Speaker Introductions: Rousing, Rough, or Ruinous?

Sooner or later, you’ll be called on to introduce someone—at an industry meeting, a client event, or a community gathering. And you don’t want to be that person who confuses the crowd, disappoints the speaker, and embarrasses yourself.

In the audience at a recent conference, I watched a painful experience unfold: The introducer made no pretense of being familiar with her comments beforehand. She simply walked to the front of the room, unfolded her sheet of paper, and began to read—very slo...