Show notes
Why Introductions Matter
In college I worked for a carpenter and I discovered that everything has to be sanded and primed before it’s ready to receive a coat of paint. Today I’m a speaker and I’ve learned that priming is equally important for giving a good speech. When the audience isn’t primed properly during your introduction, the speech is set up to fail. Unfortunately, giving a good introduction is much harder than it looks and few people give it the time and attention it deserves.
Where Most Intros Go Wrong
Here’s what happens most of the time. Whoever is introducing you will Google you on their phone a few minutes before they are supposed to go onstage. Generally they come across your LinkedIn profile and whatever 3-5 year old bio you have on your website. After reading over this for a few seconds they will then proceed to walk out on stage and “wing” your intro. Often they get the actual information WRONG. Even when they get it right, they almost never give an intro that primes the audience properly.
The Real Job of Your Introduction
This is about more than just telling the audience who you are and what you do. The real job of the introduction is to prime the listeners on you expertise, status, and credibility. Importantly, the intro should get people excited for your talk, but not TOO excited. You want them to be interested and curious, but not overly emotional. The more worked up they are the harder it will be for you to match the audiences energy when you take the stage for your talk.
Elements of A Perfect Introduction
Don’t leave your intro to chance, it’s too important! Write your intro yourself and send it to the client ahead of time. Before your speech, spend some time chatting with the person who will introduce you so they have familiarity with you. This allows them to start off their intro in a casual and social way. I also recommend a bit of randomness in the intro, a clear conveyance of your status, some humility, and a sense of complete trust that the speaker is going to be great. Jim and I reveal exactly how to do all of this on today’s episode.
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