Introducing Others at a Meeting or Event

1. Greet your audience

2. Offer the purpose of the Speech Act (to introduce) and provide the full name of the individual you are introducing.

3. Provide relevant background information of the person you are introducing.

4. Provide the reason this person was chosen to speak.

5. Offer the focus of the speaker’s talk, i.e. to topic of the discussion.

6. Reintroduce by repeating the speaker’s name and make the smooth transition from you to the speaker.

Introducing Yourself

1. Greet the audience.

2. Introduce yourself with your full name. Do not use an honorific (Mr., Mrs., etc.) when introducing yourself.

3. Provide relevant background information.

4. Provide the reason you are currently in the talk/meeting/event.

5. If you are a lead/keynote speaker, offer the focus of your talk and then make a smooth transition into the body of your discussion.

Directions: In your group, read the introductions below out loud. Then, circle each segment of the introduction based on the functions discussed above. Write the number of the function next to each segment.

Introduction 1: Bill Catlette (pronounced CAT-let)

Hello, Everyone. It’s a pleasure to see you all. I’d like to introduce our speaker today – Bill Catlette.

Together with his wife, Mary, Bill lives near Memphis, Tennessee.  A native of Charleston, West Virginia, he attended the University of Miami and received his business degree in 1973, graduating in the half of the class that makes the top half possible. 

Following school, he worked for 16 years in Human Resource management and executive capacities. His corporate ports of call included assignments with Genuine Parts Company; ADP, where he served as the company's Manager of Employee Relations; and FedEx; where, as a Managing Director, he and his staff were responsible for developing many of the Human Resource programs which enabled that company to become recognized as one of the true “world class" service organizations. 

Upon leaving FedEx in 1989, Bill founded The Westar Group, a human resources consulting firm which works with “emerging" and “threshold" companies. 

Together with co-author, Richard Hadden, he has written and published the
critically acclaimed book, Contented Cows Give Better Milk, which establishes for the first time ever, clear, convincing linkage between an organization's employee relations practices and its bottom line. His message is based on the now well researched premise that one of the best things any business can do for its income statement is to have a focused, fired up, capably led workforce. Or, as he has been known to put it...It’s your people, stupid!

Please welcome Bill Catlette.

Introduction 2: Richard Hadden (Pronounced HAD-den (rhymes with Madden) (NOT Hayden)

Good evening. I’m Richard Hadden, and I’ve been given the honor of speaking with you tonight.

First, let me tell you a little about myself. I’ve been an overseas telephone operator, a Bank Manager, an Information Technology Director, a professional singer, and a college instructor. 

Today I’m a Certified Speaking Professional who speaks to audiences all over America and internationally about creating a great place to work. I am also the co-author of Contented Cows Give Better Milk and the column “People and Profits,” which appears in Business Journals across the United States. 

An eighth-generation Floridian, I have been speaking since I was 11 months old, but professionally for the last 12 years. A few of my more than 200 clients include Pfizer, The Mayo Clinic, Alaska Visitors Association, and Mrs. Fields Cookies. 

I have an MBA from the University of North Florida, and also the CSP, the highest professional designation in the speaking industry. But all of my credentials aside, what I’m really proud of is a certificate from my son, stuck to my refrigerator with a magnet, declaring me to be the best dad in the whole wide world. 

Now that you know a little about me, let’s get down to business. Today, I would like to speak with you about the bottom line value of being an employer of choice, to attract and retain the best people in the business. How do you do that? There are many ways to create a workforce that is as valuable to you as you are to them. 

Material from: http://www.contentedcows.com/platform_intros.htm