11/4/2014

How Not to Introduce a Speaker | LinkedIn

Adam Grant
Wharton professor and author of GIVE AND TAKE

48 publicaes

70.539 seguidores

Seguir

How Not to Introduce a Speaker

April 01, 2014

Publicaes mais recentes de Adam

How to Become Productively Generous
24 de maro de 2014
4.514

284 Curtir

75.153
680

102

1.259

303

Tw eetar

Com partilhar

The Top Ten Signs You Might Be a Taker

20 de maro de 2014

Visualizar tudo

Principais publicaes
Hoje Esta semana Tudo

John A. Byrne How Storytelling Can Get You The Job You Want
18.451 visualizaes

Andreas von der Heydt How To Build A Disruptive Organization

8.112 visualizaes

Derek Handley Live-tweeting while giving birth #inlabor - yes or no?

2.647 visualizaes

When I attend a presentation, the first thing that captures my attention isnt the speaker or the material. Its the person who introduces the speaker. After giving a few hundred speeches in the past year, Ive been struck by the variety of ways that different people introduce the same speaker. Some introductions energize me and seem to leave the audience excited to hear from me. Other introductions inadvertently make it more difficult to deliver a successful speech. In my experience, the best introductions avoid three mistakes: 1. Dont read the speakers biography. Much of the time, introducers walk up to the stage with a written biography, and proceed to read it verbatim. This is a mistake for several reasons. First, its boring. Bios are usually written to inform, not fascinate. Second, a typical bio is far too long to hold the audiences attention. The goal is to pique the audiences curiosity, not cover the speakers entire life history. Third, even if introducers are armed with a short, punchy bio, they usually trip up when trying to read the words. This often happens to me when Ive tried to read introductory remarks, leaving me mystified: why can I give a 45-minute speech from memory without missing a beat, but stumble through reading a few words that are right in front of me? (One explanation comes from classic research by psychologist Robert Zajonc: the presence of an audience enhances performance for well-learned tasks, but hinders performance when were novices. Were used to reading silently, not out loud in front of large groups, and the arousal interferes with fluent processing.) Instead of reading a bio, I like it when introducers highlight a grand total of three or four interesting tidbits about the speaker. Heres one of the best intros Ive ever received: Adam Grant is a Wharton professor who has advised leaders ranging from Google to Goldman Sachs to the U.S. Air Force. Hes the author of Give and Take, and he used to perform as a magician. 2. Dont give away the speakers content. On numerous occasions, during the introduction, Ive watched presenters turn white as a sheet. The introducer steals the thunder of the speech by giving away a punch line, a surprise, or a memorable quote. This has
http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140401170831-69244073-how-not-to-introduce-a-speaker?trk=object-title

Julie Meyer What the Royal Mail, Scotland, Bitcoin, and Crowdfunding have in Common
2.211 visualizaes

Creel Price The Buffett Dilemma

1.189 visualizaes

Visualizar mais

1/8

11/4/2014

How Not to Introduce a Speaker | LinkedIn

happened to me several times recently. One of my most requested speeches introduces three styles of interaction: givers (helpful), takers (selfish), and matchers (fair). I poll the audience: which group is least successful, and which is most successful? Then, I reveal an unexpected conclusion from a decade of research across multiple Pesquisar pessoas, empregos, empresas e mais. industries. Givers are more likely to finish last but theyre also more likely to finish first. It was a bummer when the Rede CEO of a Fortune 500 company introduced me by announcing that I Pgina inicial Perfil Empregos Interesses would be speaking about how good guys finish first. Goodbye, element of surprise! Goodnight, audience interaction. Hello, pivot! My rule here is clear: introducers should avoid the content altogether. Its fine to explain the relevance of the talk to the audience. Just tell us the purpose of the presentation, or the topic of the speech, without divulging the message or the conclusion. You can also create a curiosity gap, as described by Chip and Dan Heath in Made to Stick. Pose a question that the speaker might answer, and the audience will be intrigued to find out more. For my speech, it works well when introducers simply say, Todays speaker will challenge our assumptions about what drives success or Adam will ask, Is giving the secret to getting ahead? 3. Dont make the speaker sound superhuman. Im thrilled to share this idea with you, because the next paragraph is going to be the most profound argument youll read this week. Many introducers wax poetic in superlatives about the speaker. This is a good idea in principle: extensive evidence shows that whether the speaker is a teacher or a leader, high expectations can fuel self-fulfilling prophecies. When the introducer emphasizes whats impressive about the speaker, audience members are more likely to be smiling at the edge of their seats. This can enhance the speakers confidence and reduce self-doubt, and then a virtuous cycle ensues. The audience is more likely to engage with her insights and laugh at her jokes, further enhancing the speakers confidence and ability to command attention. If something goes wrong, the audience will be more forgiving. Yet an over-the-top setup can lead to what social scientists call a self-negating or selfdisconfirming prophecy. In a nutshell, if the audiences expectations are too high, theres a greater risk of a gap between anticipation and reality. If the introduction is too glowinglike my tongue-in-cheek opening sentence abovethe speaker will have a hard time living up to it. To paraphrase one of my mentors, Jane Dutton: Its better if the introducer under-promises, and the speaker over-delivers, than vice-versa.
Avanada
4

Servios empresariais

Fazer upgrade

Anncios que podem ser de seu interesse

Erase emotional pain now! BSFF: Learn this method! Grounded in psychology, simple, gentle & swift! Convite do LinkedIn Anuncie no LinkedIn. Conquiste novos clientes. Experimente agora. LinkedIn Ads com vdeo Alcance seu pblico-alvo com um vdeo dinmico.

Mais Influencers

Bernard Marr
Best-Selling Author, Keynote Speaker and

Seguir

Destacado em:

Leadership & Management Adam Grant Seguir (70.539) Visualizar todas as publicaes de Adam.

Publicada por:

Pessoas que visualizaram esta atualizao tambm leram:

1-4 de 20

The 11 Rules of Highly Profitable...

Want to Be a Real Leader? Forget You

How GM Can Recover

Shape Your Culture, Shape Your...

303 comentrios

+ 1.254 Mais recentes Mais antigos Maior nmero de participaes

Adicione o seu comentrio...

David Horsewood Owner, Fire by Light LLC Whenever appropriate, and it almost always is, lead the applause and keep applauding until the speaker is ready to begin. Few things are more awkward than silence between the end of an introduction and the beginning of the presentation. Keep clapping.

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140401170831-69244073-how-not-to-introduce-a-speaker?trk=object-title

2/8

11/4/2014
Gostei (79) Responder(1) 5 dias atrs

How Not to Introduce a Speaker | LinkedIn

Sherry Gacina, David Feng, Ravi Bhaya, +76

1 resposta
Bob Young Managing Partner and Co-CEO at Stonecroft Advisors and The Marie Ashton Young-Erturun Foundation But my hands start hurting from clapping, I'd rather just do some shout outs.
Gostei 1 dia atrs

Cheryl Frost Senior Consultant, Account Management at Milliman Love the short 3-4 point intro. Of course that begs the question, do speakers need intros?
Gostei (19) Responder(3) 5 dias atrs

Yuliya Shutyak, Millie Atkins , Liz Ludlam , +16

3 respostas
Bob Young Managing Partner and Co-CEO at Stonecroft Advisors and The Marie Ashton Young-Erturun Foundation I like when the person making the intro says that the speaker needs no introduction, and then gives one anyway. LOL!
Gostei (1) 1 dia atrs

Melana Mar

Maria K Todd MHA PhD CEO at Mercury Advisory Group; strategic advisor to healthcare businesses, investors, and government leaders. Speakers need intros for a few reasons, the first being that sometimes the batting order changes. In that event, the audience needs a little confirmation about the topic in case they were hoping for the listed presentation. I was once accused of giving the "wrong presentation" on a comment sheet because I stepped up when the scheduled speaker was late without notice.
Gostei (10) 4 dias atrs

Maria K Todd MHA PhD, Tafia L. Allah Pringle, Angela Wolf, +7

Paul McCloud

Exibir mais

Helping Clients Use Technology to Gain Business Advantages Join Toastmasters International and learn how to introduce a speaker.
Gostei (26) Responder(3) 5 dias atrs

Jennifer Karchmer Independent Journalist, JP Skelly, Kim Johnstone, PhD, +23

3 respostas
Bob Young Managing Partner and Co-CEO at Stonecroft Advisors and The Marie Ashton Young-Erturun Foundation I can speak off the cuff for 3-5 minutes on anything, and then get a standing ovation that lasts for another 3-5 minutes.
Gostei 1 dia atrs

Anne Evans Employee Safety & Health Advocate -l- Offers positive side effect of safety culture change and injury reduction Michael, ToastMasters is an excellent group. -When you can speak effectively for 3-5 minutes, off-the-cuff on "Pink" (before there was a star by the same name), your confidence will soar. It is sad that their meetings are never close by or at a convenient time for me.
Gostei 4 dias atrs

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140401170831-69244073-how-not-to-introduce-a-speaker?trk=object-title

3/8

11/4/2014

How Not to Introduce a Speaker | LinkedIn

Liz Keever Communication Consultant to Leaders

Exibir mais

My suggestion is to provide your own introduction & even choose the person to do it, if you can.
Gostei (23) Responder(4) 5 dias atrs

Stacey Clement, Liz Ludlam , Ameurfina Curioso Silo, RN CSSBB FAIHQ CS-IC(CBAHI), +20
4 respostas
Gary Slutkin, MD Founder and Executive Director, Cure Violence (International) I agree with this. It has the least risk of being clumsy or making mistakes and best chance of emphasizing what you want.
Gostei 12 horas atrs

Tafia L. Allah Pringle Principal Consultant | Communications and Public Relations | AwardWinning Consulting Services | TLAPR Spot on and it works great everytime.
Gostei 1 dia atrs

Dr. Robyn Odegaard

Exibir mais

Conflict Resolution Expert Public Speaker Corporate Trainer Sharing how to at www.DrRobynOdegaard.com My favorite intros are the ones where they tell the audience how they found me (an article I wrote, my books, heard me speak, LinkedIn, etc) and why they believe I am going to provide great content. I can take it from there!
Gostei (23) Responder(1) 5 dias atrs

Kevin J. Breen, Tafia L. Allah Pringle, Cindy Carroll, +20

1 resposta
Tafia L. Allah Pringle Principal Consultant | Communications and Public Relations | AwardWinning Consulting Services | TLAPR Great advice!
Gostei 1 dia atrs

Steven Johnston Business Strategist at Fairview When an introducer over-introduces me I say something like: (looking at introducer) "Thank you Peter for that wonderful introduction (now looking at audience) some of which was completely true."
Gostei (16) Responder(4) 5 dias atrs

Denise Devine, Shane O'Connor, Kathleen Dougherty, +13

4 respostas
Eric Pickett Product Quality Manager at ARDEC Humor is very key. No matter the crowd, humor is the back door key to connecting to your audience. Connecting is where you will get the interaction from the audience.
Gostei (2) 3 dias atrs

Samuel Medina e Cindy Carroll

Tanya Pollard HR and Administrative Professional Humor seems to be one of the best ways to smooth over a sticky situation and /or make yourself human and relate-able. Not to mention keep the audience's

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140401170831-69244073-how-not-to-introduce-a-speaker?trk=object-title

4/8

11/4/2014
attention, depending on the topic, of course.
Gostei (2) 4 dias atrs

How Not to Introduce a Speaker | LinkedIn

Louis Martinez e Steven Johnston

Fred Schwab

Exibir mais

The Most Important Guy at A Really Important Company Doing Really Important Stuff I always open with a joke. I employ a professional comedian on my speech writing staff just for this purpose. Never fails to loosen everyone up for the keynote speaker.
Gostei (9) Responder(3) 5 dias atrs

Ephraim Dewar, Adenike Adebola, Wendy Chrisman, +6

3 respostas
Steve Foerster Writer, Technologist, and Educator In George's video he explains why he thinks this and offers a superior alternative. And it's just 83 seconds long, so it's definitely worth watching.
Gostei 1 dia atrs

George Torok Executive Speech Coach helping business leaders deliver million dollar presentations Not practical for business presenters or wise to start with a joke. Watch this video for more... http://youtu.be/PWpfOtB3uBU
Gostei (1) 4 dias atrs

Steve Foerster

Rick Bernardo

Exibir mais

Development & Communications Artist, Educator, Writer, Consultant Two responses, one to add to this great set of tips, the other for some of the comments: 1) If you are the speaker, be ready to take the stand (or podium or stage) pretty much as the introduction concludes (preferably with your name). Regardless, do NOT make that long walk from the back of the room while everyone waits. 2) Yes, typically speakers benefit from, if not need, an introduction: it helps "set up" one's talk in a number of ways. One, an introduction links the crowd to a stranger, the speaker. Two, there are things that support speakers and their talks that they would NOT want to say themselves (you might not want to start your presentation with glowing things about yourself, plus such credentialing lands differently for an audience when colleagues or peers offer it). Finally, introductions help frame the speech, connecting at once speaker and presentation to event and the audience (this is not something the speaker is always best positioned to do). In my years of hosting, convening, MC'ing, and even years of stand-up, most often a) I ask others what they want me to say about them (they generally know what serves them), and b) I ALWAYS have an introduction prepared for those who would introduce me: professionals should do this.
Gostei (8) Responder(2) 4 dias atrs

Sherry Gacina, Jill Elswick, Jeffrey W. Jeff Jones, A Business Problem Solver, +5
2 respostas
Jeffrey W. Jeff Jones, A Business Problem Solver A Lean Six Sigma Process Driven, Marketing, Sales, Fulfillment, Service & Business Operations Problem Solving Machine We think the same way about this. See my later post about the subject. Thanks
Gostei 2 dias atrs

Sujatha Shankar Senior Officer - Legal, Secreterial & Compliance. at Thirumalai Chemicals Ltd "Great to receive such worthy points from an expert like you Mr. Rick Bernardo. Thanks for sharing it with us. As you rightly mentioned, it's always better to ask the

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140401170831-69244073-how-not-to-introduce-a-speaker?trk=object-title

5/8

11/4/2014

How Not to Introduce a Speaker | LinkedIn

speaker, what they want the introducer to say about them. And it always works, to have an introduction prepared well in advance, so that one does not stumble or fumble at the middle of the stage during an event. So, to avoid / prevent an awkward situation, it's better for the introducer and the speaker (of course) not matter how pro they are, to be prepared about what they are going to talk about. Rest as they say, will follow naturally. Suja" 7s
Gostei (3) 4 dias atrs

Gail Hedberg, Adenike Adebola e Wendy Chrisman

Niklas Myhr Ph.D. | Global Social Media Professor | Chapman University | Global Marketing | Speaker | Thanks Adam, great advice and I agree that short and punchy is better. Sometimes, I think the introducer feels the pressure to give credit to the speaker and that the speaker would mind if they are not "fully" introduced. I.e., it is also up to the speaker to reduce or eliminate such expectations before the event.
Gostei (10) Responder 5 dias atrs

Gail Ambrose, Renuka S, Adenike Adebola, +7

Shawnessy Westcott Negrotto 14+ years as Higher Education professional Very helpful. It feels awkward to me when a speaker is introduced with a long, rambling, awkwardly-spoken intro. Keep it simple; keep it interesting. this is something I'll remember! Thanks!
Gostei (7) Responder(1) 5 dias atrs

Louis Martinez, Werner Pfeifer, Ed McMasters , +4

1 resposta
Maria K Todd MHA PhD CEO at Mercury Advisory Group; strategic advisor to healthcare businesses, investors, and government leaders. When my speaker intro goes too long and I start to feel red-faced, I usually break the monotony, by saying "My mother really appreciated that, I'm sure!" with a look upwards towards the ceiling. It usually gets a chuckle, and is as effective as pushing CTRL-ALT-DEL on the audience attention span button.
Gostei (2) 4 dias atrs

Thiam Hock (TH) e Shawnessy Westcott Negrotto

Lisa Henderson Director at Hatch Valley Great tips! I am speaking at Design Chicago this week and I am now going to pay extra attention to my introduction :)
Gostei (7) Responder 5 dias atrs

Louis Martinez, George Torok, Essinam WELBECK, +4

Pamela Miles Personal and Business Development Professional This is great advice that fits in perfectly with Tricia Tierney's suggestions for author/speakers! http://triciatierneyblog.com/?p=3574
Gostei (5) Responder 5 dias atrs

Louis Martinez, Erich Wilgenbus , Mick Cooper, +2

Nicolas RAFFIN Head of Product Marketing, Payment & Transport, OBERTHUR TECHNOLOGIES "polluwords" we shall also ban : "a little bit" (works pretty much in every language..."un petit peu"..."un poco"...) : "he's gonna explain a little bit..." Think big ! ;-)
Gostei (4) Responder(1) 5 dias atrs

Anjalina Pradhan, Silvana Wasitova, Scrum & Agile Coach, Anne Camille Talley, +1
1 resposta

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140401170831-69244073-how-not-to-introduce-a-speaker?trk=object-title

6/8

11/4/2014
Maria K Todd MHA PhD

How Not to Introduce a Speaker | LinkedIn

CEO at Mercury Advisory Group; strategic advisor to healthcare businesses, investors, and government leaders. You just triggered one of my pet peeves: I can't stand when someone on a microphone says "gonna" or "omana" (I'm going to) or other sloppy diction. It's as bad as "nuculer"!
Gostei 4 dias atrs

Matthew Contuzzi Senior Relationship Manager at Australian Chamber of Commerce, Shanghai Great piece. Firstly for being short and secondly for having application. Note to add is actually knowing the speaker before the intro. A personal touch is much smoother than a dry standard intro.
Gostei (3) Responder(1) 5 dias atrs

Ed McMasters , Wendy Chrisman e Bennet Bayer ()

1 resposta
Ed McMasters Director of Marketing and Communications for Flottman Company Absolutely - Connect, Communicate and Consider the PERSON not just "the Speaker" in the introduction!
Gostei (1) 4 dias atrs

Diana Incekol

Sharon Williams Accountant 6 I will keep these tips in mind if I get my new job I interviewed for today! :-) This will be important for me then. Thank you!
Gostei (3) Responder(1) 5 dias atrs

Ronald Redmond, LCSW, Deirdre Morris Abrahamsson e Charlie Cernat

1 resposta
Ronald Redmond, LCSW Adolescent Residential Services Division Director at The Drenk Center Good luck!!!!
Gostei 4 dias atrs

Priscilla Morris Loud & Clear Voice Coaching. Making you memorable through 1-2-1 coaching, open & bespoke workshops. Dynamic speaker. You're right. Get the intro right and you make life easier for the speaker.
Gostei (3) Responder 5 dias atrs

Ed McMasters , Anne Camille Talley e Brett Tremblay

Ed McMasters Director of Marketing and Communications for Flottman Company Work to eliminate the phrase: without further ado it is old, tired and unnecessary. Be creative, your introduction can impact the entire presentation, if you sound stale it is hard to sell the speaker.
Gostei (2) Responder(1) 4 dias atrs

Scott Lucado e Michael Lopez

1 resposta
Michael Lopez Systems Network Administrator at World Vest Base That is very true.
Gostei (1) 4 dias atrs

Ed McMasters

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140401170831-69244073-how-not-to-introduce-a-speaker?trk=object-title

7/8

11/4/2014

How Not to Introduce a Speaker | LinkedIn

Matt Richards Chartered Financial Planner at The Citimark Partnership Ltd I love the line from the film The 39 Steps when Richard Hannay ends up on the stage at a political rally and has to make an impromptu speech] "Ladies and gentleman I apologise for my hesitation in rising just now, but to tell you the simple truth I'd entirely failed while listening to the chairman's flattering description of the next speaker to realise that he was talking about me. "
Gostei (3) Responder 4 dias atrs

Shane O'Connor, Audrey Hobman e John Laity

David Schulz, CIPP PR & Communications Director at BASIS.ed Had the rare pleasure of introducing General Colin Powell at Austin College, and his people drilled (yes, drilled) one rule: the more important the speaker, the shorter the intro. Long introductions reduce respect, not increase it. My two cents!
Gostei (3) Responder(1) 4 dias atrs

Robert Saltkill, Scott Lucado e Gregory Murphy

1 resposta
Scott Lucado Consultant Good rule of thumb. Is there anything worse than "Here's someone who needs no introduction" followed by...several minutes of introductory yakking?
Gostei 4 dias atrs

Susan Namowicz Business Consultant Great article! Just in time for me to be introduced tonight to do my speech and then again for next week, when I will be introducing all the speakers, as the Toastmaster at my club's Toastmaster's meeting.
Gostei (2) Responder 5 dias atrs

Zhijie Yang e Brett Tremblay

Central de Ajuda Idioma Sobre ns Imprensa Blog

Exibir mais

Publicidade Solues de Talentos Ferramentas Mobile Programadores Mdia digital

Carreiras

Faa upgrade da sua conta

Contrato do Usurio Poltica de Privacidade do LinkedIn Diretrizes da Comunidade Poltica de Cookies Poltica de Direitos Autorais

LinkedIn Corporation 2014 Enviar feedback

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140401170831-69244073-how-not-to-introduce-a-speaker?trk=object-title

8/8