To create an effective introduction to get the person who introduces you to capture the audience's attentions and set up your speech for greatness, follow these steps:
- Opener focused on the audience - grab the audience's interest and let the audience know speech is relevant to them
- Your relevant credentials - only include your credentials that are directly relevant to your speech (e.g., if you are giving a speech on fishing, don't mention you have an MBA in electrical engineering, but do mention you are the five time fishing champion of the Great Lakes Annual Fish-off)
- Your vulnerability - feel the audience's pain and be part of it, making the audience understand that you used to have the same issues they had until you learned a special process that changed your life (e.g., with the fishing example, "I used to come back from my fishing trips with no fish, until my fishing buddy taught me the secret fishing method that got me champion trout every time I went out.")
- Audience benefit - let the audience know what they will get out of your speech and focus that benefit on the audience using "you" statements (e.g., "Today you will learn the secret method I learnedthat will get you a fish every time you go out. You will find out the major mistake most fishermen make and how you can avoid making that mistake. You will learn the way to spot where to fish to get the best fishing results."
- Welcoming you to the stage - the introducer leads the applause while you come to the stage (e.g., "Please join me in welcoming...Tim Wilson!" [introducer applauds as you come to the stage]).
Intro-ing,
Tim Wilson
Professional Speech Coach
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