Closing argument of a council talk on digital forms at a fictional shire council
Conclusion slide that restates the opening argument
A conclusion slide restates the presentation's main argument in a few sentences and leaves the audience with the evidence that supports it. This one closes a talk by Elderbrook Shire Council, a fictional rural council, on moving paper forms online, with a short argument and three proof points beside a contact.
What is on the slide
- Title
- Our Conclusion.
- Argument
- Paper forms cost residents a trip and cost staff the retyping. Elderbrook moved its 46 busiest forms online in 18 months, and the same method will carry the other 31. Start with the forms people use most, measure the hours, and retire the paper version on a set date.
- Proof points and contact
- Forms online: 46 of 77. Staff hours: 3,400 saved a year. Permit time: 11 minutes online. Contact: digital@elderbrook.example.
When this is the right slide
Pick this slide to end a talk that argues for something, when the audience should leave with one restated argument, three proof points they heard earlier and a way to follow up.
What to swap it for
Closing: Oversized Thank You. Use the oversized thank you when the talk has already made its argument on earlier slides and the close only needs to thank the audience warmly.
What this slide shows
The title reads Our Conclusion in large serif type on an orange field that fades into a photograph of a council service counter, with waiting chairs, a noticeboard, a desk phone and a paper form on the counter. Below the title, the conclusion reads: Paper forms cost residents a trip and cost staff the retyping. Elderbrook moved its 46 busiest forms online in 18 months, and the same method will carry the other 31. Start with the forms people use most, measure the hours, and retire the paper version on a set date. On the right, a rail of four rounded callouts in orange and teal carries an icon, a small label and a value: FORMS ONLINE, 46 of 77; STAFF HOURS, 3,400 saved a year; PERMIT TIME, 11 minutes online; CONTACT, digital@elderbrook.example. Elderbrook Shire Council is fictional. The hours figure assumes about 41,000 online lodgements a year at five minutes of retyping saved each.
When this is the right slide
Use a conclusion slide at the end of a talk that argues for something: a conference presentation on a program's results, a business case to a board, a research talk with a finding, a council briefing on a change. It is the right close when the audience should leave with one argument and the evidence for it, rather than a single action. The template's prose block holds a short closing argument and the rail holds four callouts. Here three are proof points and the fourth is a contact, which suits a public sector talk where peers from other councils will want to ask how it was done. Restating the opening, now with numbers, is the move that makes a conclusion feel earned. It is the wrong slide when the presentation needs a decision by a date, where a call to action close is sharper, and wrong for a talk with no argument, such as a status update, where a thank you with next steps fits better. It is also wrong if the three proof points have not appeared earlier in the talk.
How to adapt it
First, for a board audience, change the last callout from a contact to the decision needed, such as BOARD DECISION, fund 31 forms, and keep the three proof points. Second, for a deck that will be read rather than presented, add the period to the hours figure, such as 3,400 saved in 2026, so a reader months later knows when it was measured. Third, swap the photograph for one of the organisation's own counter, office or site, with permission, so the image belongs to the story; keep the colour scrim so the text stays readable. Keep the prose to five sentences or fewer and the callout values short, under about 30 characters each, since the rail is narrow. If the talk had more than three results, choose the three the audience will repeat to their colleagues.
What makes this slide work
The argument comes back with its evidence
Paper forms cost residents a trip and cost staff the retyping. The opening claim of the talk returns, followed by what was done, 46 busiest forms online in 18 months, and what follows, the same method for the other 31.
Proof points that add up
FORMS ONLINE 46 of 77 matches 46 done plus 31 to go. STAFF HOURS 3,400 saved a year and PERMIT TIME 11 minutes online are the measured results, each in its own callout so the audience can take them in one by one.
The photograph shows what is being replaced
A council service counter with a desk phone and a paper form sits behind an orange scrim. It shows the old way of lodging a form, which makes the argument for moving online visible without a chart.
Questions people ask
How long should the text on a conclusion slide be?
Three to five sentences, about 50 words. Enough to restate the argument and say what to do with it; not so much that the audience reads instead of listening. This one is 49 words. If the conclusion needs a paragraph per point, the talk has more than one conclusion, and it should be cut to the one that matters.
Should a conclusion slide repeat the opening statement?
It should restate it in different words, now with the evidence behind it. If the talk opened with paper forms cost residents and staff time, the conclusion says the same with what the council measured. Repeating the opening word for word sounds like the talk went nowhere; restating it with proof sounds like it arrived.
What is the difference between a conclusion slide and a summary slide?
A summary slide lists what was covered, often one bullet per section. A conclusion slide makes one argument and says what follows from it. Audiences remember arguments better than lists, so for a talk that wants something to change, end on the conclusion and keep any summary for the handout.
Should new information appear on a conclusion slide?
No new claims, but a next step is fine. Every number in the proof points here, 46 forms, 3,400 hours and 11 minutes, should have appeared earlier in the talk. Introducing a new statistic in the conclusion invites questions the talk has no time left to answer.
How do you present a conclusion slide aloud?
Slow down, and say the argument in your own words rather than reading it. Point to the proof points one at a time and finish on the action, here starting with the forms people use most. Then stop talking and leave the slide up for questions, with the contact visible.
Does a conclusion slide need a photo?
No, but a photo that belongs to the subject helps the argument land. Here a council service counter, with its paper forms and desk phone, shows what moving online replaces. A generic stock photo adds nothing, and a busy image behind the text makes the argument harder to read, so keep any photo under a colour scrim.
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