At a conference I attended recently, one speaker caught our attention by saying at the start, ‘Here’s my best slide’, and projecting a screen titled ‘Conclusion’. This provoked a warm response, a laugh and a murmur of appreciation.

It’s a nice tactic as a presenter to give your conclusion at the start of your session. Then you can be fully confident you won’t run into the time trouble often faced by those who leave their punchline to the end.

Won’t it reduce suspense? Maybe. But how much suspense is there really? You can replace it with suspense on how well you’ll be justifying your conclusion.

A big advantage is that everyone is clear about your main message. They know what you have come to say, and they will be comfortable to evaluate your other comments in the light of your initial remarks.