Introduction and program

The facts for introducing a speaker, with the name last, and a minute-by-minute run for an emcee.

Essential on a first pass if you are introducing someone: the speaker's name, how to say it and the talk title. Optional if you are not. The program table is optional on a first pass; it matters when you are the emcee for an evening of several items. A reader who skips the introduction sheet usually writes it from a website biography, which the speaker has not approved. Introducing a speaker explains the steps.

The introduction

Fill this in with the speaker's own facts. The name, how to say it and the title are the Start here part; the credentials are the speaker's to supply or approve.

Program run (for an emcee)

Optional on a first pass. One row per item, with the minutes it should take and a tick on what can be cut if the program runs long. The example row is fictional.

How to use this sheet

• Ask the speaker first. The name, how to say it, how they want to be addressed, the talk title and the credentials come from the speaker or are approved by them.
• Why this topic matters to this group is the one line you write yourself, from what you know of the audience. Keep to two or three credentials that bear on the topic and one human detail the speaker is happy to have said.
• Handover line. Write it with the name last, as in "Please welcome..." and the name, so the audience applauds as the speaker stands.
• Target length in seconds. Write the length you will aim for. Published conventions run from about a minute to several; the table on the occasions page lists them. The organizer, if they gave a number, outranks all of them.
• Program table. One row per item: the clock time, who, what, the minutes it should take and a tick on what can be cut if the evening runs long. Decide the cuts before the evening, not during it.