Communication Strategies 4 Argumentation basics: Finishing strongly

To be persuasive, you need to end your argument well. We'll teach you some simple strategies to do this with confidence.

Introduction

This lesson will help you learn a structure and technique to help you end your argument smoothly and confidently. 

Endings are very important when making a presentation or handling a Q&A session. You must leave the listener with a clear understanding of how the evidence and reasoning support the initial claim.

Warm Up

Your teacher will ask you a question. Give the best answer you can, using what you have learned in the previous three lessons.

Ask your student one of the following questions:

  1. Do you think a city should preserve its old, historic buildings, or destroy them and build new modern ones?
  2. What would you most like to take a course in: mathematics; painting; or science?
  3. What role do grandparents play in the family in your country?

Don't spend more than 2–3 minutes on this exercise. Just check that they are using what they learned in CS 1 Beginning, 2 Evidence and 3 Reasoning.

Language

Discuss the following questions with your teacher.

  1. Why are conclusions important?
  2. What makes for a strong conclusion?

Q1. Conclusions explain how the evidence and reasoning support the initial claim. Without it, the listener is left hanging, possibly confused about the point of the argument.

Q2. There are generally three parts of a strong ending:

  1. If the answer is long, then use a transition phrase like, "So to wrap up..." or "All in all...". 
  2. Clearly and simply restate your claims. (This should be very short.) 
  3. Add a "so what?" (This can be a recommendation, prediction, hope or future action.)  

1. Transition phrase 

NOTE: This is not necessary for short answers—you can simply say, "So, …" to lead into your conclusion.

It's important that the student knows a variety of phrases to avoid sounding repetitive. Brainstorm a few different ones. 

This phrase may be new: All in all = considering all the points I've said.

Here are a few others: 

  • So, to finish up...
  • Therefore...
  • In conclusion... 
  • Anyway... [for informal questions]

2. Clearly and simply restate your claims.

This should be short and simple, just a few words (or less) per claim. Don't repeat evidence or reasoning, don't introduce new ideas, and don't repeat your introduction word for word. 

3. Add a "so what?"

This is especially useful in business settings. It gives the energy back to the listener, and it has a lot of impact. Here are some examples: 

  • So, I recommend making historic preservation a priority.
  • So, a course in mathematics is the most practical, but I'd rather paint. I'm going to take a painting class now!
  • So, grandparents are treasured here. I hope mine stay healthy for a long time.

Additional detail 

Here are two weak endings: 

  1. For the reasons I mentioned, I think historic buildings should be preserved.
    (Too short! What reasons? You should finish on a strong note: a powerful summary of your position.)
  2. So, due to the number of jobs that require mathematics, plus the years it takes to learn to paint well, and the fact that after all that time there aren't very many jobs for artists anyway, and also the world is going more and more digital, so mathematics will become more and more important, I'd take the mathematics class, even though I'd rather paint.
    (Too long! I just heard your answer, you don’t need to repeat it. Just remind me of what you said.)

Here’s a strong ending: 

So, to wrap up, grandparents have a very important role in the family. They pass on wisdom, provide a sense of continuity, and help with childcare, which means women can go back to work.

I hope my grandparents stay healthy for a long time.

Practice

Now that you have learned how to end powerfully, let's do some practice!