When you put a little structure into your opening remarks, you’ll find anxiety diminishing and confidence soaring! Whether you are being introduced or you are introducing yourself, there are two main components to develop and rehearse:

1) Pre-opening formalities – including thank you, your greeting and an optional, gracious throwaway line.
2) Attention grabbing opening statement – for example, a story, commanding fact, or provocative question.

As part of the pre-opening process, if you are being introduced, as a guest speaker or invited vendor, say something first like: “Thank you for that great introduction, (name of person).” Make sure you know how to pronounce the person’s name correctly, and write it out phonetically if necessary.

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