It’s not enough to assume your message will inspire people to take action. You need to actually tell them to take action.
I asked Dee Clayton, motivational speaker, public speaking trainer and author of Taming Your Public Speaking Monkeys to share her insight and experience. The call-to-action is Dee’s preferred method of closing a speech.
“Summing up the action you want your audience to take is a great way to finish up. To do this, it’s best to use a two-pronged approach:
Start with a negative motivation – help them see how bad things will be if they don’t do what you are suggesting.
Finish with a positive motivation – paint a picture of how good things will be when they do what you recommend.”
Dee stresses the importance of following this pattern.