Addison Singles Toastmasters District 50, Area 63, Club 9872

Allow Me to Introduce Myself The following summarizes an article by Karen Robertson from the July 2000 edition of The Toastmaster magazine. The old saying says, "If you want something done right, you'd better do it yourself."  The same idea applies to introductions.  Who knows you better than yourself?   Therefore, who is better to write your introduction?  The toastmaster or master of ceremonies will appreciate a written introduction in advance. Here's a Top 10 List for writing an introduction. 1.  Start and finish the introduction with your name in capital letters.  You want it to be the first and last thing the audience hears. 2.  Make the introduction fit the audience.  Mention something you have in common with the audience.  Tell the audience why they should listen to you. 3.  Make the introduction fit the speech.  Make sure it is relevant to your speech. This is where you establish your credibility. 4.  Mention some of your accomplishments.  Again, relevance is key.  Brevity is important, too.  Don't bore the audience with a laundry list. 5.  Choose a simple font and enlarge it.  Help the emcee by using a font that can be read at arm's length.  A forgetful or vain toastmaster my leave his glasses at the table! 6.  Make it short and sweet.  Your speech is the highlight; keep the introduction to 75 words or less. 7.  Write difficult words phonetically (fon-et-i-kal-e) in parenthesis and review them with the emcee ahead of time. 8.  Bring an extra copy for the just-in-case scenarios. 9.  Smile and be prepared.  Gather all notes and props before the introduction. Smile, even if the introduction is not delivered properly.  Be ready to enter the stage immediately after the introduction is complete. 10.  Make corrections graciously.  Do not interrupt the introducer.  Only make corrections that are absolutely necessary, or risk taking too much time away from your speech. Cheers.

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