“Introducing …”

The annual Relief Society birthday party is next week, and, because you’re head of the planning committee, it’s your assignment to introduce the evening’s guest speaker. But you’ve never given an introduction before. What should you say? Are there rules of etiquette you should follow?

There are many occasions—firesides, homemaking meetings, Boy Scout courts of honor—when it is necessary to give the featured speaker a slightly more detailed introduction than those we normally hear in sacrament meeting. The extra information helps the audience feel comfortably acquainted with the speaker—and he or she with them. Even more important, a successful introduction helps the listeners want to hear what the speaker has to say. So the next time you are assigned to give an introduction, use some of the following tips to help you do it more effectively.

Preparing Your Introduction

1. Learn to pronounce the speaker’s name correctly. Take special care to recognize the positions of Church leaders; for example, introduce General Authorities as “Elder” or “President,” as appropriate to the speaker’s position; members of a stake presidency as “President”; ward bishops as “Bishop”; and full-time missionaries as “Elder” or “Sister.” Refer to other Church members as “Brother” or “Sister.”

2. Talk with the speaker—or someone who knows him or her—in order to get background information that will be of interest to the audience.

3. Inform the speaker of his or her time limit and of important facts about the audience and the occasion.

4. Keep in mind that a short introduction should create in the minds of the audience a desire to hear the speaker.

Introducing the Speaker

1. Begin by telling the audience what the speaker’s subject is and, if necessary, why it is important.

2. Give the speaker’s name and a brief statement about his or her qualifications to discuss the subject.

3. Do not embarrass the speaker by using such terms as “distinguished speaker,” by giving a flowery statement about his or her qualifications, or by predicting the treat the audience has in store.

4. Keep your remarks brief; remember that you are not the featured speaker. Do not give a preview of the speaker’s talk; do not demonstrate through a lengthy introduction what a superior speaker you are, or entertain the audience at the speaker’s expense.

5. When the speaker has finished, do not recap his or her speech and make your own point. Thank the speaker and graciously close the meeting.—Shirlee Hurst Shields, Salt Lake City, Utah