How to introduce a visiting speaker

During an academic career you will have many opportunities to introduce a speaker. This is worth doing well, as both the audience and the speaker will appreciate a thoughtful introduction.

Some of this material is taken from the Toast Masters wiki. The entire Toast Masters wiki is worth reading. The material presented below has been adapted to apply to academic speakers.

An introduction is a small speech, usually less than a minute. Though short, it still contains all the elements of a full speech:

• An opening. It grabs the audience’s attention and makes them aware of the importance of the upcoming subject.
• A body. It describes the lecture topic and why the speaker is qualified to address it
• A conclusion. In this case, it paves the way for the speaker to begin the presentation.

Consider the introduction as a brief ritual or ceremony. Such a ceremony adds power to the talk. It contributes to the speaker’s authority by establishing that she or he speaks from preparation, knowledge or experience.

The length of an introduction should be roughly proportional to the importance of the lecture, and to the degree of personal connection the introducer has with the speaker. If you are introducing someone you don't know personally to give a regularly scheduled Grand Rounds, make it about a minute.

• The introduction should be largely memorized, with some reference to notes permitted.
• Leave out claims that the speaker is especially brilliant, successful or a “good speaker.” Instead, list his or her experience and expertise as it relates to the subject of the speech.
• A brief mention of a personal connection with the speaker can be powerful if genuine. However, don’t steal the show – make it brief and all about the speaker.
• Do NOT read through awards, lectures, and titles. This can be tedious. Instead, identify a major career milestone or an especially noteworthy award.
• The speaker has been invited because she / he is well known for something. Make sure that the speaker is left with the impression that YOU are aware of their expertise.
• Optional: close with giving the title or topic of the speaker’s talk
• When the speaker is a visitor to the department, the audience should be cued to welcome the speaker to the stage with applause.

<blockquote>I have the great pleasure of introducing Professor Argye Hillis as today’s Grand Rounds Speaker. During 30 years of work in Behavioral Neurology, Dr. Hillis has made fundamental contributions to our understanding of aphasia and neglect. In a series of landmark studies, Dr. Hillis has related the location of perfusion deficits in acute stroke to the particular behavioral features of neglect. I describe these studies every year when I give lectures on parietal lobe function. Dr. Hillis is a Professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University and among her many awards is the Norman Geschwind Prize in Behavioral Neurology. Her most recent research work, and the topic of her talk today, is the role of the right hemisphere in the perception and production of emotion. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Argye Hillis.
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