One of the consultants that Esparza Speakers is happy to recommend is Jane Praeger. Part of the faculty at Columbia University, and the founder/president of Ovid, Inc., Jane provides speech, presentation, and media training, as well as strategic communications consulting for organizations and individuals. Her client list includes The Weather Channel, Microsoft, Expedia Corporate Travel, The World Health Organization, Doctors without Borders, and International Women's Health Association.

You've hired the right speaker, prepared him for the audience, and now the seats are being taken as everyone prepares to hear the presentation. And your speaker needs to be introduced-and what you say will set the tone. Here are Jane's thoughts on introducing speakers:

If you have ever been introduced to an audience by a person who mispronounces your name or reads whole paragraphs of text from your resume, you know why making introductions is a skill well worth learning.

Luckily, it's easily mastered if you follow a few simple rules:

• Keep the intro short and sweet
• Make it interesting
• Commit it to memory

What's short and sweet? Name. Title. Plan English description of business or organization. One professional credential and, if appropriate, one interesting personal fact. For example:

"Barack Obama is the President of the United States of America, a job that requires him to end wars, stop greenhouse gases from destroying the planet, and revive the American economy. Formerly, he was the U.S. Senator from Illinois. He plans to spend at least part of his summer on vacation in Martha's Vineyard, teaching his daughters, Sasha and Malia, how to do the butterfly stroke."

That intro takes 27 seconds. And really, what more do you need to say that can't be read on a program?

NEVER read an introduction. Memorize or internalize your key points. If you forget something, it is not critical. An introduction is meant to introduce, not summarize a lifetime of accomplishments.

One final pointer: If you're introducing a panel, don't introduce everyone all at once, a practice that ensures that most of what you say will be immediately forgotten. Introduce each personal before they speak for the first time.