THIS is How You INTRODUCE Someone
Wow. THIS is how you honor someone at an #award #ceremony.
If you’ve been asked to introduce someone at a public event, #AmalClooney ’s eloquent and heartfelt tribute to her husband #GeorgeClooney at the #AFI sets a new benchmark.
A client preparing a #TEDx talk told me, "You can't say anything in 18 minutes."
I told him, "You can change lives in a fraction of that time" and showed him examples of brilliant talks - like Amal's and Meghan Markle's talk at the UN - that were done in 3 to 9 minutes.
Notice how Amal:
* incorporates self-deprecating humor (her "spinster" line)
* helps us see what she's saying with specific visual detail - e.g., Matt Damon's "tighter and tighter pants" (Oprah did this brilliantly in her Golden Globes acceptance speech)
* introduces surprising, humanizing insights we don't know (e.g., George wouldn't wear a warm coat on a 40 degree below freezing set unless the entire crew were given coats too - and he thanked his friends with a suitcase filled with one million dollars in cash.)
* quotes a respected colleague who pinpoints the "secret sauce" of the individual being honored (e.g., a personal letter from Walter Cronkite praising George's class and character.)
* ends with deeply personal remarks that turn a standard introduction into something transcendent and truly special. (her comments about George as a playful father to their two children and how she still "melts" when she sees him smile.)
Are you introducing someone at an award ceremony, honoring someone at their retirement, giving a toast at a wedding, or announcing an "Employee of the Year" at an annual meeting?
Please understand that introductions and speaking opportunities - regardless of the length - matter.
Check out Lena Waithe's acceptance speech at the Academy Awards to see how moving and historical a three minute talk can be - if you invest the time and effort to craft it.
Take your assignment seriously. Do your homework to uncover insights the audience doesn't know. Do not be content with listicles of the honoree's credentials or cookie-cutter facts that are already in the program brochure. Dig deep to reveal something unique and enduring.
When done well, your introduction will be one of the best gifts you can give the person being celebrated. They will treasure it for a lifetime ... and it's worth it.
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Sam Horn, CEO of the Intrigue Agency and TEDx speaker, is on a mission to help people create quality communications that add value for all involved. Her books - including Tongue Fu® POP! and Washington Post bestseller Got Your Attention? – have been featured in New York Times and on NPR, and presented to hundreds of organizations including YPO, Capital One, Accenture, NASA, Nationwide, Boeing, Intel and Cisco. Want to work with Sam or have her keynote your conference? Contact Cheri@IntrigueAgency.com
Non Executive Director, Development Executive: Commercial Advisor, Government and Stakeholder Relations.
6yRod Andersen. Thought you'd like this.
Director of Training and Technical Assistance at GreenLight Training, LLC
6yKaren i promise to remember
Principal User Experience Designer at ADP
6yI enjoyed this article, and you summed it up with great bullet points. Thanks! One last detail that would've knocked it out of the park would have been a link to Amal's introduction, especially with the "THIS" and links to other people's speeches.
I am a passionate marketing & cross-cultural communication professional.
6yA smart woman always know how to honor and praise others including the husband, especially in the public. Hahaha... She indeed is a beautiful woman inside and out, and very intellectual too! :-)
The key to any real connection with an audience is sharing honest feeling. We all are touched by the heart. They have the kind of fearless love everyone hopes for...🎈