No doubt you’ve caught yourself binging a favorite series sometime over the past year. What is it that has you rolling from one episode straight into the next? It’s more than just shear laziness – I promise.
Like the Cold Open, a technique the entertainment industry uses to quickly get us hooked, they also use the Cliffhanger Close to keep us coming back for more. If we combine these techniques used to keep us all binge-watching our favorite show with the laws of Recency and Primacy, we create a powerful combination.
These laws say simply, people recall most effectively information presented at the beginning a session and the end.
So, for you as an event host this means, load up your most important content at the start of your program. And finish with equally powerful content. This also means, you have to be intentional about how you open and how you close.
We already talked about the open, today let’s look at what goes into a great close. One particular style of close, the cliffhanger.
Let’s come back to that first question, what has you binging one episode after another of your favorite show? Most likely, it’s the cliff hanger close.
Wikipedia defines a cliffhanger as: A cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction.
In the case of your program, course or workshop, the main character is your ideal attendee. A cliffhanger close will leave your attendee questioning, excited, shocked and needing more.
Before you get too far ahead of me, I’m not suggesting you bait your audience and then leave them without the valuable content your promised. Not for a minute. That’s slimy and wrong.
Reactions To a Good Cliffhanger Close
- You create such excitement that she cannot wait to get home and test drive her new skills.
- She is so stunned by what she is able to do that she immediately signs up for the next phase of the program.
- She leaves you a rave review highlighting the key points she learned and how she’ll apply them.
- Immediately she incorporates the lessons while delivering her next event and changes her clients lives forever. (That’s you by the way!)
In Action
Sometimes a cliffhanger close can be deceptively simple. For example, allow your audience to discover how much they have already learned. By executing a closing activity that gives your attendee an opportunity to recall and record all of the information they have retained. They are shocked by the revelation that they now have the knowledge needed to move forward. They are also more confident, willing and inspired to move forward. And in doing so, they embed the learning into their practice and are more likely to return for more.
Examples of simple knowledge reveal cliffhangers:
- Journal reflection and share out
- Quiz show
- Demonstration
- Project showcase
Of course the goal of a cliffhanger is to get your audience to return for more. In a training environment like a workshop, course or retreat this means there is more to be learned. Your content builds and leads the audience to the next stage.
Apply To Your Program
Think about a program you currently host or one you are developing. Now, consider these questions to help you create a powerful cliffhanger close that will keep your audience returning for more.
What is the next stage of content you want to lead attendees to?
List three questions you could ask that would leave your audience wanting more?
What dilemma will your attendee be facing at the end of your program?
How can you position your next episode as an answer to that dilemma?
Come back next week when we talk about other powerful ways to close your events and leave them wanting more.
