Introduce a Guest Speaker
There are many personal, academic and professional circumstances that call for a guest speaker. If you are ever in the position of introducing guest speakers, then it will help you to know how to deliver your introductions in a way that is informative, entertaining and easy to understand. Follow these guidelines for how to introduce a guest speaker.
Steps
- Prepare for your introductory speech.
- Learn what you can about the speaker you will be introducing. Read any books the speaker may have written, or watch footage of some of the speaker's previous speeches in order to get a good idea of what the speaker is all about.
- Research the speech topic. Even if you are not familiar with the guest speaker's area of expertise, you should know enough about the subject of the speech to be able to explain how it is relevant to the speaker. For example, if the speech is about astrophysics, then you should at least be able to explain the guest speaker's contribution to the field.
- Find out why this particular guest speaker was invited to speak. Learn of any ties the speaker has to the organization hosting the event, and whether the speaker is an industry leader, a client giving a testimonial or an inspirational speaker.
- Interview the guest speaker. Ask a variety of questions, both personal and related to the topic of the speech. You may ask anything that you are comfortable asking, and that you feel will be met well by the speaker. The purpose is to get as much material as possible to personalize your guest speaker introduction.
- Ask for a copy of the speaker's standard introduction speech, as well as a short biography that you can draw on for additional material. Be sure to ask how far you may stray from the verbiage of the written introduction provided to you.
- Create an introduction speech. Use the guest speaker's standard introduction as a template, then incorporate what you learned through your preparation in order to personalize the speech to the circumstances.
- When introducing guest speakers, the purpose is to inform the audience of the topic, the topic's relevance to that audience and the speaker's relevance to that topic. Your speech should cover all 3 of those things.
- Begin by introducing yourself. State that you are happy to be able to introduce the guest speaker.
- Provide the audience with some of the speaker's credentials, achievements and interesting links to the establishment hosting the speaker.
- Use humor appropriately. You may draw from the information you gathered to weave some light humor into the speech, but keep the occasion, the audience and the speaker in mind when deciding what is and isn't appropriate. Remember that you are not there to make people laugh, but that you are there to prepare them to receive what the speaker is saying.
- Close your speech with a clear announcement of the guest speaker's name. For example, you may say something like, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. I. M. Speaker."
- Practice your guest speaker introduction.
- Perform the speech out loud, using a paper copy for reference until you are comfortable reciting it from memory.
- Watch yourself in the mirror as you perform and assess your delivery for needed improvements.
- Be sure that you are comfortable with the pronunciation of the guest speaker's name. Practice saying the name until it flows from your speech naturally.
- Deliver the introductory speech in a way that commands attention and incites audience interest in the guest speaker.
- Use engaging body language. Stand up straight, smile and scan the audience to make eye contact as you speak.
- Speak at a comfortable pace that is easy to understand. Pause in between sentences, and for applause or laughter.
- Build the audience's enthusiasm when you announce the guest speaker's name. Say the last name more loudly than the first, and emphasize the first syllable of the first name and the last syllable of the last name. Smile and gesture toward the speaker when you say the speaker's name.
Sample Speeches
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