Public Speakers should create an introduction that creates excitement and builds up anticipation in the audience

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Let Me Introduce Myself
Why a good introduction is important
to the audience and the speaker

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Let Me Introduce Myself

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Let Me Introduce Myself
Have you ever attended a presentation and wondered
who the speaker was?
• Both literally and figuratively – either the person was
not introduced & did not introduce themself, or you
knew their name but not what qualified them to
speak on the subject.
• As an audience member these situations can be very
confusing.

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Why Introduce Speakers?
• Establish the speaker’s expertise in the area.
• Tell the audience why they should listen.
• Set the tone for the speech – humorous,
formal, Q&A.
For Toastmasters:
• Give information like the project #, speech
title, time goals.

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Who Creates the Introduction?
• The Speaker
• The emcee (Toastmaster)
• As a speaker, you are the best qualified to write your introduction. You know
your speech, your qualifications, the speech’s purpose, the audience and
what needs to be communicated. You can decide if there should be a teaser,
or if it should be funny, or formal, or strictly professional. Speakers should
always write their own introduction.
• As an emcee, if your speaker doesn’t provide you with a written
introduction, you should write one. If the speaker doesn’t provide you with
information, you should do your best with what you know about the
speaker, the topic they have agreed to speak on, and how it relates to the
audience. Do a little research on the speaker, the topic, the purpose of the
meeting, then use the following guidelines to craft the introduction.

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What Goes Into an Introduction?
• The T-I-S method – Topic, Importance, Speaker
• The Allan & Allan Way
– Speaker Description & Qualifications
– Topic
– Title
– Name of Speaker

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What Goes Into an Introduction?
• Most recommendations for introductions cover the basic 3
components – the topic of the speech, its relevance to the
audience and the background or the biography of the speaker.
• For longer speeches in a more formal setting, the introduction
should be longer as well. If you’re introducing an author, you’ll
want to include published titles, credentials like journalist for
the New York Times, and honors like recipient of the Dorothy
Canfield Fisher Award for children’s literature. For shorter
speeches, the intro should be shorter, but still informative and
encompass the TIS elements.

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A Sample Intro
Our first speaker is Mary Smith.
Mary has been a member of Toastmasters since September 2011. As a member of
Toastmasters, she has served as Secretary for the past year and was recently re-
elected to the role for another term. She earned her Competent Communicator
certification in 2012 and will earn her Competent Leader certification this year. Her
most recent Toastmaster activities have been concentrated on starting a new club
here at Acme Supplies. She is currently serving as President of Acme
Toastmasters.
Over the past 2 years, Mary has learned the importance of a good introduction.
Today she is here to tell us why she feels writing introductions are critical for our
own toastmaster experience, and to share some tips on crafting compelling and
informative introductions.
Mary’s speech is Project 2 Organize Your Speech from the Competent
Communicator manual. The title of her speech is “Let Me Introduce Myself”. (Ask
the evaluator to read the Executive Summary & Objectives for the project.)
Please welcome Mary Smith.
S is for Speaker
I is for Importance
T is for Topic

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Introduction Tips
Tips:
• Don’t make the introduction too long, or you’ll lose the interest of the audience. 1-2
minutes is more than enough for a Toastmasters introduction.
• Don’t be afraid to brag. Making yourself the “expert” will make people want to listen to
you.
• For the emcee – read through the introduction if it is provided to you. Ask in advance to
make sure you know how to pronounce names, places and any unknown words.
• Smile & be enthusiastic. Build up the speaker and the audience.
• Also as emcee, make sure to introduce yourself. It doesn’t have to be as formal or
written out as the speaker’s introduction, but don’t take for granted that the audience
knows who you are. At the very least you should give your name, title, role in the
meeting, department – whatever is meaningful to the audience.

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Wrap It Up
When writing your introduction,
remember 3 things:
• Why are you giving the introduction? To communicate,
generate interest and set the tone for the speech.
• Who writes the introduction? As the speaker, it’s in your best
interest to write it. As the emcee, it’s in your best interest to
have something to introduce the speaker.
• What goes into the introduction? Remember TIS & you’ll have
the 3 essential elements for any good introduction. Topic,
Importance, Speaker.