By the time you get to the last session of the day at a conference everyone is tired and ready to pack it in.  Often, a conference will kick off with a high energy speaker to set the tone.  However, I think you can leave your attendees on a great note if you have a fantastic closing speaker.  This is exactly what I saw on Wednesday at the North Carolina Conference of Superior Court Judges' Conference. 

Now I don't know a thing about law, but even I enjoyed the last speaker of the day.  Judge Gale Adams brought a thrilling and exciting close to the first day of this three day conference.  I'm going to discuss how she managed such a feat!

Mysterious Title

The title of the session was, "What If?"  No one could figure out what this could possibly be about.  In fact, Judge Adams revealed as she started the session that so many people asked her what she would be talking about.  The title "What If?" didn't really explain a whole lot, but that was her point.  She used this to create buzz.  Even the person introducing her didn't know what she would be talk about. 

Energy

Judge Adams was introduced and then started shouting the question "What If?" as she made her way down the aisle.  She didn't use the microphone and didn't need to.  She was able to shout so that the entire room could hear her.  Judge Adams captivated the audience with her demeanor and her great energy.

Interaction

During her presentation she utilized Turning Point, an audience response system, to poll the audience about how they conduct business in their courtroom.  Being that Judge Adams has only been on the Superior Court Bench for a few years there were things that she didn't exactly know.  When she came across a stumbling block she would call up her colleagues about it.  The problem? She would often receive different advice about the scenario.  The polling questions proved to do the same thing.  On many of the yes/no scenarios she posed the responses were split.  Then she opened the floor.

Discussion

Because there was such a divide in the room about the answers to the questions she was asking, it was a great opportunity to ask people to stand up and talk about how they handle the situation in their courtroom.  Everyone was able to talk about the ways they conduct business.  It was sometimes hard to reign everyone back in, but it was worth it.  At the end of her session there was even more buzz in the room and great conversations as people exited. 

The emcee of the day even commented that they weren't sure who could capture everyone's attention for a 5 p.m. session, but they had clearly found their person.  Thanks to Judge Gale Adams for a very energetic and interesting session.  I was even laughing along and enjoying it, even if some of the material was way over my head!

Do you have attributes that you look for in a closing speaker?  Leave your comments below.