What is the result and takeaway message?

Now we are ready to be more precise in describing what you want the audience to think, feel, and do during and at the end of your presentation. An effective happy ending is written. It should be between 20 and 25 words and cover 3 main areas. The “3H” – head, heart and hands. In other words, what do you want your audience to think, feel, and do when you finish your presentation?

This process works for any audience. Your “happy ending” can be written with this thought process:

“think with you head”

What do you want your audience to think during and at the end of your presentation?

“feel with you heart”

What do you want your audience to feel during and at the end of your presentation?

“do it with you hands”

What do you want your audience to do during and at the end of your presentation?

samples

Let’s take a sales situation. You are presenting to a client. Their intent is to influence and their purpose is to obtain agreement in principle for their proposal.

“Think with your head”

I want my client to think that we are competent, capable and ideal to help him.

I want my client to think that we understand their business situation and are committed to helping them improve it.

I want my client to think that we are easy to work with and that we have the resources to provide excellent service.

“Feel with your heart”

I want my client to feel confident in our capabilities.

I want my client to feel confident that the results of the proposal will be delivered.

I want my client to be comfortable with our communication styles.

I want my client to feel that we are the best option.

“Do it with your hands”

I want my client to express confirmation that the project objectives are in line with their expectations.

I want my client to understand the options in the proposal and indicate a preference.

I want my client to select a start date for the project.

I want my client to plan the next steps we will take after the meeting.

Now edit this into a sentence that defines your happy ending for your presentation. For example, in the example above:

At the end of my presentation, my client…

…believe that we are competent, capable, and ideal to help them, feel comfortable with our communication styles, and select a project start date (23 words).

Use the happy ending approach to write your 25 words for all your introductions. It will clarify his thinking and help him focus on what you want your audience to think, feel, and do at the end of your talk.