Introductions can be tricky. They are harder to do well than you might think. I do a good bit of guest speaking, so I have been introduced many times to various groups of people. Some of the introductions have been excellent. Some, not so good. The not so good ones are when they overhype you to the point that if you can't walk on water in front of the group, they demand their money back, and it is a free event. Or when the introducer says, "We really wanted Dr. Smith (made up name), but he had to cancel at the last minute and the only person we could find was Dr. McKenzie." (I'm exaggerating only slightly from an actual experience.) Another not so good introduction is when the introducer reads the title of my dissertation (while rolling his eyes to convey how boring it sounds) and several articles I've written and the journals in which they have appeared. By the end, the audience is looking at me like we might be on the brink of a Luke 4:28 moment.
The same thing that can be said about sermons can be said about introductions. "Sermons are like biscuits. They could all do with a little shortening." Good introductions are short. If anyone is going to go on too long and bore the audience, it should be the keynote speaker, not the introducer. Good introductions briefly identify the speaker and list his/her area of expertise and major accomplishments as they relate to the audience's interests. Then the introducer beckons the speaker to the podium and sits down.
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