Ed. note: this is Part Two of invaluable advice if you've been asked to lead a training session or conference for church office professionals. For Part One, CLICK HERE. There is one more part coming.

Those important first words

If you are leading a small group, your first responsibility may be to introduce yourself. Have your first few minutes down pat. Tell your name and a few of the relevant facts of your background in order to establish your credentials.

Sally is into her two minutes of decision making here. Your introductory remarks need to be interesting and to the point. A personal tie in with the conference itself, perhaps your experience when you first attended, is a good opener.

If you do have someone to introduce you, he or she will give your name and something of your background. Be gracious in acknowledging your introduction. Thank the person by name when you come to the platform. Then move directly to that relevant anecdote that leads into your presentation.

Novice speakers are generally advised not to use humor in their introductions, but if that’s you and you are comfortable with it, by all means feel free to give it a try. I find humor a marvelous teacher and use it often in seminars and presentations. But don’t wing it. Prepare. Be sure the humor is relevant to your topic. Your primary purpose is to train, not to entertain.

What not to say

Your introductory remarks should get you off to a positive start. Toward that end, here are some things to avoid.

• Excuses. For anything. Especially for your nervousness or for your inexperience. You may want to offer an apology if your voice is bad that day or the printed materials ran short or whatever. But if an apology—not an excuse—is necessary, offer it once and move on. [Read more...]