27 Ways to Revitalize Speaker Introductions

Jessica is married with two kids, loves to travel and holds our commercial real estate seat.  Please give a warm welcome for Jessica.  

Yawn.  

Jessica is married with two kids loves to travel and was part of the women's hockey team that currently holds the world record for the longest consecutive game of 2 days and 14 hours.

What?  She did what?  That is cool.  

See the difference?  One puts the audience to sleep and the other makes them raise their eyebrows and piques their interest.  Jessica just became really interesting.

Let's shake up our speaker introductions.  They happen every week for groups who do member profiles.  But we get lazy at them.  It's typically a few rushed questions right before the beginning of the talk asking about marital status, number of kids and how long they've been in business.  

The speaker typically covers their family and business history in their talk but what we all need to know is what sets them apart? What makes them memorable?  What is unique and quirky about them?   Bring out their quirkiness!

Learning about the their passions, mistakes and interests make us remember them. And makes us like them.  

When we like someone, we're more likely to do business with them.

Plus, having a good giggle at the beginning of the talk puts your speaker at ease and makes it easier for them to begin their talk.  And an intriguing intro grabs the audience's attention and gets them focussed on the speaker faster.  

With that in mind, I've compiled a bank of 27 questions that your introducers can use to reveal some of the lesser known facts about your speakers 


Personal
What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?
Who inspires you?  Who you aspire to be like?
Who was someone you really looked up to when you were young?
Did you or do you have a mentor?

 
Fun
What’s your superpower? (referring to a skill that the person is really good at like parallel parking or sense of direction)
What’s the last picture you took on your iPhone?
What is your most bizarre talent?
If you could keep only three possessions, what would they be?
What super hero would you be? 
Who do you most admire in life?
Name one interesting fact that no one else knows about you.

Company
What’s the best testimonial your company has ever received?


Interests
What was the last book you read?
Do you prefer paper or digital books?
What is your hobby?
If you had an entire afternoon with no obligations, where would you go? 
Is there a documentary or book that really changed the way you thought about something?
Which TV or book character that you've always resonated with?
What is your favourite business book and why?
What is your all time favourite book?


Past
What did you love most about the place you grew up?  The least?
If you had a chance for a 'do-over' in life, what would you do differently?
What was your most embarrassing moment?
If you could witness any event of the past, present or future, what would it be?
If you could bring any 3 people (fictional, alive, dead, famous or not) to a dinner party, who would you invite? 

Future
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
What is a skill you'd like to learn and why?


Try a few of these out and let me know what happens? I'd love to hear about the quirkiness of your members.