Presentation Introductions -- They Can Make or Break You
When you have been asked or hired to give a presentation, you will usually be introduced to the group before you present. Often, the person chosen to introduce you is not a seasoned speaker. The introduction, therefore, by this well-meaning person can turn the audience off before one word comes out of your mouth. How can you avoid this?
Write out your introduction!
- Prepare a short and snappy introduction to hand to your introducer.
- I often send one ahead also. This helps the group to have pre-presentation information for a flyer or newsletter.
- Even if you send one ahead, bring a copy with you.
- When you arrive, ask who will be introducing you and give him/her the copy and take a couple of minutes to point out pronunciation of any words that might be difficult or unfamiliar.
- Another note is to double space, use a font of at least size 12, and do not use all caps, which are hard to read.
What to include! When I wrote