The Atlanta Urban Debate League is committed to providing excellent debate education programs, services, and opportunities to diverse students, educators, and members of the community!
Writing a Conclusion
Finish strong! Watch the video below and read over several of the components and examples of conclusion statements.
Structure breakdown
Summary sentence. 1 sentence summation of the main points in your body paragraph. A technical “inversion” of the thesis statement.
Wrap-up sentence. 1-2 sentence “wrap up” of your speech by referring back to the context you set up in your main paragraph and how your speech “comes together”
Future directions or rhetorical cliff. 1 sentence “reverse” hook to leave your audience with something to think about. What should the audience do now? Support new policy, be more active in something, recycle more?
Future directions. What happens next if your thesis/plan is approved/passed?
Example: Phasing out coal plants is the first step in developing better and more efficient sources of renewable energy.
Rhetorical cliff. Rhetorical structures that emphasize and/or return to the main theme stated throughout your speech.
Example: To protect our quality of life, nation’s productivity, and world’s health, we must heed the call to action and begin the phasing out of coal plants to stop environmental pollution.
Example: introduction vs conclusion
Introduction
Hook: Antiquated, unsustainable, and ill-prepared energy grids plague America. On February 10, three severe winter storms caused Texas’ isolated power grid to go dark for millions of people across the state, causing shortages in food, water, and heat.
Context: According to a Reuters fact check on February 19, “coal, gas and nuclear [energy], lost nearly twice as much power than renewable energy sources, which contributed to just 13% of the power outages”.
Thesis: The USFG should move towards banning coal power plants as coal energy is the major contributor to pollution, causing losses to our environment, health, and economy.
Conclusion
Summary (reverse thesis): In conclusion, the retirement of coal plants is a crucial first step in curbing air pollution and its consequences in the fight for environmental justice.
Wrap-up (reverse context): Recent and increasingly frequent blackouts due to extreme weather conditions across America highlight the devastation of pollution on our environment and subsequently our welfare.
Future directions or rhetorical cliff (reverse hook): To protect our quality of life, nation’s productivity, and world’s health, we must heed the call to action and begin the phasing out of coal plants to stop environmental pollution.
Recommendations and other considerations
Should take around 10% of your speech time.
Transitions are still necessary! I tend to save the “In conclusion” transition for this.