There are many personal, academic and professional circumstances that require the presence of a guest speaker. If you ever find yourself in the position of needing to introduce a speaker, it will be an opportunity to know how to present your introductions in a way that is informative, fun and easy to understand. Follow these guidelines on how to introduce a speaker.
Steps
Step 1. Prepare for your introductory speech
- Learn everything you can about the speaker you will be introducing. Read any books that the speaker may have written, or watch videos of his previous speeches, in order to get a good idea of what he does.
- Research the topic of the speech. Even if you are not familiar with the speaker's area of expertise, you should know enough about the topic of the speech to be able to explain how important it is to the speaker. For example, if the talk is about astrophysics, you should at least be able to explain the guest's contribution to this field of study.
- Find out why this particular character was invited. Try to inquire about any links the speaker has established with the organization hosting the event, and seek to know if they are an industry leader, a client who simply provides a testimonial, or an inspired speaker.
- Interview the speaker. Ask a series of questions, both personal and related to the topic of the talk. You can ask anything you think is relevant to the topic and that you feel will be well accepted by the speaker. The aim is to get as much material as possible to personalize your guest introduction.
- Request a copy of the standard introductory talk and a short bio of the speaker to extract additional material. Make sure you ask the host how much you can deviate from the content of the introduction they gave you.
Step 2. Create an introductory speech
Use the speaker introduction as a template, then add what you learned during your preparation to personalize your speech.
- The purpose of introducing a speaker is to inform the public about the topic, its relevance to that particular type of audience and the relevance of the speaker to the subject matter. Your speech should consider all 3 of these aspects.
- Start by introducing yourself. Express how happy you are to be able to introduce the speaker.
- Inform the public about the guest's credentials and academic achievements; also provide some interesting links from the institute's website organize the talk.
- Use humor appropriately. You can refer to the information gathered to insert some light humor into the speech, but keep the occasion, audience type, and personality of the speaker in mind when deciding which lines to use. Remember that you are not there to entertain the audience, you are there to prepare them to receive what the speaker is going to convey.
- Close your speech by clearly announcing the speaker's name. For example, you can say something like: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Mr. I. M. Speaker".
Step 3. Practice repeating the introduction several times
- Recite your speech aloud, using a hard copy of reference until you feel comfortable reciting it from memory.
- Look in the mirror as you repeat the speech and consider any aspects that need to be improved if necessary.
- Make sure you pronounce the speaker's name correctly. Repeat this many times until it is natural to bring it back to mind.
Step 4. Present the introductory talk about the speaker in a way that grabs attention and piques the interest of the audience
- Use your body language in a communicative way. As you speak, stand up straight, smile, and scan the audience to make eye contact.
- Talk at a pace that is easy to follow. Insert pauses between sentences, also to allow cheers or laughter from the audience.
- Get the audience excited when announcing the speaker's name. Say the surname in a more incisive voice, and emphasize the first syllable of the name and the last syllable of the surname. Smile and take an indicative stance when you say the speaker's name.
