasoned speaker coached by Patricia Fripp has helped me deliver my game-changing message with more power and eloquence. My client testimonials and feedback prove it.” Ron Karr, CSP, Past President, National Speakers Association
“Your coaching, along with FrippVT, helped us land one of our biggest sales ever.” – Mike Stryczek, President & CEO, AB&R
“As a speech coach, Patricia Fripp is a miracle worker.” Larraine Segil, Chairman and CEO, Exceptional Women Awardees Foundation.
“I would have paid $3000 for a year of FrippVT.” – Mitzi Perdue, Professional Speaker and Author.
Let me help you become a great presenter quickly, easily, and cost-effectively on your own schedule. I’m here for you 24/7 through Fripp Virtual Training.
“Thank you again for your speech coaching to prepare me and my team for our Global Sales meeting. You have an amazing talent in helping me pull my corporate message into a meaningful, impactful, and entertaining story. You are always the one to call when my back is against the wall. Your magic always works and hits the mark with every audience!”
– Brian Marlier, Senior Vice President, US Enterprise, Cisco
Executive Speech Coach and Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker Patricia Fripp helps individuals and companies gain a competitive edge by improving essential conversations and presentations.
Steve Spangler is fired up over the ideas in Deliver Unforgettable Presentations
Want to Transform Transactions into Trust: Your Key to Rewarding Business Relationships
From Sales to Relationships: The Secret Sauce
Open the Mind the Sales and Close
Let’s talk about “those people.” You know, the ones who call only when they need something. Be honest—are they your favorite people? Probably not. Now flip the script. Are you that person to your customers? Are you guilty of only reaching out when it’s time for a sale?
Imagine this instead: a sales professional calls you not to pitch but rather to share a lead or offer a tip that could help your business. Wouldn’t that make you feel more than a number on their quota sheet? That’s the power of showing you genuinely care.
Yes, success means closing deals; however, my father always taught me it’s about nurturing relationships that stand the test of time. Your ultimate goal isn’t just today’s sale. It’s to create partnerships where people enjoy doing business with you.
Reflections on My Sermon at Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church, San Francisco.
Recently, I had the honour of delivering a sermon at the Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church titled; We Can Be Heroes for More than One Day. Inspired by presentations I’ve delivered with my brother, Robert Fripp, who played on David Bowie’s Heroes, this was an experience I’ll always treasure.
There are no boring subjects, only boring speakers. Your content or topic doesn’t matter—when presented well, it can become interesting, educational, and emotionally engaging.
Some believe that public speaking is just about knowing your subject. Having something to say is not enough to make your message come alive.
After all, knowing the words to a song— doesn’t mean you can sing it. To truly engage an audience, you need to deliver your content in a way that captures attention.
On most Sundays, you will find me sipping coffee and watching my favorite news shows. I enjoy listening to intelligent and educated experts share their perspectives on the state of the world. As an executive speech coach, I find these programs an endless source of inspiration—and, occasionally, frustration.
One recurring irritant? The phrase I hear far too often: “Thanks for having me.” It’s a common go-to for experts, executives, and politicians when introduced on panels, in interviews, or during fireside chats. While polite, it’s not exactly memorable or precise.
As a presentation coach, I help my clients—from seasoned speakers to rising executives—find ways to stand out in similar settings. A crucial part is teaching them to use language that conveys their professionalism and expertise. It’s a simple change that can significantly affect how they are perceived.
Recently, at the Professional Speechwriters World Conference, I had the pleasure of attending a half-day seminar delivered by Terry Szuplat, author of Say It Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience. As a speechwriter for President Obama, Terry brought a wealth of experience and an insider’s perspective that was both fascinating and inspiring. The session was a masterclass in storytelling, precision, and the art of delivering a truly resonating message.
I was once asked for the number one secret of presentation success.
My reply was, “There is no one secret; however if there were, it would be that your subject is of interest to your audience.”
Your relationship with your audience is one of the most critical factors in determining the success of your presentation. Mastering the art of connection will set you apart whether you are addressing 5, 50, or 500 people. Knowing how to build that relationship from the beginning is one secret to speaking confidently and confidently.
How Do You Make a Genuine Connection with Your Audience?
Your Soundbite Statement, AKA Your Foundational Phrase
Within your stories is a foundational phrase.
This short sentence gets your point across or summarizes your story. It adds clarity so that your audience grasps your message easily. These phrases are both memorable and easy for you and your audience to remember.
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How to Present and Teach in the Virtual World…and More
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help you become a great presenter quickly, easily, and cost-effectively on your own schedule. I’m here for you 24/7 through 
