October 2009

How to Give Outstanding Speaker Introductions in Five Easy Steps

During the recent National Football Association Hall of Fame ceremonies, I had an opportunity to listen to heart-felt, insightful, and funny speeches. However, what stood out was one speaker's introduction of and inductee. The introduction took away the attention and thunder from the inductee and made the introduction speech more about the speaker than the inductee. The introducer's speech was twice as long as the award winner's speech, and I could see audience members grow weary of the introducer as he sapped the energy from the ceremony before the hall of fame inductee even said the first word of his speech.

Whether you are introducing an award winner or introducing the next presenter in your sales presentation, the following five secrets to introducing the speaker will make the audience motivated to listen to them:

1. Keep Your Speaker Introduction Short
   Your introduction of the speaker should never be longer than the speaker's actual presentation. Keep your introductions from thirty seconds to two minutes depending on the situation. Remember, your job is get the audience excited about the next speaker in the shortest amount of time possible. If you must tell a short story, keep it short.

2. Work With the Speaker
   Communicate with the speaker you are introducing to find out if they have a basic introduction they want you to follow. If they do, take time to familiarize yourself with the introduction so that it sounds natural when you read it. Unless authorized by the speaker, do not ad lib and add something into the introduction that could possibly embarrass the speaker or take away from their presentation. I remember seeing the horror on a speaker's face as his introducer deviated from the planned introduction and started to tell a story in the introduction that the presenter was well known for giving in his presentation. Stick with the introduction.
   
   If the presenter whom you are introducing doesn’t have a standard introduction they use, ask them what their goals are for their speech, what they want covered in the introduction, what subjects they might want to stay away from, and how to pronounce names and/or places pertaining to the speaker or the speech.

3. Don't Tell Secrets
   You may know the presenter on a personal basis and would like to tell the audience a funny story of personal embarrassment to the presenter. Don't do it unless the speaker approves the story. What you find funny may take away the presenter's credibility with the audience.

4. Sell the Speaker
   Sell the speaker to the audience. Talk about the speaker's experience and credentials, and the benefits the audience will receive by listening to the speaker. Your speaker introduction should answer the following question for the audience, "How will it benefit me to listen to the following speaker?"

5. Don't Steal the Speaker's Thunder
   Remember, it's not about the introducer. It's about the speaker. I have seen some introducers, who know that they will be introducing a dynamic speaker and try to be more dynamic than them. Your job as the introducer is to get the audience excited about the speaker without taking away the speaker's thunder. Once you know the style of speaker, work to compliment the speaker so that they are the star of the show.

Remember, giving a speaker introduction is never about you as an introducer, it's about the setting the stage for the speaker so that they are successful. Follow the five secrets to giving outstanding speaker introductions and you will create motivated audience members while making your presenters happy.

Stress Management: "Time To Let Go" or "Ready, Set, Let Go! How to Relieve Stress and Enjoy Life!

In the last couple of weeks my body has decided to remind me of my aging physicality. Translation - I’ve been on the mend from lower back pain. Fortunately for me, my very kind-hearted and thoughtful spouse arranged for a massage therapy session to aid my pain relief.

During the session, my very proficient and wise therapist gave me much food for thought. During the session she gave me what she thought was a very simple instruction - relax, go limp like a Raggedy Ann Doll, and let her guide my healing. For a moment I seemed unable to process her request. I had a clear intellectual understanding yet at the same time emotionally this seemed to be a tall order to fill. All she had asked was for the two of us to collaboratively work together to heal my body. She shared with me that I was not her only client who was hesitant to comply with her request. As a firm believer in asking better questions in order to arrive at better answers in life I asked myself "Why did my auto-pilot immediately register resistance and discomfort?"

There are as many fingerprints in the world as there are reasons why at one time or another we may have greeted a "guiding hand' with resistance and discomfort. It could be because we thought accepting help is a sign of weakness, or if we let our guard down we'll be too vulnerable, or worst yet why would someone want to help me? This is a question only you can answer for yourself. What can we enjoy when we learn to let go and accept a helping hand:

• Stress reduction - it's nice to know you don't have to go it alone

• Frees the mind to be more receptive to the answers you seek

• Validates personal strength - accepting help is a sign of strength not weakness

• Being large and in charge can be exhausting - enjoy the rest and companionship

• Reaffirms there is strength in numbers - who better to seek aid from than someone who not only understands your plight and wisdom to share

The next time you are asked to relax and aid you're healing, my hope is you will enthusiastically say "thank you" to your escort and latch onto the hands that heal.

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Ten Powerful Presentation Skills Secrets to Outselling the Competition

Usually, you have one opportunity to present your organization's ideas, products, and/or services to the audience. You work on the account for months and the presentation is your big moment. You speak to an under enthusiastic, yet polite audience; they thank you for your presentation and say they will get back to you. Unfortunately, after the presentation you learn that they went with another vendor.

What Happened?

It amazes me how often we see presenters with only one opportunity to make a presentation to sell their products, services, or ideas who come nowhere near meeting the needs of their audience. It's almost as if the presenter is apologizing for making a presentation, and this prevents them from presenting well.

Why is it important for you to give a powerful presentation that sells you and your organization? You face more competition during these economic times, so you need to stand out so that the prospective “customer” chooses you as their provider. Your job as a presenter is to convince the decision-makers to choose your organization or act on the information shared during your presentation. The following are ten presentation skills secrets that will help you give a powerful presentation that will sell you to decision makers:

1. Research Audience Needs
   Invest time to find out what is important to the audience members so that you can meet their specific needs. Find out what challenges they face and how you can help them overcome these challenges. You will find out your audience members will appreciate your presentation more since you took the time to find out what is most important to them.

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