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Let Me Introduce Myself

Why a good introduction is important to the audience and the speaker

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Let Me Introduce Myself

www.toastmasters.org

Let Me Introduce Myself

Have you ever attended a presentation and wondered who the speaker was? • Both literally and figuratively – either the person was

not introduced & did not introduce themself, or you knew their name but not what qualified them to speak on the subject.

• As an audience member these situations can be very confusing.

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Why Introduce Speakers?• Establish the speaker’s expertise in the area.• Tell the audience why they should listen.• Set the tone for the speech – humorous,

formal, Q&A.For Toastmasters:• Give information like the project #, speech

title, time goals.

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Who Creates the Introduction?• The Speaker• The emcee (Toastmaster)• As a speaker, you are the best qualified to write your introduction. You know

your speech, your qualifications, the speech’s purpose, the audience and what needs to be communicated. You can decide if there should be a teaser, or if it should be funny, or formal, or strictly professional. Speakers should always write their own introduction.

• As an emcee, if your speaker doesn’t provide you with a written introduction, you should write one. If the speaker doesn’t provide you with information, you should do your best with what you know about the speaker, the topic they have agreed to speak on, and how it relates to the audience. Do a little research on the speaker, the topic, the purpose of the meeting, then use the following guidelines to craft the introduction.

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What Goes Into an Introduction?

• The T-I-S method – Topic, Importance, Speaker• The Allan & Allan Way– Speaker Description & Qualifications– Topic– Title– Name of Speaker

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What Goes Into an Introduction?• Most recommendations for introductions cover the basic 3

components – the topic of the speech, its relevance to the audience and the background or the biography of the speaker.

• For longer speeches in a more formal setting, the introduction should be longer as well. If you’re introducing an author, you’ll want to include published titles, credentials like journalist for the New York Times, and honors like recipient of the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award for children’s literature. For shorter speeches, the intro should be shorter, but still informative and encompass the TIS elements.

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A Sample IntroOur first speaker is Mary Smith.

Mary has been a member of Toastmasters since September 2011. As a member of Toastmasters, she has served as Secretary for the past year and was recently re-elected to the role for another term. She earned her Competent Communicator certification in 2012 and will earn her Competent Leader certification this year. Her most recent Toastmaster activities have been concentrated on starting a new club here at Acme Supplies. She is currently serving as President of Acme Toastmasters. Over the past 2 years, Mary has learned the importance of a good introduction. Today she is here to tell us why she feels writing introductions are critical for our own toastmaster experience, and to share some tips on crafting compelling and informative introductions. Mary’s speech is Project 2 Organize Your Speech from the Competent Communicator manual. The title of her speech is “Let Me Introduce Myself”. (Ask the evaluator to read the Executive Summary & Objectives for the project.) Please welcome Mary Smith.

S is for Speaker

I is for Importance

T is for Topic

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Introduction TipsTips:

• Don’t make the introduction too long, or you’ll lose the interest of the audience. 1-2 minutes is more than enough for a Toastmasters introduction.

• Don’t be afraid to brag. Making yourself the “expert” will make people want to listen to you.

• For the emcee – read through the introduction if it is provided to you. Ask in advance to make sure you know how to pronounce names, places and any unknown words.

• Smile & be enthusiastic. Build up the speaker and the audience.

• Also as emcee, make sure to introduce yourself. It doesn’t have to be as formal or written out as the speaker’s introduction, but don’t take for granted that the audience knows who you are. At the very least you should give your name, title, role in the meeting, department – whatever is meaningful to the audience.

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Wrap It UpWhen writing your introduction,remember 3 things:•Why are you giving the introduction? To communicate,

generate interest and set the tone for the speech.•Who writes the introduction? As the speaker, it’s in your best

interest to write it. As the emcee, it’s in your best interest to have something to introduce the speaker.•What goes into the introduction? Remember TIS & you’ll have

the 3 essential elements for any good introduction. Topic, Importance, Speaker.