When you get up in front of a crowd, how do you introduce yourself?
For the last month, at various presentations, many of the people were introduced with the words, “And here’s someone who needs no introduction.” Some didn’t even get that. Most people stood up, addressed the crowd without any prelude to their comments. They jumped immediately into their content.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “without further ado,” which nearly always comes after much ado. And whether it’s much ado about nothing or ten minutes of biographical information, it’s usually not soon enough. No one goes to a presentation to listen to the introductions. No one reads the introductions of novels or short stories. (Unless the introductions are written by the great Asimov, but I digress.)
One presenter nailed his own introduction. He simply said, “I’m John and I’m passionate about…..” Wow. Not what he did. Not what his title was. Not where he lived, or what he studied, or what he hoped to do. He shared what his passion is.
Immediately, the audience sat up and took notice. Here was someone who was going to talk with us about his passion. Even if we didn’t immediately share his passion, at least he was excited. And someone who is excited about their topic is rarely boring.
How do you start? What passion do you share?