A great introduction lifts the energy.
For you, for the audience and for the whole event
I was recently to speak at an internal kickoff for a smaller group of consultants (imagine a conference room and not a big stage). I was up after the coffee break. The manager sat down with the rest and introduced me like this:
“Yeah, so we’ve got an external speaker now. Thought it might be good for you to hear a new voice. Antoni, go ahead…”. No applauds, no explanations, nothing.
I call this a headwind introduction.
It wasn’t the first time someone gave a poor intro. I am sure you have experienced it too? But it was the first time that I made a firm decision: from now on, I’ll do everything I can to make sure the introduction is better—because it has such a positive impact on both me and the audience.
A well-prepared introduction sets the tone for the speaker’s success. It’s more than just a formality—it frames the speaker’s message, builds credibility, and engages the audience before the talk even begins. Sadly, many overlook this moment or stumble through it with generic comments. That’s a shame.
One of the most common pitfalls is a lack of preparation. The emcee (even professional ones, I am sad to say) often grabs the speaker’s bio at the last minute, reads it word-for-word, and misses the chance to connect the speaker’s message to the meeting’s purpose. The risk? The audience zones out, and the speaker gets that headwind I mentioned.
I just saw this happen. One of Sweden’s top speakers was about to be introduced by a manager who read from a script and made odd remarks like:
“Is it you who claims you’re such a great speaker or is it others who say that?”
Now this awesome speaker had to defend himself. The vibe in the room got weird. The manager failed to prime the audience to be in a good mood.
If you are a moderator, here are three tips:
- Ask the speaker how they want to be introduced.
- Give them cred so that the audience feels it is relevant
- Get people to applaud
If you’re a speaker, talk to the person introducing you beforehand. And when you do, here are three ways you can help them do it better:
- Write down a few key points about yourself, not a long biography. Add, for example, Three things about you that you want them to know to establish cred, curiousiy etc, or the three main takeaways from your talk—tailored for this audience, or one key question that you will answer.
- Ask them to share why they wanted you to come in the first place. That makes it personal. This is what I often prefer. And then I can add a few things to them.
- Write a short script and be crystal clear that they should learn it by heart.
Bonus tip: Make sure they get the audience to applaud. It sets a good tone.
A great introduction is a bridge between your message and the audience’s interests. When you guide the manager or host on how to do it right, you increase your chance of starting strong and leaving a lasting impression. And as professional speakers, that’s what we want—because that’s when real change can happen.
Thanks for reading my mind—and good luck with those intros!
