my next speaker needs no introduction unless you are david letterman yes your
guest needs that introduction more often than not guest speaker
introductions miss the mark as they are riddled with basic bio
points lack emotional intensity and sometimes people just say the speaker's
name and fail to create any momentum
whatsoever in this video we look at a proven
four-step formula to deliver a memorable speaker introduction that will
captivate your audience hey i'm Riaz Meghji
founder of the every conversation counts platform
this is the channel that helps you present with confidence
maximize your impact and connect authentically with your audience
on camera and on stage if you're new here subscribe to the channel and hit
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every week if you are the mc host or facilitator of any in-person or virtual
event you have a vital role the mc's job is to
keep the audience engaged intrigued and constantly connected to
the speakers and the ideas coming their way yes the
speaker is important but the audience is an even higher
priority especially given the desire for human
connection in a virtual setting they need to have a reason to listen
what are they going to get out of the experience
they need to understand why the next speaker is the authority
and why it's important to hear this message now for years i've tested
different ways to set speakers up for success as
the host and mc on television shows leadership
conferences and for several years as the host of
tedx vancouver the next time you are asked to introduce
a guest speaker consider this proven four-step formula
as host you want to efficiently establish credibility
this builds trust with the audience that the speaker they are about to listen to
is the authority on the topic being covered here's where you can briefly
infuse bio points to accomplish this while
still captivating your audience with some type
of story once again this was an example at a
previous tedx vancouver showcase and the intro was for a popular doctor
our next speaker is a neuroscientist and physical therapist that studies how
human behavior has the power to change lives what makes
her feel relevant it was a defining experience when she
started her work as a physical therapist she worked with a young man with a
severe brain injury and despite her best efforts she could
not help him recover realizing she didn't know enough about
the brain she then quit her job to return to
school for her phd in neuroscience this led her to her current journey here
to discuss how everything you do changes your brain
please welcome dr lara boyd the audience applauded and now they're
connected to the human moment that she experienced
they still recognized she had the phd that showed the
credibility and she was set up for success
by the way her ted talk your brain will not be the same
is awesome and it's popular it's got 27 million views
if you as the mc want to captivate your audience with the introduction
start here minimize the use of the speaker's basic bio points
the audience can find that information on a website or event program
your goal is to humanize the speaker by finding the story that connects the
event's theme to the audience's needs how do you find
the right story well reach out to the speaker or
speakers beforehand if there are multiple speakers you can
ask them all the same question and then create a constant thread with your
introductions that delivers a fun narrative now
directly connecting with the speaker ensures two things one you're telling a
story that is impactful but two you don't take away from the
content that speaker might be delivering in their presentation now here's an
example of an introduction that was used during a
previous tedx vancouver showcase the theme of the showcase identity and i
reached out to all of the speakers and asked them
one question what makes you feel relevant
then i asked them to tell me the story of the conversation when they realized
their true identity now this was a fun example for
all of the speakers but one in particular was speaker scott jones who
is a friend from the tv industry and his intro went like this
our next speaker is a tv host and digital media thought leader whose
mission is to be a distinguished voice for geeks
and gamers around the world when return of the jedi
came out in 1983 scott remembered a neighbor a grown man
who had a family a man who was an engineer in the
military a man that took him and his brother to go see that movie
along with his younger son on the drive they discussed many things including
their hopes for the movie it was the first time he felt the things
he was saying had relevance and it was okay to love whatever it is
you love here to share his take on the
conventional bucket list please welcome scott jones now this was
a fun intro it was personal it was delivered with
urgency to connect with the audience on a human level
great applause from the audience and scott a great guy crushed his talk that
day next point be concise less is more
as host efficiently build that speaker up and then
let the speaker hit the ground running you want to try and land
your intro time around 30 to 45 seconds so you can create anticipation
and leave the audience wanting more remember brevity
is your audience's best friend finally end
with their full name as soon as the audience hears the speaker's full name
it's almost instinctual they will begin their welcoming applause
this is a common trap in introductions where hosts say the speaker's full name
and they still have about three or four more lines to read make the
speaker's full name the last thing you read in the
introduction it's as easy as working through the personalized intro and then
having your last line be please welcome and then say their first
and last name these details go a long way with your
audience especially when they are being asked to pay
attention for several hours humanizing your speakers with a great
story especially in the virtual setting is important given the digital
medium makes human connection that much harder this four step formula
will allow you to break away from a straightforward forgettable
speaker setup and instead get creative and have fun customizing each
introduction most importantly your audience will be
engaged with the content and love you for the effort you put in to enhance
their experience what are some of the best
speaker introductions you've ever seen share your best ideas and tips
in the comments below for more ideas on building human
connection you can download the free guide the five secrets to making every
conversation count that link can be found in the
description thanks for watching this video for more ideas on how you can
project confidence when presenting and tips on
minimizing those filler words check out these videos if you like this
one hit the like button subscribe to the channel and let me know
which tips you found most useful we'll see you in the next video