ALLOW ME INTRODUCE YOU TO…

by Dr. Cecil Clements (20th November 2012)



I grew up hearing a name that you may or may not have heard over the years, but it’s a name that my parents used to use often – Emily Post. I remember coming across her trademark book on Etiquette, written way back in the 1920’s. Emily Post lived between 1872 and 1959 and she is remembered mostly for the book that she wrote on Etiquette.

She defines etiquette as, “Whenever two people come together and their behavior affects one another, you have etiquette. It is not some rigid code of manners. It’s simply how persons’ lives touch one another and how they ought to behave in that particular situation.” So she put together a book that has been the trademark book on Etiquette for almost a century. Even though she passed away in 1959, her family has taken over. Today, her granddaughter-in-law Peggy Post continues to do wonderful work in this whole area, taking what her grandmother-in-law wrote many years ago, making it relevant even today in the different spheres that we have.

Reading some of her stuff – it is beautiful, written so well that I would like to pass it on to you. So often we meet people and we need to introduce them to each other and we are not sure how to do so. What is the proper way to do it? If you get a chance, go online and read Emily Post’s chapter on Introductions in her book. She has a very beautiful way of understanding how to introduce – especially for example, in a brief introduction between 2 people, you would just say their names without formally presenting them.

She goes on to say, “The key here is to use inflection. The more important name is said with a slightly rising inflection and the secondary as a mere statement of fact.” If you were introducing your boss to somebody you would say, for example, “Mr. Rao (emphasis), Mrs. Sarah.” Inflection here is the key. The difference is described in the following: ‘Are you there?’ and ‘It is raining.’ How well she puts it. You may add, “May I present…” if it’s a little more formal. If there’s no distinction between the 2 people then the inflection will be as in – ‘I think…it is going to rain.’ No change in the inflection.

I would encourage you as you think about these things in your corporate spaces, when you don’t have the time to think about small things that really do matter. Introductions matter a huge deal and the way that you and I introduce people to people or even introduce different speakers has a large bearing on, not only the speaker, but on us as well.

I was reading another article by Allan Kauffman and Allan Misch, both exceptional speakers. They give 2 tools on how to introduce a speaker probably at a program that you are having.

1.    The TIS Method:
T… is for Topic. Tell the audience the subject and title of the presentation.

I… is for Importance. Tell the audience why the presentation is important to them – how they can benefit from it.

S… is for Speaker. Tell the audience why the speaker is qualified to speak to them on the subject.

2.    Speaker description and qualifications: give a brief description of the speaker and list those qualifications that relate to the subject to be presented. Use humor if appropriate.

Topic: tell the audience the subject of the presentation and the purpose of the speech.

Title: mention the title of the speech.

Name of the Speaker: end with the name of the speaker. This cues the speaker to come forward.

He gives an example of himself as he was introduced and I would like to quote this to you.

Our speaker for this evening is well known throughout Toastmasters District 18.
In fact, he’s in WHO’S WHO in District 18. Mention his name to anyone in District 18 and he or she will say, “Who?...Who?”
His Toastmaster accomplishments are legendary and if you didn’t know what they are, I’m sure he will be happy to tell you about them later.
I will tell you that he was one of only five showcase speakers at the Toastmasters International Convention in August 1988.
Now he doesn’t want anyone to make a fuss over him – just treat him as you would any great man.
The title of his speech is “How to be Funny for Money.”
Please help me give a dynamite welcome to distinguished toastmaster Allan Kaufman.

You can see very clearly here, a bit of humor thrown in, a bit about him in terms of how well known he is, then the title of his speech and inviting the audience to welcome into their midst. That introduction was so well put.

I thought that this morning, I would give you some pointers that I got from Andrew Dilugan on ‘How to Introduce a Speaker’. He gives a list of them and I am going to throw them out to you. I hope this is something that you would find useful as you go through your corporate worlds.

1. Answer three core questions.
   •    What is the topic?
   •    Why is this topic important for this audience?
   •    Why is the speaker qualified to deliver this talk?
   By addressing these 3 questions, you’ve given the audience a motivation for listening       and you’ve reinforced the speaker’s credibility.
   This is so important for us, that we don’t take introductions lightly, what you are doing when you get up in front of people and talk about a speaker. You are letting them know who the speaker is and giving him credibility to talk to you on the particular subject which is of interest to the people who have gathered. Both of these things create energy as well as a desire and an anticipation that must be created as you look at speeches.
2. Prepare and practice adequately. While a strong speech opening is vital, nothing helps establish a speaker’s credibility more than a carefully crafted and well-delivered introduction. Make sure that you are not doing off-the-cuff introductions. That will only lead to you stumbling and bumbling, you will only undermine the credibility of the speaker.
3. Memorize it, or minimize your notes.
4. Be positive and enthusiastic – so that the audience catches your anticipation about what the speaker has to say.
5. Get to know the speaker. If you are not able to meet them personally, as least look them up on the internet, Google them, inquire from friends who may know them. Do research.
6. Eliminate pronunciation gaffs. Make sure that you know how to pronounce the speaker’s name correctly. If he/she has titles, make sure that you use those titles. A sure way to undermine your own credibility and that of the speaker is to mispronounce their name, the title of their presentation, or any other key terms.
7. Be accurate. Make sure there are no factual errors, because if you do, then the speaker will feel a compulsion to correct you and that’s not a good way for him/her to start their speech.
8. Don’t alter the speech title. Make sure it is exactly what is on his/her overhead.
9. Should you attempt humor? Yes and no. Don’t use the humor right at the end. Use it in the beginning if you must break the ice or if there was anything boring that happened beforehand, then use humor to break it up and create a new momentum.
10. Don’t give an outline of the speech. If the speaker has moved away from it, then you would look a little silly.
11. Stick to the relevant expertise of the speaker. Don’t give the whole history of the speaker, details what he/she has done from high school on. Pick the details that are relevant for the day’s talk.
12. Don’t overdo it. Don’t create too much of hype.
13. Avoid clichés. For example: this speaker needs no introduction…”
14. Avoid exaggerated hype. Don’t set it up so high that the speaker has to reach to satisfy the audience anticipation.
15. Build your introduction to a climax so that you’re ending with the speaker’s name – “Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in welcoming our guest speaker…”
16. Ensure a smooth transition.

After all this, I really need to close with an introduction.

I met this person when I was 13. He came into my life, changed my life completely. He’s a person of admirable qualities, of enormous creative ingenuity. He’s a person who can speak in every situation because He knows every situation. He knows the thoughts and everything that I think about. He’s able to guide me. He’s able to lead me. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to present to you, the Almighty God who continues to lead and guide me.

God bless you all on this call. Let me pray for you. Almighty God, to You we come this morning and to You we say, “Would You lead us and guide us. Show us how to enhance the things we do even by making good introductions. Help us to do due diligence, do the research, to do things well so that not only the speakers that we introduce well, but we also are called to do what we need to do well and we are able to do it. Almighty God, I pray a blessing on each one of these precious ones on this call. Bless them. Help us as we go through this day to walk in a way that You would be honored. I pray this in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.