Summary: All the preparation and practice before your talk can be wasted if the person introducing you botches the job. The answer? Write your own introduction. TRANSCRIPT: So you’ve done all your rehearsing in preparation for your public speaking engagement only to be brought undone at the first hurdle. What am I talking about? Your introduction. Of course before you go up on stage someone will introduce you. You're going to be judged from the moment introduction begins . You might get someone who has a gone to Google, Facebook and LinkedIn found out all they can about you and proceeded to get up on stage and talk for three or four minutes telling everything about you in probably a pretty boring fashion. Not only is it boring and annoying to the audience they might be giving away half your talk. What should you do? well you mightn’t like the thought of it but it's a good way around it, write your own introduction. Most people would say I can't do that how can I say good things about myself. Okay be professional get someone else to write your introduction, of course you will oversee it. but don't make it too long . 60 seconds, 90 seconds at the outside and make it interesting and tantalising so you're just saying enough about you and what you going to talk about that makes the audience want to sit up and take notice. Now what I actually do is offer to give the organisers an introduction. I say I’ll send you a bio, a brief outline and then you can do with it what you will. I generally write it to about 60 seconds or so and generally speaking they will use it as writ, sometimes they’ll tinker with it but usually not. but usually not on mine. Bear this in mind - write your own introduction - it will set you up you won't be in for any surprises you know what’s going to be said about you. Yo can be very gracious and say thank you for those very kind comments. But having your own introduction is the launching pad of your whole talk you've done all the preparation, all the rehearsal, all the hard work don't be undone by a poor introduction.
