And now without further ado please welcome a speaker that needs no introduction my dear friend  John…(stumbling over the name) Ewe-blu-it.

Introductions set the stage. Whether it is a formal presentation or a friend introducing you to someone you find interesting, an introduction can be a stepping stone or a stumbling block.  Here are three tips for success introductions.

1.  Tell the introducer exactly what you want them to say.  Write it out and send it to them before the presentation (Bring a copy to the presentation just in case they forget it.)

2.  Keep it relevant and brief.  If your audince is accountants your credentials in accounting are relevant, not how much you love eating Twinkies.

3.  Pre-sell your speech.  Give your audience a sense of what to expect without giving away the meat of the speech. Think in terms of what the audience will take away not what you are going to say.

If you are the one doing the introducing, please keep in mind a poor introduction  can be worse than no introduction.  Just say
what the speaker has asked you to say and then gracefully get out of the way. Finally, lose the “ado’s” and other clichés  so when you lead the applause, the speaker can step up, not stumble over the introduction.