The Most Important Part of Any Presentation: The Introduction

While all of the content in a presentation is important, there is one part that matters most — the introduction. That is the first moment when the audience can connect with you and form an opinion on whether you are worth listening to. 

However, even though this is one of the most critical moments, people rarely practice it! They know how they want to start talking about their content, but actually saying “Hello” to a group is rarely rehearsed. Part of the reason for this is that the way people are introduced is constantly changing. If you aren’t sure how you will be introduced, how can you practice your greeting? The way around this is to practice your introduction for various scenarios. 

Here are 5 introductions to prepare: 

1. You introduce yourself. 
2. Before introducing yourself you have to quiet the room and get everyone's attention.
3. There is a technological difficulty before the presentation. 
4. Your name is pronounced wrong when you are introduced. 
5. Your whole bio is given when you are introduced.

​In all these situations, practice how you will graciously thank the person for inviting you to speak and then transition into your presentation’s content. That first moment is the most critical part of a presentation, and you need to prepare for it.