So much is at stake in writing a conclusion. This is, after all, your last chance to persuade your readers to your point of view, to impress yourself upon them as a writer and thinker. And the impression you create in your conclusion will shape the impression that stays with your readers after they've finished the essay.
The end of an essay should therefore convey a sense of completeness and closure as well as a sense of the lingering possibilities of the topic, its larger meaning, its implications: the final paragraph should close the discussion without closing it off.
To establish a sense of closure, you might do one or more of the following:
- Conclude by linking the last paragraph to the first, perhaps by reiterating a word or phrase you used at the beginning.
- Conclude with a sentence composed mainly of one-syllable words. Simple language can help create an effect of understated drama.
- Conclude with a sentence that's compound or parallel in structure; such sentences can establish a sense of balance or order that may feel just right at the end of a complex discussion.
To close the discussion without closing it off, you might do one or more of the following:
- Conclude with a quotation from or reference to a primary or secondary source, one that amplifies your main point or puts it in a different perspective. A quotation from, say, the novel or poem you're writing about can add texture and specificity to your discussion; a critic or scholar can help confirm or complicate your final point. For example, you might conclude an essay on the idea of home in James Joyce's short story collection, Dubliners , with information about Joyce's own complex feelings towards Dublin, his home. Or you might end with a biographer's statement about Joyce's attitude toward Dublin, which could illuminate his characters' responses to the city. Just be cautious, especially about using secondary material: make sure that you get the last word.
- Conclude by setting your discussion into a different, perhaps larger, context. For example, you might end an essay on nineteenth-century muckraking journalism by linking it to a current news magazine program like 60 Minutes .
- Conclude by redefining one of the key terms of your argument. For example, an essay on Marx's treatment of the conflict between wage labor and capital might begin with Marx's claim that the "capitalist economy is . . . a gigantic enterprise of dehumanization "; the essay might end by suggesting that Marxist analysis is itself dehumanizing because it construes everything in economic -- rather than moral or ethical-- terms.
- Conclude by considering the implications of your argument (or analysis or discussion). What does your argument imply, or involve, or suggest? For example, an essay on the novel Ambiguous Adventure , by the Senegalese writer Cheikh Hamidou Kane, might open with the idea that the protagonist's development suggests Kane's belief in the need to integrate Western materialism and Sufi spirituality in modern Senegal. The conclusion might make the new but related point that the novel on the whole suggests that such an integration is (or isn't) possible.
Finally, some advice on how not to end an essay:
- Don't simply summarize your essay. A brief summary of your argument may be useful, especially if your essay is long--more than ten pages or so. But shorter essays tend not to require a restatement of your main ideas.
- Avoid phrases like "in conclusion," "to conclude," "in summary," and "to sum up." These phrases can be useful--even welcome--in oral presentations. But readers can see, by the tell-tale compression of the pages, when an essay is about to end. You'll irritate your audience if you belabor the obvious.
- Resist the urge to apologize. If you've immersed yourself in your subject, you now know a good deal more about it than you can possibly include in a five- or ten- or 20-page essay. As a result, by the time you've finished writing, you may be having some doubts about what you've produced. (And if you haven't immersed yourself in your subject, you may be feeling even more doubtful about your essay as you approach the conclusion.) Repress those doubts. Don't undercut your authority by saying things like, "this is just one approach to the subject; there may be other, better approaches. . ."
Copyright 1998, Pat Bellanca, for the Writing Center at Harvard University
Professionalism in the Workplace Expository Essay
The evidence of professionalism at the place of work is through many aspects such as the manner in which employees treat each other and the way through which the management treats its employees and other stakeholders of the firm.
In a business entity, you will find professionals from different fields and they all work with one central goal being customer satisfaction, sustaining the business and ensuring profitability. For the business to thrive, it is important for the individuals working herein to understand the roles each other plays.
It is not a wonder for one to find people working in the same organization yet they do not realize how each of their roles contributes to the success of the business and their success as well. In a hospital setup for example, one cannot help but appreciate the roles each one plays in that organization. It is easy to disregard the security guard, the secretary the people doing the laundry or the ones who are behind the scenes.
“They hardly interact with the clients” one would think, so why are they so important to the business? In a business organisation, the success of one professional is built on the platform of the other professionals he or she works with. Teamwork is the foundation for success in any workplace (Schmidt 293). A professional is always keen to, share ideas and to help other team members as needed.
As team players, the leaders to various groups in the teams at the place of work should take the initiatives to recognize the efforts of other members of the team especially regarding the success of the firm in terms of its outputs. It is imperative to realize that one’s skills, expertise, long experience are not enough to sustain the organizations success. Every individual plays a key role towards the final success of the company.
Teamwork allows companies to blend the strengths and perspectives of all their employees so that they can achieve organizational goals, increase productivity and guarantee that their clients’ needs are met (West 188). Inevitably, you will always encounter friction, as individuals in the team are different in the way they think and behave. There are instances when you remain silent yet you could use your voice to move the work forward.
This is because one must appreciate the reality that you are dealing with adults. However, it is a key learning point that to be effective in a team one needs to be an assertive communicator. Each team-member needs to seek out, to listen to, and to learn from one another.
According to (Nielsen 63) assertiveness refers to each one’s willingness to offer information with confidence, yet valuing and supporting the views of his or her teammates. The cooperation and assertiveness of each member means that decisions are made based on consensus which is reached by the full participation of every team member (Beeghley 162).
As a result of relating to other professionals in a team, one grows interpersonally and fully appreciates that together, everyone achieves more. Employees are expected t portray a positive approach towards their work despite the daily challenges that they may encounter in the course of executing their duties.
The mistakes that are committed by other members of the group provide a good learning environment for the rest of the members (Nielsen 90).
Works Cited
Beeghley, Leonard. The Structure of Social Stratification in the United States . Boston: Allyn & Bacon. 2004. Print.
Nielsen, John. Effective Communication Skills: The Foundations for Change. Bloomington: Xlibris Corporation. 2008. Print.
Schmidt, Jeff. Disciplined Minds – A Critical Look at Salaried Professionals and the Soul-Battering System that Shapes their Lives. Rowman & Littlefield, 2000. Print.
West, Michael. Effective Teamwork: Practical Lessons from Organizational Research . Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. 2012. Print.
- Chicago (A-D)
- Chicago (N-B)
IvyPanda. (2019, June 17). Professionalism in the Workplace. https://ivypanda.com/essays/professionalism-in-the-workplace/
"Professionalism in the Workplace." IvyPanda , 17 June 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/professionalism-in-the-workplace/.
IvyPanda . (2019) 'Professionalism in the Workplace'. 17 June.
IvyPanda . 2019. "Professionalism in the Workplace." June 17, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/professionalism-in-the-workplace/.
1. IvyPanda . "Professionalism in the Workplace." June 17, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/professionalism-in-the-workplace/.
Bibliography
IvyPanda . "Professionalism in the Workplace." June 17, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/professionalism-in-the-workplace/.
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