They stare at you. You stare at them. The silence is deafening. You fidget. You can hardly breathe. Finally, you blurt out: "Mr. Toastmaster." Or worse yet, you surrender to those meaningless words: "Thank you." Mercifully, the audience applauds, putting you out of your misery. You can breathe again.

As a Toastmaster, you know there must be a better way to conclude your speech. After all, what the grand finale is to a musician, the conclusion is to a speaker. The ending of the speech is a chance to stir the audience to a standing ovation with a resounding call to action - or a gentle tug on the heart strings.

That's why leading speakers don't end their speeches with a perfunctory or mundane, "Thank you." Of the 217 speeches listed in William Safire's anthology, Lend Me your Ears: Great Speeches in History, only seven conclude with "Thank you."

How can you end your speech as confidently as you opened it? Try these 12 tips:

The Title Close
Use the title of your speech as your closing words. Last words linger, galvanizing your message and mobilizing your audience. Just as comedians should "leave 'em laughing," speakers should " leave 'em thinking." (HINT: Try writing the ending of your speech first to better construct the title.)

The Circular Close. Refer back to your opening anecdote or quote and say: " We have arrived now at the close where we began." Reiterate the message you want your audience to remember. Summarizes the main points in the classic: "Tell 'em what you are going to tell 'em; tell 'em, then tell 'em what you told 'em."

The Challenging Close If you were concluding a speech on the importance of taking action, you could say: "Let's turn from spectators into participants. Let's recall the inspiring words of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt who said:' Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered with failure, than to remain with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight into the bright sunshine so that we can all see the dawn of a new day."

The Invitation Close If you were concluding a speech on the importance of getting involved in the education process, you could say: "More than 450 years before the birth of Christ, Confucius said: 'What I hear, I forget. What is see, I remember. What I do, I understand.' Let's do it together. We've heard what we have to do. We've seen what we need to do. Now is the time to do it and together we can. Do it!

The Quotation Close Find a famous quotation and use it like a lever to lift the close of your speech. If you were concluding a speech on the importance of embracing change, you could say: " Our tomorrow's need new and different solutions today. Recall the insight of President Abraham Lincoln. On the brink of the Civil War, Lincoln looked change directly in the eye and said: 'The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate for the stormy present and future. As our circumstances are anew, we must think anew and act anew.'

The Repeitive CloseFind a phrase and structure it in a repetitive format that strikes the cadence of a drummer, building to a climax like this: "And so what we have been saying is that life is an adventure, dare it. A duty, perform it. An opportunity, take it. A journey, complete it. A promise, fulfill it. A puzzle, solve it. A goal, achieve it. "

The Sing-Song Close Ask the audience to repeat a phrase a few times in your speech. For example, you might say: "Toastmasters fosters learning." Ask your audience to repeat that phrase on cue. You can end by saying: : "We all know that Toastmasters fosters �" (Pause and coax the audience's response with a wave of your hand to complete the phrase.)

The Suggestive Close "Before I take questions, let me conclude with this point �"

The Benediction Close "May God bless and keep you�".

The Congratulatory Close "I salute all of you and everyone in your organization, and I look forward to your continued success�"

The Proverbial Close Find a popular phrase and twist it to fit your message like this:"May the transformational force be with you."

The Demonstration Close Use a prop to signal the close of your speech. For example you could close a book and say:"This concludes this chapter in my life and now I stand firm to write my next chapter." Or don a cap as you conclude your speech and say: "It is time for me to head out and find the road to success."

Use these 12 techniques and you will be well on your way to developing the ultimate close - the personal signature close - that you'll eventually develop so well that you own it, like Barbara Walters who ends her 20/20 television programs with: "We're in touch, so you'll be in touch."

With these 12 techniques you will close your speeches more confidently and cogently.

Peter F. Jeff, ATM-B, is a member of the Grand Rapids Club 404-62 and Steeplechase Club 4172-62 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the auhor of "Get a GRIP on your dream"