| be asked to introduce a fellow speaker. The most | | | | degrees, it is often suffice to only mention the |
| important distinction between an introduction and a | | | | highest degree. The Bachelor of Arts, majoring in |
| speech that you have prepared is that an | | | | English Literature from Fordham is not as important |
| introduction should not be read from notes. There is | | | | as the PhD in neuroscience when speaking about a |
| nothing more impersonal than reading the background | | | | scientific topic. |
| or biography of a fellow speaker word for word. | | | | You also want to relate the speaker's experience and |
| There are several components to a warm | | | | credentials to the speech topic. For example, rather |
| introduction. First of all, you want to provide some | | | | than broadly mentioning that the speaker worked for |
| background about the speaker's credentials. | | | | the UN for one year, you should specifically mention |
| Essentially, you are trying to establish that this | | | | the human rights trials that the speaker worked on. |
| speaker is a credible authority on that particular topic. | | | | If you know the speaker personally it always helps if |
| It is important to only focus on the credentials that | | | | you can recount a short three or four sentence |
| are relevant to the topic at hand. Otherwise you | | | | story about your personal experience in dealing with |
| may be bogged down with a five-minute biography | | | | the speaker. How did you meet the speaker? What |
| which is not necessary. For example, if you were | | | | were your first impressions? Any personal tidbit can |
| introducing a politician who was going to speak about | | | | give color to an introduction. This is no |
| human rights violations in Africa, you would want to | | | | different than a personal introduction of a friend at a |
| focus on the individual's credentials that are relevant | | | | cocktail party. A warm introduction arouses curiosity |
| to the topic at hand. The politician may have had a | | | | and gives the other person some conversation |
| 20 year career as a software engineer for Microsoft. | | | | pieces. |
| She may have only worked for the United Nations at | | | | At the end of the introduction simply state it is |
| an International Criminal Tribunal for one year. | | | | now my pleasure to present John Doe. |
| Nonetheless, it is her experience at the UN that is | | | | An introduction must be brief. A 90 second |
| relevant and should be focused on in the introduction. | | | | introduction would be sufficient even for the |
| You will be required to give the speaker's name, title | | | | president of the United States. The speaker is in the |
| and perhaps any university degrees that they have | | | | limelight. It is a major faux pas to steal the spotlight |
| attained. If the speaker has several university | | | | from the speaker. |