I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. This guy had a fantastic story to tell. He had a strong – and much-needed – message to deliver. He had a room full of people who wanted to hear what he had to say. In fact, they’d taken times away from their jobs and families to gather together – hundreds of them!
And he blew it. Why? Because he put no thought into his intro. At least it didn’t feel like he did. He was looking down and shuffling through his papers as he made the customary comments. Thanks for inviting me. It’s an honor to be here. I want to talk about. Blah. Blah. Blah.
I was asleep before he got to any of his content. And as I said in the first paragraph: He has a great story. He has a message. I wanted to hear what he had to say. And he lost me.
I could go on for pages about intros (and maybe I will in a later post) but for today, let me give you three quick rules when creating your intro:
- Get on with it. Start with something that grabs people. Don’t meander through your first five or six sentences. It can be a quote, a story, a video clip, or even a simple photo – but jump right in.
- Make it about your audience. Your intro isn’t about you. Your intro is when your audience decides whether they want to sit through the rest of what you have to say. You don’t need to say the words “here is what’s in it for you” but you better answer that question – because they’re asking it!
- Memorize it. Don’t look at your notes for the first three minutes of your speech/meeting/presentation. Engage with your audience. Look at people. Know what your going to say and then say it. Memorizing your intro will build confidence in your audience that you actually know what you’re talking about.
What are some of the best – and worst – intros you’ve seen?
