It is an honor to be asked to introduce a speaker. Your introduction sets the stage, prepares the audience, and provides the welcome. Here are some tips to help you make the best impression and start things off right.

Preparation

* Do your homework.

- Obtain a current bio from the speaker or his/her office/publicist.

- If the speaker has any recent publications, review them.

- Use the internet to look for recent articles or comments you can use, such as a complimentary quotation.

- Ask the speaker's office/publicist for help in identifying any common points of reference you can make.(For example, did the speaker ever live in the area of the speech? Weave in your common points of connection to add personal insights. For example, while you might not normally mention where he/she went to college, you might want to mention it if his/her alma mater is local.) * Most importantly, in addition to getting up-to-speed on the speaker's past achievements, talk to the speaker him/herself whenever possible and find out what he/she is working on or doing now and what he or she would like you to emphasize to this audience.

* Ask the speaker (or, if necessary, his/her office/publicist) what he/she would like to have emphasized to this audience.

* Think about what the relevance of the speaker's talk will be for this audience. What can they learn from this person?

* If the speaker is very well-known and it would be redundant to include commonly known details, include key highpoints without trying to cover all he or she has done.

* Be generous and gracious by saying something very positive about him/her he/she cannot say about him/herself.

* If you have a personal relationship with the speaker, reference that, but do so in a way that keeps the focus on the speaker and what knowing him or her has meant to you vs. on you.

* Keep it short. Structure what you say and keep it concise.

Structure Your Comments

* Be energetic, positive, and prepared.

* Start by introducing yourself, welcoming the audience, thank the audience for participating, and say that it is your pleasure/privilege/honor to introduce the speaker.

* Start with a very brief background highlighting the most important parts of his/her career and work up to the present. Keep the focus on what the guest speaker is doing now.

* End with a personal note or connection, such as an experience you had with the speaker, a comment the speaker made to you, or a personal connection the speaker has with the audience.

Deliver with Polish

* Smile as you greet the audience. Your smile will inject energy into your voice, set a welcoming tone, and communicate your confidence. Pause for three seconds. Keep your posture erect.

* Be true to your natural style, but be fully prepared. - If you are not naturally a funny person, don't build in jokes. - To avoid the temptation to read your introduction, use bulleted speaker's notes, not a written speech. * Keep your introduction short -- two minutes at an absolute maximum. Remember that the audience is eager to hear the speaker and a long introduction takes away from your guest speaker's momentum.

* Be genuine and enthusiastic in introducing the speaker. Be gracious.

Learn more about Richardson by visiting our website (http://www.richardson.com).

About the Author

Linda Richardson is founder of Richardson (www.richardson.com), a leading sales training and consulting firm. She is a recognized leader in the sales training industry and is credited with the movement to consultative selling, which is the corner stone of Richardson's methodology. Ms. Richardson recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Sales Training at The 2006 Selling Power Sales Excellence Awards.