This has been a long time coming, but I really needed to sit down and finally write an introduction that could be used by emcees to introduce me at events. Most of the time, my bio has been read, which is not a great introduction. Luckily, I had Speaking Pro Central ready to point me to some content related to Introductions and Openings. Or even better looking at Presentation Opening Examples and Presentation Introduction Examples.

One of the better ones was: Take Charge of Your Introduction that has some great advice coming from The Eloquent Women:

• Focus not on your resume, but on why you’re here today: If you have specific credentials or interests that make this speech or this audience especially important or motivating to you, focus on them. “Janet’s worked in many fields, but one reason she’s here to speak to us today is to share her long-standing interest in microfinance for women’s economic advancement. She spends her vacations volunteering for a major project in microfinance, and she’ll be telling us about that experience today” tells your audience more than they’ll find on your resume. You’ll pique interest even further with that lead-in.
• Add some humor to a long list of achievements: “Marie’s received many awards, but none so important to her as the opportunity to step away from her desk to speak to us. She begs you not to call her office and report her missing.” Again, an attention-getter and one that will give you a smiling audience to face. I once faced an audience that knew I’d arrived at the conference with an illness, and I spent a lot of time recuperating before my talk. My start? “I normally bring a lot of infectious enthusiasm to this topic, but if you don’t mind, today I’ll skip the infectious part….”
• Take over your own intro: Tell the moderator to give you the briefest of introductions, then work your own introduction into the start of your speech. Talking about yourself helps you build a relationship directly with your audience–and ensures the items you want to emphasize aren’t lost or dropped.

From How to survive a panel:

First, make it a little easier for the moderator by preparing a good introduction that provides some ‘hooks’ for the moderator to know what to ask you. “Jim is well-known for his controversial opinions on the proper temperature of yak milk for optimal storage life.”

From Speaking At Remote Events: How To Be Present When Your Body Isn’t

In live speeches, many presenters start by introducing themselves and explaining their background. This introduction is important because it creates the context for their remarks. Researchers explain the methodology; business people focus on their experience and track record.

Audiences in remote events need the context but not necessarily at the beginning. Many have already read your bio, so there’s no need to start with an in-depth recap of your experience. If you start with that information, many attendees tune out. Their thinking: “I’ve already read this. Wonder what’s in my email inbox?” And getting them back is a lot of effort.

What’s needed is what insiders call a “bomb”: Something that will immediately provoke attention. It doesn’t have to be obnoxious or overly controversial – just an insight that can immediately change their perspective. It lets the audience know they are in for a wild ride and to pay attention or they’ll miss something good.

Then, you can relate your experience back to that remark. Keep the bio short and move on quickly. You can also relate to your experience throughout the session, as long as the key point stays in the spotlight. Examples: “I’d say that the majority of my clients want (enter key benefit here) and find that (enter key point here).” Or: “I get hundreds of emails a month about (enter biggest challenge here), and the most common question I get is….”

Other good posts:

• Stating your credentials - yay or nay?
• How straightforward is your elevator speech?
• Are you on fire?
• Three levels of presentation openings – which should you use?

Great stuff. Thanks for the help. Onto writing my introductions and tying that into my openings.