Don't Make These 3 Common Public Speaking Mistakes When Introducing Someone
I made what I consider to be 3 big mistakes recently when I was
introducing someone. I outlined the information to cover,
jotted some statistics to share, and carried them with me
onstage. Unfortunately, because we were running short for
time, the introduction didn't powerfully lead back to the
audience benefit and my total admiration and respect for the
upcoming speaker.
For some strange reason, I didn't make the time to practice
what I was going to say out loud. Not practicing aloud
caused me to relearn 3 very important things.
1. |
When you introduce someone, even if it's with a testimonial, the
focus should never be on you. To get your sincere message
across every single time, your words & your actions need to
be completely of service to the person you are introducing.
What you say must always focus on the benefit of your
audience listening to the next speaker's wisdom.
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2. |
It is of vital importance when you introduce someone to build
them up to motivate your audience to hang onto every word
the upcoming speaker will say.
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3. |
You don't need a list to share from your heart. Just keep it
short, simple & sincere to achieve maximum impact.
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The
learning point here is that even if you are a professional
speaker, you must always practice any speech that you will
give aloud beforehand, if possible. Hearing yourself speak
aloud usually makes it instantly clear where your focus
should be and what words are "listener & speaker friendly"
meaning easy for the audience to understand and easy for you
to articulate and express comfortably.
It is imperative that you time yourself especially when
introducing someone else. Your message needs to be short &
sweet with a clear takeaway.
What's a "takeaway"? It's the one action you want your
audience to take or the one piece of information you want
them to remember. For example, when you introduce someone,
one possible action your audience could take is to listen
attentively to the upcoming speaker.
Another tip when you introduce someone is to make sure that
you do a fantastic build up and always end with the highest energy and volume on the the person’s
name. For example, "Put your hands together and make some
noise for a man who traveled all the way from Phoenix, Arizona --- author of three best selling books --- a man who is about to teach
you how to become a Master Facilitator----Mr. --- Blair ---
Singer!"
Let's talk for a moment about mistakes. Frankly, we learn
far more from our mistakes than our successes. As a matter
of fact most mistakes aren't even noticed by your audience.
So don't "beat yourself up" when you don't perform as well
as you think you could.
Don't expect to be perfect, continue to practice, and just
be grateful for your mistakes when they happen. It's connection not perfection!
Welcome the opportunity to learn and give yourself credit
for being courageous. Congratulate yourself for being willing to get up and do something that scares most people. No matter what happens, celebrate the win of getting out there and being on stage, the joy of introducing someone while simultaneously being able to raise the energy in the room. At the end of the day, the highest energy wins! Keep your energy high and speak from your heart and you will have absolutely nothing to worry about.
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This
article is supplied courtesy of Deborah Torres Patel
- an internationally acclaimed expert on self
expression and the fine arts of voice &
communication. For more articles like this for your
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