Here’s an excerpt from my booklet Spice It Up! 52 Easy Ways to Turn Your Safety Meetings from Bland to GRAND!” in the final section on “The Ending.” For more info about this helpful product: Spice It Up! 
TIP #44–Don’t End With “Thank You”
Anticlimactic statements such as “thank you” and “it was my pleasure” invite only polite applause. If you want to show gratitude, do it somewhere in the middle of the session. Other limp endings to avoid include: “Well, I see our time is almost up, so let me conclude by saying…” or “Let me summarize…” or the ever popular “With that I’d like to thank…”
There is no need to have a transitional phrase to introduce your conclusion. However, if you want to use a signal, make it upbeat and positive. Never use a signal that denotes a restriction or negative feeling about yourself or the meeting such as, “Well, I guess you’re anxious to get on with other things.”
Also, please, please, please, don’t tell your listeners you’ve forgotten some point and then add ten more minutes to your presentation. Instead, include it in your next meeting. Or, if you won’t have a meeting in the near future, send the information out in an email or memo. Adding new points at the conclusion can make your ending fuzzy. It needs to be clear.
Even if it’s “only” a monthly safety meeting you’re conducting, conclude with a bang, not a whimper. Be creative in devising a conclusion that hits the hearts and minds of your audience. Work on several possible endings and select the one that seems likely to have the greatest impact on your audience.
Note: After you conclude, if your audience gives you a roaring applause thank them for it.
