Anatomy of a Speaker's Introduction: Part I

We'll spend hours, days, weeks, even a lifetime writing and perfecting our speech, and yet, before we ever get up to present, someone else holds a major key to our success or failure.

That someone else is our Introducer. That major key is our Introduction.

Both tend to be neglected or even forgotten by the beginning speaker, and downright mishandled by all but the best speakers.

Too often a Speaker's Introduction is one of two things - a reading of the biography or description provided for the event program, or an equally long biography either written by the clueless speaker or the wannabe helpful introducer themselves. We KNOW this is both boring and ineffective, and yet we let it happen time and time again.

Don't waste the 30 seconds before your presentation, you know, the one you spent all your time on, on information the audience doesn't need and/or already has. Don't give them a reason before you even open your mouth to shut you out and turn to their smartphone. Instead, use your introduction to draw them in, make them laugh, and prepare them for the main event - YOU.

Your introduction is a mini-speech - and I mean mini. If it goes longer than two minutes, you're doing it wrong. If you can do it in minute or less, all the better.

What exactly IS the Anatomy of a Speaker's Introduction?

1. Attention Grab - just as you might in a speech, start with a question or shocking statistic or statement related to your content, or yourself. This sucks your audience in immediately, and sets an expectation for your subject and your style. EX: If you're giving a leadership speech, start off with a controversial statement about about leadership, a question about how the audience feels about leadership, or perhaps a qualifying statement about your own leadership experience in a concise manner.

2. Humor - yes, humor. If you can get your audience laughing before you ever come up, your connection will already be building, and it will be easier for you to keep their attention, vs. trying to regain it, after your introduction.

EX: Instead of a laundry list of your leadership experience, offer up a combined credibility/humorous triad - 'our speaker today is the CEO of a multi-million dollar tech company, has been married for 20 years, and has three wonderful children who have honed her leadership skills faster than either the corporate world or the bonds of matrimony ever could.' 

3. Tailored Credibility - you're probably loaded with personal and professional credentials. President of this, CEO of that, with multiple BS, BA, PhD, and Master's degrees from the best schools, not to mention organizational certifications like CPS, AS, DTM and WCPS, technical certifications like - well I don't have any so I don't know what they are, but YOU do - along with your amazing spouse, beautiful children, stepchildren, adopted children, and foster children. You've written 5 best-selling books, and appeared on Larry King, Oprah, and Jerry Springer. You make a ton of money, and give most of it away to 15 different charities. In your spare time, you fly, climb mountains, and crochet afghans that you give to your local homeless shelter.

In short, you rock.

This is all great information to share...on your website.

As far as your introduction, remember, we're keeping it short. If your credibility matters to the audience you're in front of it, or is crucial to your message, use some of it - maybe one or two items, at most. Keep in mind, however, that these people already know you're credible, because you're in front of them, and your bio is likely in the program, or at the very least a smartphone away.

4. Product Placement - yes, you can briefly include a mention of your most recent book or product, if it matters to the moment, and is available after the presentation. Briefly. You'll also bring this up in your Outroduction, which I'll talk about in another post.

5. Promise - this may have been part of your Attention Grab, but if not, make a short statement at the end, right before your name, with your promise. What are they going to get? What solution? What feeling? What plan? EX: In his presentation today, you will be armed with three solid way to Speak and Deliver your greatest message - Welcome Rich Hopkins.

6. Title NO, Name YES - in a professional introduction, the title of your talk is entirely irrelevant. As seen in the example above, give the promise, then have them introduce you with your name. If you can stop your name from being used at all before the end, all the better. Why? Because use of your name triggers both applause and your movement towards the stage. Using it throughout the introduction can inadvertently create false starts. Save it til the end, and head up to the stage.

Bonus Tip - Humorous Name or Branding Modifier - if you've used a personal funny description in the intro, or have a branding moniker, call back to it. EX: Welcome the rocker himself...., Welcome, fresh from his latest Game of Thrones binge-watching.... Welcome the Man in the Hat.... Welcome the Win Anyway Guy himself....

In Part II, I'll talk about the hazards involved with your introduction and introducer, and how to navigate all the landmines involved when you are relying on a third party, or several third parties, to launch your presentation. In Part III, I'll discuss, for my Toastmaster friends, a more tailored approach for your TM speeches, and how they can improve your club and member experience.

I'd love to have a Part IV - where I take real introductions YOU send me, and I power them up for you. I'll take four intros - first come, first served - and help you craft them to help you get your next speech off to a powerful start before you ever get on stage. Just leave your request in the comments below.

Until then - look at your current introduction and compare it to the above formula. Is it too long? Too boring? Too filled with non-pertinent information? Is it giving you your best chance to Speak....and Deliver?

Nobody Cares About You!

Believe it or not, it's true - not single person in your audience gives a whit about you. You and your story. You and your success. You and your obstacles. You and your genius.

Even if your mom, spouse, or children are in the audience - they don't care about you either.

Humans are a egotistical lot. There's an old saying - 'your favorite word is your own name' - even if you don't like your name, when you hear it, you immediately come to attention. Heck, with six kids, if I just hear the word 'Dad' in any space I'm in, I start looking around!

We may like you. We may even want to hear you tell us about your eight years in the oval office, your climb to the top of Mt. Everest, your triumphant rescue of a Fortune 500 Company.

But only if it affects...US. 

It's the first thing I have to work with my clients on when they tell me how passionate they are about their messages, how amazing their experiences are, and how mind-blowing their approach to life is. To THEM.

My response? "So. What? Why do I care?"

Because in the end, your audience needs a reason to care that is in their self-interest - because they only want to hear what you have to say if it benefits THEM.

Those benefits don't have to be major. They may simply come in the entertainment value of your talk. More likely, for the average Non-Celebrity Keynote Speaker, the benefits will come in the form of your process - your solution to their problem, their pain.

Their problem. Their pain. Those are the money words.

Where can they find their pain in what you're sharing? You have to ask yourself that because it's your job to show them their pain in the beginning of your presentation. To give them a reason to care, to listen to you as opposed to playing Candy Crush on their smart phone for the next 45 minutes.

If you ARE a celebrity speaker, their pain may simply be that they don't understand how you got to be you. Envy. So you let them know right away you're going to give them behind-the-scenes access to being you, so THEY can find hope that THEY can be more like you.

For the non-celebrity speaker (that is, most likely, you and me)...
Here are a few popular topics, and some ways to Poke Their Pain:

Marketing - without it, you have no business. Doing it wrong can bankrupt you. Your competition is probably doing it better than you.

Leadership - the hardest thing you'll ever do. Fail in this, and you can't reach your goals. Fail as a leader, and you feel horrible about yourself. Fail in this, and your company will fail with you.

Communication - poor communication destroys companies, slows productivity, and sours relationships of every kind.

Speaking - what if you had an amazing message, and spent your own life sharing it with an audience of one - the one in the mirror?

Quilting - how many hours do you spend hand-stitching? How long can you work until your arthritis acts up, forcing you to stop, and putting you behind on your Christmas gifts to your 26 grandchildren?

It's not that hard to find the pain - most any topic pertains to our financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual well-being to some degree. But if we simply assume they'll know the pain we're talking about, we'll lose most of the audience pretty quick, and miss our opportunity to bring them immediately into our presentation. Point out their pain, and then....

...swoop in with empathy.  You've been there. You understand their predicament. You share a short promise to them that by the end of your presentation, they'll know how THEY can get through it, and by the end of the speech, they be begging to know exactly how YOU got through it. Promise them they'll have solutions for their marketing, their leadership, their communication, their speaking, and even a better idea of how to climb Mt. Everest. Though probably not all in the same speech...

Promise them, and then deliver, PAIN RELIEF. That's right. As a speaker you're basically Aspirin.

Most of us get into speaking because, well, we like to hear ourselves talk. We love our message, and our stories. We often enjoy the attention. Those that successfully STAY in speaking learn to love their audience first, and use the result the audience will get as a filter for everything they say.

Whether you're building a speech or you have a message you've been giving for awhile now, take some time to ask yourself (or find someone who WILL ask you) "So What? Why Do I Care?"

Because until they have a reason to care...a pain that crystallizes their attention...they sure as heck don't want to hear how awesome your life is. As for your mom, spouse, and kids? They're just hoping you give them some credit for how awesome you are.

Because it's all about THEM!

How to Speak & Offend Part III of IV: How to Speak & Offend Your Fellow Toastmasters - and Soon the World

In Part I, I gave some tips to avoiding offending your audience inadvertantly. In Part II, I suggested that offending the audience is actually our job as a speaker. A few people mentioned that we should be able to speak about 'offensive' topics - and wondered where they might test their material.

Toastmasters - the worldwide non-profit dedicated to helping people develop public speaking and leadership skills - is the perfect place to be offensive. It's also a great place to learn NOT to be, and, believe it or not, an ideal place to deliberately BE offensive, in preparation to offend the world.

Now, before you go off and join a club with the intent of riling everyone up with your latest Duck Dynasty rant, take a look at the list below.

1. Know Your Club - much like my oft=repeated mantra - Know Your Audience. Every TM club around the world, despite following the same basic educational program at their core, is different. You will find a corporate club - say the one that meets at lunch on the sixth floor in your company tower - to be significantly different in makeup and manner than a local community club meeting at your library.

What those differences are isn't easily predicted - they may actually be MORE able to handle touchy topics than said community club. Some clubs meet at churches or other public venues that might hamper the discussion of certain topics. But the most important aspect isn't the location - it's the people IN the club. Are they open to topics that may push the envelope on taste and appropriateness? Even that statement is up for interpretation. Bringing up the word sex, or discussing liberal vs. conservative ideals in one club might be enough to shake them to their core, or be so passe that you better go further just to be heard above the noise.

Visit a club for a few weeks to get an idea of their personal club standards. Talk to the VP of Education. If you're new - give yourself a speech or two before going for the jugular with your assessment of your current world leader you've deemed to be the anti-Christ.

2. Turn Your Audience Into Actors. One interesting aspect of Toastmasters is that it is specifically designed to be a supportive group for you to improve your skills. One way of taking full advantage of that is by telling your audience who they need to be for your speech. In your introduction, or perhaps as an objective read by your evaluator BEFORE you give your speech, mention that your audience is a group of women looking to enforce their rights to breastfeed in public, or a meeting of the National Meatcutters Association, or a group of freshmen college students attending a meeting on Safe Sex.

This gives the audience a bit of notice, so that you don't totally jar them unnecessarily, and improves your chances for helpful feedback vs. an outraged response. They can listen to you with the ears of your desired target listener, and do a better job evaluating your delivery method without being so bothered by the nature of your content.

3. Expand & Advance - to an Advanced Club. Once you've determined the clubs parameters on subject matter you can decide, at your own risk, whether to try to push a bit in that club environment or go elsewhere. That doesn't mean going outside Toastmasters. Advanced clubs often have a higher tolerance for off-color, controversial, or more-spirited topics. Some actually specialize in it. Ask around, check the website, and make some visits. You'll usually need to stay in your regular club as a membership-requirement for an Advanced Club, but even two clubs a year is peanuts compared to most public speaking training available.

4. Organize a 'No-Holds-Barred' Meeting. Many clubs have a variety of special meetings throughout the year, from Backward Meetings to Holiday themes - why not create a meeting specifically geared to tough topics, publicize it (heck, wouldn't your local paper love to hear about a group of citizens talking about everything from gay marriage to legalized marijuana to suspending kindergartners who kiss their fellow classmates?), and give everyone a chance to be prepared, and, of course, to participate. Be sure to explain it fully at the beginning of the night, in case you have guests. And let people know if they would rather have that night off, it's completely understood.

5. Record & Judge Thyself. Are you really saying what you want to say? Is your stage demeanor what you expected? Are your word choices intentional? Separating yourself from the speech, getting outside of yourself and your passion will help you become more objective as you continue to build your message. Share it with a few trusted friends and/or a presentations coach.

6. Let Your Audience Change You. The previous four methods all focus on gauging and managing your Toastmasters audience, to help them help you help others. Keep in mind, however, that you will run into everyday people in your real-life audiences who will be offended as well, no matter your venue. Bring an eval form for everyone in the room and find out which notes you're hitting well and which are off-key, and ask them to sign their forms so you can evaluate for yourself whether their feedback will work for you. You might find the perfect way to soften a statement or tone, or you might even discover you aren't as controversial as you think you are.

If you've found other strategies, or know of an Advanced Club in your area that can offer an open audience for broader topics - please share in the comments below, or on Speak & Deliver's Facebook Page.

Offend with Intention. I mentioned this in Part I, but it bears repeating. As a Speak & Deliver reader, I'm confident you truly care about your message and what your audience gets out of it. This makes learning to be 'offensive' in the most optimal manner crucial. Being crass or inappropriate for crassness and inappropriateness' sake will not help you, your audience, or your cause. Even Tony Robbins, often the crassest of the crass, swears and offends with intention - his belief is that if you can't handle the language, you're in the wrong audience, and he's actually trying to get your to leave. For many people I know, he is considered to be a terrible example as a speaker - people often tell me how much they hate him. But, just as often, I hear from people who absolutely love him - and he's built quite a career offending with purpose, whether we agree with his purposes or not.

If your audience hasn't moved toward your message by the time you finish, you've failed. Sometimes it takes a little push, sometimes a big one. Knowing the difference is knowing how to Speak...& Deliver.

How to Speak & Offend: Part I

I get questions, every now and again. Today I'll tackle a recent favorite:

"How do I avoid offending my audience?"

Aside from the obvious answers, like showering, using deoderent, making sure your zipper is up or your blouse is buttoned to a level of decency, and not being, as a general rule, an insufferable jerk, I have some ideas.

1. Avoid SPR - Sex, Politics & Religion. If your topic isn't speaking about one of these directly, bringing it in as part of a story or a 'humorous' aside, can be risky. I recently spoke in Toronto. Easiest punchline all weekend was their crack-smoking mess of a mayor. For THEM. I went into my 12 day trip up there with the clear intention of not even mentioning it unless it was mentioned to me. When it did come up, I'd smile and nod. When asked a direct question, my stock answer was 'America's just happy there's a politician screwing up somewhere else'.

2. Don't Accuse - We are told as speakers to involve our audience, to watch our I/You ratio - but it can be easy to sound like we're accusing our audience of falling short, being unintelligent, and just plain not as good as us, the magnificent speaker. We don't mean this, of course. Well, hopefully. Asking people to think about what they would do, to imagine themselves in a situation, or if they've ever seen someone act a certain way, is a far better approach. Referring to 'Mr. X' from your own experience, or even making up a character to embody the negative behavior can also be effective. There will be a time to challenge the audience directly, but even then, you should be challenging them to do something positive to reach a result, vs. stopping behavior you don't even know if they are doing.

3. Beware Spontaneous Humor - This is a tricky one, because I am also in strong support of spontaneous humor. It can often create some great laugh lines, when you're on track with the audience. It can also put you in a tough spot with some if you aren't careful. I recently took part in a Q&A with World Champion of Public Speaking Randy Harvey up in Toronto, and, in talking about fluff speeches, mentioned they were 'like Chinese food - always leaving you hungry an hour later'. Innocuous enough, right? And an expression I commonly use. Unfortunately, we had just had Chinese food as the buffet meal that night, and the audience response was one of shock, which would have turned into offense quickly had I not immediately addressed the head of the meeting with my next comment, acknowledging the potential offense I had created. I stayed in a humorous tone, and the moment passed. But I'm sure some were still offended, and for all I know, I also offended a Chinese person or two in attendance. Beware might sound like a strong term - but it's really short for Be Aware - and that's important at all times.

4. Know Your Audience - do a little research by talking with the meeting planner and others in the company/group to find out what is off-limits to your audience. Maybe they've had layoffs recently. Perhaps they've had staff in an accident - for instance, a speaker friend of mine who often uses airplane humor talks about a client whose CEO had just died in a plane crash. Had he not done his homework, he would have put himself in a tough situation. What are your clients taboo topics, and taboo humor?

5. Dress the Part - I jokingly referred to zippers and blouses at the open, but not dressing to the right level of appropriateness can be a real turn-off to your audience. Unless part of your identity is flannel shirts and cowboy boots, and the people who hired you know it, I don't advise showing up in that combination in front of a corporate audience. Inspired by Steve Jobs years ago, I once wore slacks, a black turtleneck, and a nice suit-jacket to give a keynote. Afterwords I had several people take me aside and tell me they were offended I hadn't worn a suit that morning. Clearly I was not Steve Jobs. And I hadn't focused enough on #4 - Knowing My Audience so I'd know what was appropriate. In addition to types of clothes, watch the shoes you wear, the jewelry you choose, the makeup you wear, and any fragrance you may choose for an event.

6. Blue Language - for those of you younger than 40, 'Blue Language' refers to swearing. As socially acceptable as swearing has become, and as tempting as it is to use it for a quick laugh, it can be a connection and credibility killer. Just as with clothing, if it's part of your identity as a speaker, make sure your audience knows it ahead of time. Even then, know your audience, and to what level you can push. In the annals of Toastmasters, there's a story of Tony Robbins giving his Golden Gavel acceptance speech, and, as he is well- know for doing, used a fair amount of 'Blue Language'. It's part of his schtick - to break his audience out of their thought patterns. A good approach, perhaps, for people who have paid you thousands of dollars to attend your personal event, but a cataclysmic approach for many of the older, conservative Toastmasters in attendance.

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These may all seem like common-sense tactics, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to lose track of your common sense in the heat of the moment. In other cases, 'You Don't Know What You Don't Know'. And, of course, there's always the thought - 'Well, it'll work for me'. It might. but it might not. Don't say you weren't worned.


As I've alluded to with dress and language, sometimes offending your audience is part of your strategy - and I'll address that in Part II. In the meantime, what offends YOU from the stage? Please share your experiences below - you never know who you'll be helping - to Speak & Deliver!

Speaking of Sarcasm

In my book, Go Ahead & Laugh, sarcasm is described as "revealing and edgy double-edged commentary" - a slightly redundant, but accurate description, in hindsight. It's also a dangerous device. It's like carrying around an unstable explosive - if you don't know what you're doing, if you haven't planned the path you're going to take - it's liable to explode in your face.

Sarcasm as defined by Dictionary.com is "harsh or bitter derision or irony" - YIKES! Does that sound like something you want in your speech? Is a laugh so important that you have to resort to harsh and bitter sarcasm? Even if you get the laugh, will it end up costing you credibility? Will your audience turn on your over just one phrase in your speech, even if the rest is perfectly acceptable? No, Yes, & Yes.

No - the laugh is not so important that you should risk using sarcasm in a hurtful way.
Yes - if you deride the wrong group, belief, situation, or person, you can lose credibility with your audience.
Yes - one misplaced or misused phrase is all it takes to get an audience focused on the negative, and away from your intent.

So why not get rid of sarcasm altogether? Because even explosives have a purpose, and, used correctly, can be very effective.

1. Plan it Carefully - Sarcasm backfires most often when it's 'Off the Cuff'. We think something is going to be funny in the moment, and its not. This can be fine with regular humor, but sarcasm that flops is like acid that drops - you're creating your own hole to fall into. Write your humor lines ahead of time. Test your sarcasm with your coach and/or some friends. Come back to it a day or two later and see if it still passes the test.

2. Don't Betray Yourself - Sarcasm is often a mask for our true feelings. We say something in a way that can be taken as humor, but in truth, it's how we really feel. We just don't have the guts to come out and say it straight out. This can happen easily in an 'Off the Cuff' remark, but also in a planned speech that hasn't been vetted properly.

3. Exaggerate - This is a technique unto itself, but when combined with sarcasm, it can soften the blow. Exaggeration makes it clearer to the audience you are joking around with your sarcastic remarks.

4. Self-Deprecate - another technique that works on it own, it mixes well with sarcasm. It takes the edge off by pointing the sarcasm back at yourself, so you aren't coming across as aggressive or arrogant to the audience. In one of my speeches, I get sarcastic about my daughter not being competitive enough - but it is softened because I have spent the last several minutes poking fun at myself for being TOO competitive. CAUTION: Don't cut yourself too deep, or your credibility will be cut along the way.


5. Know Your Audience - If you are speaking to a church, don't talk about how the boys in the youth group want to get the girls in the back seat (I actually heard this once!). It may be true, and you may be trying to get a laugh, but unless you quickly follow it up with something to cushion the truth, you'll come across as crass instead of brash.

On the other hand, if you are speaking to Wal-Mart employees, directing sarcasm towards their detractors or competition can build rapport. Just be careful if you're speaking to K-Mart the next weekend, social media may betray you.

If sarcasm is so dangerous, why include it in my book? Why teach it to my clients? Because, when it's used well, it can be very effective. It can build rapport. It can illustrate a point. It can lighten a heavy moment in the audience. It can be convicting and freeing all at once.

A great way to study the art of sarcasm is by watching Stand-Up Comedians. Most of what they do is steeped in sarcasm. Keep in mind, their audiences are more primed for them to be inappropriate - but even they can step over the line. Watch for moments of brilliance and moments of blunder. Take notes on technique and timing. Then apply it to your own speaking, and test, test, test.

Dynamite cleared the way for connecting East and West back in the days of the old railroad. Nuclear power can be an efficient energy choice. Just because something is dangerous doesn't make it useless. Just handle with care - or it'll blow up in your face.

Bonus Exercise: Below are some videos of three diverse comedians all employing sarcasm to different degrees. What works for them, for their audience? What could work for you?

A. Let's start with Don Rickles - otherwise known as Mr. Warmth. He's been leading the charge for sarcastic humor for over half a century. He knows his audience, and even more, his audience knows him. It's a badge of honor to be made fun of by this master.



B. Seinfeld brought sarcasm to a different level - still biting, but just veiled enough to soften the blow. He's typically clean, and is a great example of corporate-appropriate humor.



C. I mentioned a church audience - and Christians (and other religions) have their humorists too. You can find appropriate sarcasm in anything, if you look for it. Brad Stine offers this half comedy routine, half sermon, and does a good job staying in his boundaries. (in my own, subjective, opinion, of course)