The introduction is the last thing the audience hears before the speaker takes the stage. It's also, consistently, the most underestimated two minutes in any event programme.
Done well, it builds anticipation, establishes credibility, and hands the speaker a room that is already leaning in. Done poorly, it burns time, confuses the audience, or — most commonly — reads the speaker's bio like a CV being processed aloud.
Here's how to get it right.
Keep it short
Ninety seconds. Two minutes at the absolute most. The audience did not come to hear about the speaker — they came to hear the speaker. Your job is to build enough anticipation to make them glad they're here, then get out of the way.
If you need three minutes to explain who this person is, the booking brief may not have landed correctly. A well-chosen speaker's credibility should be communicable in a handful of sentences.
Lead with why this person, for this audience, today
The most effective introductions don't open with a name or a list of achievements. They open with a why:
"We asked Carina to speak today because what she's done in the ocean is the closest analogue I know to what our leadership team is navigating right now — conditions that change without warning, goals that have to shift mid-swim, and the question of what keeps you going when the original plan is gone."
That framing does three things at once: it contextualises the speaker, connects them to the audience's world, and creates genuine curiosity.
Don't read the bio
The speaker's website bio is written for search engines and first-time visitors. It is not written to be read aloud in a ballroom. Reading it verbatim is the fastest way to sound like you've never met this person and didn't have time to prepare.
Instead, pick two or three facts that are most relevant to your audience and weave them into a sentence or two. For a leadership audience, the fact that Carina has swum the English Channel matters less than why — and what it taught her about performing when the conditions turn against you.
Ask the speaker for a suggested introduction
Most professional speakers will provide one if asked. Use it as a starting point, not a script. The best introductions feel personal — like they were written by someone who actually knows why this speaker was chosen. A speaker's suggested intro gives you the facts; your job is to add the context.
What to include
- Who this person is (one sentence)
- Why they are credible on this specific topic (one to two facts, not a full CV)
- Why they are the right person for this audience on this day (your personal framing — this is the part the speaker can't write for you)
- Their name, clearly, at the end — this is the cue to applaud
What to leave out
- Awards and credentials that mean nothing to your audience
- Lengthy descriptions of their book, podcast or company
- Your own story or opinion about the topic
- Apologies ("I'm not great at public speaking but...")
- Filler phrases that kill energy ("Without further ado...")
Deliver it like you mean it
Read it once to yourself before you go on. Then put it down and speak it — don't read it. If you need the paper, that's fine, but make eye contact with the audience rather than the page. You are setting the energy for what comes next. If you're flat, the speaker walks into a flat room. If you're warm and specific and genuinely enthusiastic, they walk into one that's already on their side.
The introduction is not a formality. It is part of the experience — and the people who get it right make the speaker's job noticeably easier from the first sentence.
When you book Carina, she provides a suggested introduction tailored to your event theme and audience. Get in touch to start the conversation.
Bring Carina to your stage.