Acknowledging Introductions

Courtesy demands that the speaker acknowledge the introduction that worked up the applause. Politicians and candidates are apt to overdo this by paying their respects not only to the presiding officer and the one who made the introduction-but by tossing in everyone at the speakers’ table and getting carried away enough to include the janitor as a member of Local No. 9 and then thank him for the heat!

Most speakers stray from this stereotyped style long enough to acknowledge the introduction; this they accomplish by pausing long enough for the audience to settle down. This isn’t the pause that refreshes-it’s the one that depresses. It depresses “public speaking palpitations” by giving the speaker time to take a few deep breaths to fight off stage-fright and to get his brain in gear before he gives it the gas.

Most speakers start with the standard style:

“Mr. President (Chairman or Toastmaster), and Mr. Introductory Speaker (mention him by name), Ladies and Gentlemen:”

Only a seasoned satirist would dare begin with a bang by berating his listeners at the very start-as for instance ignoring all introductory remarks at a stockbrokers’ meeting and simply saying: “Good afternoon, Glorified Gamblers; I bring you greetings from the F. S. C. (Federal Security Commission).”

The regular routine requires an acknowledgment and a complimentary comment concerning his introduction, or a quick comeback if the introductory speaker has indulged in any kidding. It is a comfort to have extemporaneous acknowledgments at your tongue-tip, but a fitting remark on one occasion may be out of place at another.

You might tell a pride of Lions that you appreciated the feelings of the cow that, on a wintry day, told the hired man, “Thanks for the warm hand.” But that same sentiment expressed at a mixed meeting in an urban area might draw “udder” disgust.

Tags: public speaking

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