At every large business meeting, industry conference, and charity function, someone acts as emcee. Someone else usually introduces the speakers or award recipients.
Think about what an introduction is conceptually. Here is a person fully capable of speaking for herself. You are introducing her because you can say things about her she can’t say about herself. For most people, politicians aside, it would feel awkward to stand in front of an audience and brag. Your job as the person making the introduction is to brag on the person’s behalf and to tell audience members why they should listen to this person who is about to speak. Introducing someone, if done well, provides three possible benefits:
Most introductions, however, are awful. Rarely is the introduction in any way interesting or inspiring, and rarely is it personal. The default for most people giving an introduction is to read the text printed about the speaker in the event brochure or read the person’s resume to the audience. If all you do is read a resume, you don’t sound impressed. You sound uninformed.
Here’s how you can make the most of a great opportunity.
You aren’t the main speaker. You’re a bit player in today’s event. Keep it to five minutes, tops; otherwise you look like you are hogging the stage.
If audience members have material about the speaker, don’t read it to them. They probably read it while waiting for the talk to begin.
Don’t read the speaker’s list of accomplishments or resume. Instead, select two or three attributes that characterize the speaker based on the roles he has had or the contribution he has made.
“Now we’re in for a treat. Susan Smith is one of this company’s strongest leaders. In her 26 years of dedicated service, she has brought passion, creativity, and a great sense of humor to her roles in sales, operations, and now our global expansion efforts. [Insert story here about when you experienced Susan exemplifying one of these traits. Ideally, the story also ties to Susan’s topic.]
“I’m looking forward to hearing her thoughts on [today’s topic]. Please join me in welcoming Susan.”
While it’s important to recognize someone’s skills and attributes, overdoing it isn’t helpful. It can lead to inflated expectations for the audience and creates undue pressure for the person about to speak. The worst introduction ever is: “I want you to meet my friend Jim. He’s really funny.” Now when Jim says, “Hi,” the audience is thinking, “That’s not funny.”
If you are moderating a panel, you should give a brief introduction of each speaker. Because you have three or four panelists, keep each introduction to two minutes. Mention only the most significant accomplishments of each person. Even when you and the panelists have agreed that each person should introduce himself or herself, you still have to say something to get things started. In that case, you should introduce each person by stating his or her name and current or most recent title.
In many cases, the moderator has not met the panelists before the event. However, there’s no reason to let the audience know that. If possible, have a brief one-on-one call with the panelists beforehand. Ask what they would like said in their individual introductions. Review their bios beforehand and select two or three roles or accomplishments to comment on or highlight. Draw conclusions about their careers based on their roles, something that wouldn’t be written on a resume or bio. That way you sound as if you understand who each person is and how he or she can contribute to today’s conversation.
“Anne has had an unconventional career path.”
“Juan’s career started strong and progressed quickly.”
“Don is probably as surprised as anyone that he is speaking at this economic summit today given his first job as a professional hockey player.”
“Ching’s varied work experience allows her to bring a different perspective to today’s topic.”
It doesn’t need to be complicated or deep. It just needs to sound like you know who you are introducing.
When you say each person’s name, apply the “Arc of Silence” technique we introduced in Chapter 6 on using notes. All words are delivered out to your audience, meaning you make eye contact with a single person in the audience for each sentence. In the case of an introduction, you will gesture at the person you are introducing the same way you would gesture at a bullet point on a screen if you were presenting from PowerPoint.
[Eyes on one audience member] “Our first panelist [gesture and look at Jean, then look back at a different audience member] is Jean Buckley. Jean is the president of the Tracy Foundation and is here to speak about. . . .”
As you talk about Jean, glance down in silence at your notes, grabbing one bullet point at a time. Look up at your audience and say that bullet in a sentence or a phrase. Then add your value for each bullet. Using the Arc of Silence is even more important when you are introducing someone than when you are presenting other content from notes or a slide. In an introduction, the subject you are discussing is a living human being sitting next to you. It creates an awkward disconnect between you and that person if you stare at your notes while talking about someone only a few feet away.
Introducing someone is a good opportunity for you to show off your communication skills. The content, someone’s life, is generally more interesting than most of the stuff we have to talk about in a typical business meeting. Approach it as an opportunity for you to get to know someone and to share some relevant, interesting facts and perspectives about the person. Your purpose is to tie relevant facts about the person to the key concerns of the audience. This tells the audience that there is value in listening to the speaker. It’s all about the needs of the audience.
Let’s say you are about to speak at a conference or large-scale meeting. It’s important to you that you be perceived well by your audience. You’ve studied your content for weeks, months, or years. You spent hours on your slides. You’ve received feedback from colleagues. You worked with a professional to hone your presentation skills. You’re conscious of building your brand, and you know this talk will help.
The person introducing you can position you for success, seem only moderately impressed by you, or totally miss the mark. Make it easy for the person introducing you. Rather than leaving it to him to locate a key theme in your career or the attribute that gives you value to the audience, tell him what you would like him to say. Most of the time, he will be grateful and say exactly what you tell him. If he intends to add his own spin to your message, he will do so, but at least he will start from the angle that best represents you.