Audience: employees, civic associates
Message: I commend you for your hard work and your success.
Tone: informal
Timing: 4-5 minutes

You may have met a couple like this: The husband and wife have been married for about 40 years, but the wife grows increasingly unhappy. After all her efforts to communicate her feelings to her husband, she finally gives up on resolving the conflict herself. So she persuades her husband to go with her to their minister for counseling. The minister asks the husband what he sees as the problem in the relationship, and he details his wife’s growing solitude and grumpiness. Then the minister turns to the wife and asks her what she identifies as the difficulty.

“My husband never tells me he loves me,” she answers.

“How about that?” the minister probes with the husband. “Are you aware that a woman frequently needs to be told that she’s loved?”

The husband looks downright insulted. “I told her I loved her the day we got married. If I ever change my mind, I’ll let her know.”

Even if you don’t identify with that couple in your personal life, you may in your corporate life. After all, when we recruited you here at (company) we told you that you were special. And in your periodic performance appraisals, somebody pats you on the back.

So why tell you again how much we appreciate you? Well, someone put it like this: “Appreciation is like an insurance policy. It has to be renewed occasionally.”

Today we want to extend the coverage—for years to come. My purpose is simply to tell you that we think you’re doing a maximum job with minimum recognition. The equipment we’ve been using has not exactly been state of the art. The customer’s specifications and instructions are not always what anyone would call lucid. And the potential for profit on this latest project will probably be minuscule.

But you’ve given it your best—regardless. You’ve had a great attitude about everything we’ve asked you to do. You’ve performed well under pressure deadlines with near perfection. You’ve accomplished something we can all be proud of. Without you, we’d soon find ourselves without the talent necessary to compete and survive.

As part of our efforts to show you our appreciation, we have begun a company newsletter in which several of you will be highlighted in the coming months. Let us know who’s doing what where so we can get our editorial crew out to interview them and share their expertise with the whole company.

You can contact (name and department) to pass on your suggestions for this recognition. With those referrals, you’ll be doing the newsletter editor, the spotlighted employee, and the rest of us a service. Great work deserves notice.

And we want to continue to receive your input on how we can do a better job for our customers—both internal customers and external customers. You know best what it takes to get your job done and where the wastes are.

You can tell us best what changes still need to be made and in what areas you can contribute more. You can tell us best what we need to do more of and what we need to do less of. Your input makes a direct impact on our bottom line.

We appreciate your concern in all these ways: your enthusiastic spirit,… your creativity,… your attention to detail,… and the sound business sense that we have needed to make this corporation profitable.

As you help us meet our business goals of profitability, we can in turn help you meet your personal and family goals of job stability,… good salaries,… and a satisfying sense of accomplishment.

Although I won’t play the part of the out-of-touch husband, I am sincere when I say that you as individuals are uniquely important to us. You’ve worked hard with great results and we appreciate it.

Keep up the good work.

Audience: employees, civic associates
Message: Each of you, in your own way, has contributed to our success.
Tone: informal
Timing: 3 minutes

We’ve finished…. The pressure’s off…. We’ve done an excellent job…. We’ve been successful…. So who gets the glory? I’m here tonight to say, not me. Not management. But you. Each of you.

So how did we motivate you to do such an excellent job? To pull off such a feat? We didn’t. You motivated yourselves. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. And each of you has contributed that little extra to make a big difference. They say that one of the greatest sources of energy is pride in what you’re doing. You displayed that extra—that energy, that pride, that commitment.

You can’t pay somebody enough for that.

(Name) rescheduled the vacation she’d been planning a full year in order to be here at the crucial decision time…. You can’t pay someone for that.

(Name) spent (number) weekends out of the last (number) at the office, redesigning plans that we found necessary to change for various phases of [insert details]…. You can’t pay someone for that.

(Name) dropped out of her night class at the university to devote the extra time it took to get her end of the project started…. You can’t pay someone for that.

People in the (name) department put in (number) hours of overtime during the last two weeks to complete the paperwork…. You can’t pay people for that.

(Name) spent days listening to completely unjustified, unreasonable demands from the public. She did it without losing her poise and her perspective…. You can’t pay someone enough for that.

(Name) postponed surgery to avoid being away from the office during their crucial phase of the project…. You just can’t pay someone enough for that.

So many of you have made similar sacrifices. You just can’t pay people enough for that. So what do you do? Well, first you hope these individuals, and others like them, gain an inner satisfaction from a job well done. You hope their coworkers recognize and value their sacrifices and dedication. You hope their families reaffirm their commitment to personal excellence. In short, you hope other people recognize the qualities that make them unique.

Yes, as a management team, we hope that, in some small way, each of you, who has shown such commitment to your job, feels pride in our joint success and in your individual contributions. As British educator and social commentator John Ruskin so aptly observed, “The highest reward for a man’s toil is not what he gets for it but what he becomes by it.”

But you can’t pay someone enough for that kind of attitude, for that kind of hard work, for personal sacrifice of time and emotional energy. We can only say a small “thank you” and hope each of you understands the gratitude we feel. Thank each of you.

Audience: business, civic, or social groups
Message: You need personal and career goals to become successful.
Tone: motivational, instructional
Timing: 13-14 minutes

You’ve heard it said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Let me twist that a bit: The road to achievement is paved with good intentions. We call them goals.

If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there. So it’s not enough just to “start out” in your career; you have to know where you’re going personally and where we’re going as a company.

“There’s no point in carrying the ball until you learn where the goal is.” At (company), we tell new hires right from the beginning that they have to let their managers know what their career aspirations are. Do they want to get into management? Do they want to stay in a technical field? Do they want to be a specialist? Or do they want to be a generalist? We have to know where their goal line is—and they have to know ours—so that we know who to give the ball to and when.

But then talk is cheap. Everybody talks about goal-setting. We have corporate mission statements and objectives. Department goals. Sales quotas. But really what’s their value? An old proverb from India sums it up like this: “No one was ever lost on a straight road.” And you’ll have to admit it, some companies have gotten lost in the global race for quality products.

Something like 90 percent of all products launched in the U.S. are failures. Our success rate at (company) is (number) percent—better than the average. And we’re always looking for ways to improve those odds.

So why don’t people set goals as methodically and frequently as corporations? Fear. Not having goals covers up for failure. We don’t have to face failure if we have no yardstick. If we don’t do much, nobody—including ourselves—knows. People without goals drift.

The most important thing about a goal is to have one. Goals focus our attention.

I like the story about the old man who was trying to lead a contrary donkey down the road. A passer-by stopped him and commented on the way the donkey was behaving. “Oh, I can make him do anything I want him to with just a kind word,” the owner said.

“Doesn’t look like it to me,” the other sneered.

“Sure, I can,” the owner said. Whereupon he climbed off the donkey, picked up a two-by-four beside the road, and clobbered the animal on the head, then explained to the onlooker. “I simply have to get his attention first.”

Goals get our attention. Losers stay busy doing things. Winners concentrate on planning before they ever make a move. For people who don’t give attention to long-term goals, the future is any time after tomorrow. But the future has a habit of suddenly becoming the present. And some 40-, 50-, and 60-year-olds are still asking themselves what they want to be when they grow up. To repeat: Goals make us focus.
So what are the characteristics of good goals?

Well, first, good goals are set by decision, not default. You have to set the long-term goal early on in any project. Have you ever started out for a Sunday afternoon drive with a friend without a particular destination in mind? And after a mile or two the conversation began to go like this:

“Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know—where do you want to go?”
“How about to Tony’s for dinner?”
“Well, we already passed that highway.”
“Okay, how about a game of golf?”
“The best golf course is all the way across town.”
“Well, then how about a movie?”
“Hmmm. It’s 2:45—everything’s already started now.”

I can tell by the nods, you’ve had some of those Sunday afternoons. John R. Noe, in his book Peak Performance Principles for High Achievers, sums up the experience like this: “By the time we are ready to make the big decisions, the options have been narrowed by our little choices along the way. If we do not focus our goals, our lives will be controlled by haphazard decisions.”

You’ve heard it said that not deciding… is deciding. In goal-setting, the same is true. Late goal-setting is not really goal-setting—it’s recapping after the fact.

The second characteristic of a good goal is that it’s a big goal—one worthy of your efforts. Someone has said that if you intend to succeed beyond your wildest expectations, you have to have some wild expectations. A few people wake up every day to go out and slay dragons. Most are satisfied to chase lizards.

If you’re an “average” performer, don’t set your sights on “above average.” Look at “excellent.” Whatever the average, look at what your colleagues would term a “reasonable” goal and then double it. That would be worth working for. That would be worth achieving. Consciously or unconsciously, you always get what you expect. So the secret to success, it seems to me, is to raise your expectations, to set goals worthy of your effort.

And don’t let fear that you won’t reach big goals keep you from setting them. Here’s what author and management consultant Peter Drucker has to say about that fear:

Objectives are not fate; they’re direction. They are not commands; they are commitments. They do not determine the future; they are means to mobilize the resources and energies of the business for making of the future.

Oliver Wendell Holmes agreed: “The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving.” Unless you set big, worthwhile goals, you’ll never move beyond your current abilities.
The third characteristic of a good goal is that it has a completion date. Goals are dreams with deadlines. Always put a deadline on your goals, because deadlines wake you from your dreams to bring you to the reality of achieving them. Sleepwalkers don’t get around very well—at least not without a lot of bumps on the shins.

When talking to the authors of the bestseller Thriving on Chaos, Fred Brooks, a System 360 Chief Designer at IBM, had this to say about the lack of setting corporate goals: “How does a project get to be a year behind schedule? One day at a time.”

Set five-year goals. Ten-year goals. Six-month goals. Without deadlines for their achievements, goals are simply “Pie in the sky” plans.

A fourth characteristic of good goals is that they are followed up by a plan of action. The how. Will Rogers quipped, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” You’ve got to put the how-to to the goal. If you plan to switch careers, what new training will you need? Where can you get it? What college or corporate course?

If you plan to raise funds for a civic memorial, how? Which contributors do you want to reach—individuals or corporations? Do you want to use a direct-mail campaign or a fund-raising dinner? Or both? Goals are no good without plans of action to bring them into reality.

Successful companies have elaborate plans. You wouldn’t dare to go to work for them if they didn’t. “Buy low, sell high. Collect early, and pay late,” says educator and author Dick Levin. Sounds good in theory, but we’d be in trouble if we depended on a paycheck from companies that didn’t have a more complete game plan than that. Without plans, the only way businesses run is downhill. The same is true for individuals and organizations such as ours. We need specifics to be successful.

A fifth characteristic of good goals is that they can be broken into specific short-term steps and completion dates. Maximum achievements are the result of minimum steps. A big house is built with one little nail at a time. A suit is sewn one seam at a time. A business is built one employee at a time.

Next, good goals are written goals. Committing them to writing makes them real for you. You can review them. Modify them. Commit their accomplishment to others. They’re constant reminders of where you’ve decided you want to be at what point in your life.

Finally, good goals generate excitement. The late Malcolm Forbes said, “Men who never get carried away should be.” Don’t be afraid to show your commitment—some might even call it fanaticism—about reaching a goal. If you’re kicking and screaming about reaching or not reaching a goal, at least we all know you’re alive.

Let me run those by you once again. How to set good goals:

• Set them by decision, not default.
• Set big goals.
• Add a completion date.
• Develop a plan of action.
• Set short-term steps and interim completion dates.
• Write them down.
• Get excited about them.

Norman Vincent Peale may have oversimplified it, but I don’t think so. He said, “Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan.”

If you don’t start, it’s certain you won’t arrive.

Audience: employees, civic associates
Message: We need to do more at a lower cost with fewer people.
Tone: motivational, informal
Timing: 18-20 minutes

Asking me to talk about productivity is like asking third-world countries to apply for a loan; persuasion just isn’t part of the picture. I preach the subject with the fervor of a tent revivalist. It’s practicing the message, however, that’s the hard part. But practice it, we must.

I want to begin by raising a few questions, and then outlining a few answers we’ve stumbled onto. Perhaps—and we’re really hoping on this one—you can add to our answer list.

First the questions: What’s happened to our capitalistic system here in the U.S.? It’s still suffering from a bad hangover after years of celebrating technological superiority. Granted, our businesses have not ordered their burial plots, but neither are they well enough to do calisthenics.

What has changed—that we Americans now have to concern ourselves with productivity and quality?

I remember Saturday afternoon shopping sprees in the local variety stores as a child. I’d sidle up to my mother and show her my selection for the dollar she’d given me for being “good.” She’d look carefully at what I’d picked out…. And if she turned the label over and saw “Made in Japan,” the verdict was always, “Put it back. That’s no good. It’ll tear up before we get home with it.” Today, the reaction of mothers is just the opposite. “Made in the USA” has meant shoddy while the Japanese have surpassed us in everything from radios to microchips.
Why did it all happen?

For one thing, bureaucracy buried flexibility. Policies and procedures took precedence over ideas. Assumptions about our technological superiority smothered creativity and technological advancement. In other words, smugness settled in for smartness.

Then there was the energy crisis…. Then the recession…. Then inflation…. Then scandal in high places…. Then our drug war…. Then our literacy problem…. While we were and are fighting these fires, the Japanese have been outworking us. Their products have cut into our profit in most of our basic industries.
But the tide has been turning.

We’re a competitive group as Americans. You’ve heard it said that people always root for the underdog. Well, we ourselves have become the underdog in the economic competition around the world. And American workers have started rooting for themselves. To put it succinctly: We were up against the ropes, but we didn’t go down for the count. In fact, we’re responding well to the challenges.

Now here’s where you come in.

All of us individually have the power to produce. You, as well as I, know that there’s a difference between working every day and simply having a perfect attendance record. We want to find those people who are giving it their all—day after day after day. We want to reward them and promote them. We want each of you to get excited about carving out a future here—not just whittling away at the time.

You are our economic advantage in winning this competition. You have much to contribute in making this a better, safer country. The question is: How badly do you want to win? How much do you want to find a way to do your job better? Can you find a way to do it cheaper? Can you come up with an idea that can do it both better and cheaper?

Our pledge to you is to give you an environment that will make you comfortable in reaching your highest potential. We want to do everything possible to eliminate any obstacles to team effort and spirit. We want you to understand that the only long-term security for any of us in American business is innovation and cost-effectiveness.

We want to attract, retain, and reward people who are sold out to excellence in every way. And, in turn, we’ll provide you with security and any retraining you need to climb to your highest potential. We guarantee you that if you work yourself out of a job, we’ll find you another, better place. One more in line with your creative talents. In other words, we not only want your good ideas,… we expect them.

You are our biggest asset. Although we can’t go to the bank and borrow against you, you will show up on our balance sheet. In the years ahead, you’ll be the difference between profit and loss. And we want to ensure your personal ownership in the success you foster.

So, together, how do we get the job done?

Well, productivity simply means working smarter, not harder. It means completing a task with fewer ergs of energy…. Or less raw material…. Or less machine time…. Or less paperwork…. Or fewer worker hours…. In other words, we need you, our extraordinary people, to find ways to make extraordinary tasks just ordinary after all. I’m finding a lot of people around here capable of doing just that.

Work smarter, not harder. We’re starting to do that again in America. As Ann Landers would say, “We woke up and smelled the coffee.” We’re once again inventing new products and new processes that will continue to raise our whole standard of living.

Specifically, here’s what we’re asking you to do to work smarter, not harder.

#1: We want you to use our technology to its fullest. What products and processes can we improve with our know-how?
#2: We want to reduce the number of people it takes to do a job. That’s a sensitive issue, of course, and our plan is to cut our workforce through attrition rather than layoffs. But believe me, you don’t have to put off thinking until someone voluntarily leaves or retires. If you work yourself out of a job, there’ll be a better one waiting for you, one that can fully use your talents and expertise.
#3: We want you to help us redesign our products to make them easier and faster to ship out the door. And even more importantly, to make them exactly what the customers want to buy at a price they want to pay.
#4: We want you to become motivated to give it all you’ve got—to do more work in less time so that you receive the personal benefit of a higher paycheck based on higher profits.

Let’s translate these into a more specific to-do list:

We have to talk to each other smarter. We need input from all of you—from those of you who service our elevators to those who prepare our annual stockholders report. From those of you who design our (product) to those of you who invoice our (product). We want our vendors to talk to our buyers. We want our engineers to talk to our accountants. We want our sales reps to talk to our service technicians. We want you to share your goals and your obstacles to those goals. It’s only with widespread collaboration that we can spark each other’s creativity.

We have to measure smarter. Do we know where the waste is? Do we know where to cut? Admiral Joseph Metcalf had this to say upon discovering that some of our largest Navy frigates carried as much as 20 tons of paper and file cabinets. “I find it mind-boggling,” he said. “We don’t shoot paper at the enemy.”

Neither do we here at (corporation) shoot paper at our competitors. But we have enough of it to do some serious damage—to ourselves. We’ve got to measure what we’re doing now against where we’re going, so we’ll know when we arrive.

For years, management teams have asked ourselves and our workers how much we could save if we bought this or that software. If we accessed this or that database. If we hired this or that consultant. And you know what? We couldn’t find out. The savings didn’t show up on any radar screen, computer printout, or bank statement. We wanted a PC on everyone’s desk, but we didn’t know how to pinpoint its impact on the bottom line. And those who hold the purse strings—ultimately our stockholders—keep nagging us with their questions.

Consequently, we have to learn to measure. We need to count how many unnecessary files we keep on employees and projects. We need to count how many invoices we have to prepare before we get the numbers right. We need to know how many times the average monthly project reports have to be rewritten before they’re clear. We have to measure everything we do so we know where the waste is.

But the real improvements will come when we can do something about the waste. When we can cut invoice handling to once rather than twice. When we can write the research report clearly the first time without having to ask an editor to interpret and rewrite for us. In other words, we have to understand that being busy can no longer pass for being productive.

Another to-do on our list, besides talk to each other smarter and measure smarter: We need to market smarter. We need to go to our customers and show them the value they’re getting for their dollars. We need to tell them what it costs us to build thus-and-so, and then ask them what feature they don’t think is worth the cost. We need to ask them what they want first—then figure out a way to make it better and faster than the competition. We have to do that to hold the line on prices and make our customers profitable in their own businesses. In our narrowing economic circle, we’re going to have to hold hands.

Another item on our to-do list: We need to educate ourselves smarter. Once upon a time, we Americans had all the great ideas in the world. Then the rest of the world followed our lead and began to think. They’ve come up with some good ideas while some of us have taken a long recess. Individually, we have to realize that education never stops. Formally, we are putting our budget where our mouth is and increasing the number of training opportunities open to you through the company.

But individually you can build your own productivity power base by reading magazines, journals, and books. Then those research efforts and those training classes have to be translated to practical processes and products the customers want and need.

Another to-do: We have to dream smarter. You’ve heard it said that some people entertain ideas while others put them to work. We want you to be in the last category. People are finding new ways to do their jobs every day. We have to continue to look for new ways to do things rather than to settle for “this is the way it’s always been done.” The best way has to win over the old way.

We have to focus smarter. We have to work with direction and good aim. Our left hand has to know what our right hand is doing. We have to eliminate duplication of effort and research. We have to focus on one task at a time. Step by step, task by task, day by day, and month by month, the little completed tasks turn into big completed projects. The quickest way to do any task is to do only that task. Productivity is concentration and focus.

We’re building quality smarter. Doing it right the first time means doing it faster over the long stretch. If you cut out all the costs of poor quality—the cost to do something over,… the scrap and waste,… the service cost for things that don’t work right,… the supplier rejects,… the auditors and the inspectors—then you simply have to be increasing productivity.

We have to lead smarter. People of our generation are better educated and informed. They think creatively for themselves. They ask “Why” when told what to do. They want more than a paycheck from our payroll; they want a sense of satisfaction from contribution. So we have to stimulate ourselves to think productively.

We want to give you the freedom to use your intelligence and internal motivation to our advantage in thinking of better, faster, cheaper ways to do things that are assigned. Your smarter thinking means our better production. Your skill, ingenuity, and use of the newest technology will determine how well we hold down costs and raise our quality.

To repeat: We have to talk to each other smarter. To measure smarter. To market smarter. To educate ourselves smarter. To dream smarter. To focus smarter. To build quality smarter. To lead smarter.

As with many new management ideas circling the globe, after all is said and done,… much is said and little is done. But this productivity issue I’ve been discussing is more than a new slogan—more than the latest management fad.

We are in earnest. This way of thinking—increased productivity—has to become part of our company culture. It has to be more than a hobby; it has to be our work lifestyle.

To produce more, we have to see further down the road—to long-term quality and savings. Only as we get that big picture will we cope with tomorrow’s challenges and harness its opportunities. Yes, it is hard work out there.

But Americans of the past have never been afraid of hard work. Especially when we know what we want and how to get it. As your management team, we’re determined. We hope you’re ready to climb into the driver’s seat with us and take off for the game. Winners eat free.

Audience: professionals, civic group, social gathering
Message: This individual is a genuine friend—a person of high standards and personal warmth.
Tone: informal, personal
Timing: 2 minutes

Some people succeed by what they know, some by what they do, and a few by what they are. (Name) has succeeded for all three reasons. But I want to talk about the latter reason—who she is personally.

Our guest and I chased boys together. In fact, as high-school co-conspirators against cafeteria food and later as college roommates, we ate late-night pizza together, borrowed each other clothes, spent holidays warting our parents for more spending money, and even flunked an art class together. Those days of secret conversations and bold assertions of independence are precious in my memory.

But it’s been a long time since I’ve whispered to her how much her friendship has meant to me over the years. Oh, yes, we’ve stayed in touch as we’ve raised families, changed our careers, and cared for elderly parents. Through all these years (name) has always known the right words of encouragement when I was down, given me splendid advice on business decisions, and offered emotional support when I needed her presence. But I want to take this opportunity tonight to tell her and you as a group how much I value that friendship and all it entails.

And, yes, she has all the right credentials to speak to you tonight. Her associates and you know her as Dr. (name). Her professional stature in the community is recognized by the media attention to her name and her many invitations to speak to groups such as ours. She knows her subject.

But more than her professional credentials, I wanted you to know tonight that (name) is genuinely the type of person you, too, would want as a friend if you’d had opportunity to know her individually.

Golda Meir once remarked to an acquaintance, “Don’t be humble: you’re not that great.” But I’m here to say that (name) is that great. Personally. A woman of integrity and tact, wisdom and warmth. With pride, I introduce you to my friend, (name).

Audience: professional or civic group
Message: This individual is an expert, yet just “one of the guys.”
Tone: informal, light
Timing: 2 minutes

(Name), our featured speaker, is certain to generate some new ideas and motivate you to make some changes in the way you [insert primary application of the speaker’s topic].

As one of the industry’s leading authorities in sales, (name) is an executive vice president at (corporation). His clients know him to be a thorough, precise, excellent communicator with those who need their products and services. One client has called him “the number-one authority on [insert] of our decade.”

(Name) serves as consultant for numerous Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, and governmental agencies. The airlines tell him he’s traveled more than (number) miles to (number) countries to tell salespeople how to [insert].

But enough about the titles and travels. Tonight, I want to tell you something a little more personal about (name.) (Name) is experienced in calf roping, whistling, harmonica playing, and commodities trading.

He has lived in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Dallas and Pyorrhea, Texas; Asheville, North Carolina; and Billings, Montana. He has been a fisherman, a golfer, a plumber’s helper—the real kind—and a third-string quarterback for his losing high-school team.

He has four teenage girls, a mother-in-law, three elderly aunts who show him partiality, and two parrots. He hates taking out the garbage and emptying the dishwasher, and he loves calling his oldest daughter at college and waking her up after midnight as she and her friends so often did to him.

Surely, somewhere in there you can find something to relate to (name) when you have a chance to chat with him after the meeting. For now, please give him a warm welcome from some of us who’ve “been there.” [Lead applause.]

Audience: professional or civic group
Message: This individual is a celebrity but approachable.
Tone: formal
Timing: 1 minute
I’ll have to begin with a confession: When I was asked to introduce our guest of honor, I was thrilled, yet hesitant. Thrilled by the thought that if I were going to be introducing him, naturally I would have the opportunity to meet him personally beforehand. Yet I was hesitant, too. What original comments can you make to introduce someone of his stature? It’s all been said by others far more eloquent than I. You’ve heard of his wit and warmth and his talent to entertain.
Let me just sum up those comments by agreeing that our world is a better place because of our guest. We are grateful and honored that he has consented to be here with us tonight.
Therefore, thrilled, but no longer hesitant to introduce such a welcome guest, here is (name). [Begin applause.]

Audience: professional or civic organization
Message: This person is an expert.
Tone: informal
Timing: 2-3 minutes, depending on insertion of details about accomplishments.

Ladies and gentlemen, we’re here to profit—that’s the bottom line. To profit professionally as we hear our speaker, (name). You’ve probably heard many speakers who don’t have much to say, but you had to listen a long time to find that out. Or, perhaps you’ve heard a speaker who used a lot of big technical words because he was afraid that if people knew what he was talking about they would know he didn’t know what he was talking about.

Well, I want to put your mind at ease. Neither is the case tonight with our speaker. She will be direct to your interest, and she will be clear.

It would be hard to overstate this woman’s qualifications to speak to us about (topic). When someone wants to establish credibility for a colleague, you frequently hear them use the cliché, “She wrote the book.” Well, literally, our speaker tonight wrote the book. Several in fact. She is the author of (title) and (title). In addition to these, she has published over (number) articles in industry-related journals and magazines sharing her expertise about (topic), (topic), and (topic).

In addition to the writing, she sits on several national boards and committees: [Insert names.]

Here’s what others in the industry have had to say about her expertise:
[Read from reviews or other publicity pieces.]

Although I’ve not had opportunity to meet and hear (name) before tonight, from our brief dinner conversation, I can assure you that the enthusiasm you’ve already seen beaming from her smile is a genuine concern for us to grasp and profit from the ideas she will be sharing.

It is with admiration and great expectation of professional “profit”—specifically, I want to know how to make my million within the next three months—that I introduce to you (name). Please welcome her.

Audience: civic group
Message: This civic-minded individual deserves credit.
Tone: formal
Timing: 2 minutes

Two words come to mind as I think of (name). Involved and determined. Her job entails long hours, frustration, patience, communication skills, and little recognition. In fact, the only time one in (name)’s position hears from the public is when individuals are upset about something—policies, budget, personnel, or whatever they happen to disagree with.

Only someone who is involved in all the many issues that face our city and state and is determined to do the best for all concerned, only someone who is involved in excellent programs and determined to progress, only someone who is involved with her fellowman and determined to serve others—would give so much of herself personally to see that something happens.

And believe me, something has happened since (name) assumed the position of (title) (number) months ago: She has seen the (project) completed and operating efficiently to provide service for residents. She has been instrumental in funding the (project) program to see that the budget allows for spending where it counts the most in our community. Senator (name) and other colleagues credit her with the ability to work with all parties to bring about compromise and progress in the (project). In fact, here’s what Senator (name) recently had to say about her involvement with the project: [Insert quote].

Yes, our “woman of the hour” has spent many days and nights and weeks and months getting there.

In reminding you of all these accomplishments—those two words keep surfacing—involved and determined. I know that we all will take pleasure in welcoming our guest of honor, (name), and showing our appreciation of her involvement and determination on our behalf.

Audience: business or civic group
Message: This is an unsung hero who deserves recognition.
Tone: informal
Timing: 1-2 minutes, depending on insertion of details on affiliations and accomplishments.

You’ve commonly heard it said: “This man needs no introduction.” Well, I’m here tonight to say that this man, our speaker, needs an introduction…. He needs an introduction because he’s not the kind of person who flaunts his accomplishments. He won’t tell you that, as an executive with (company), he supervises all international operations. He won’t tell you that he landed (company)’s biggest account in recent years. He won’t tell you that, as an active member of our community, he serves on three nonprofit boards.

He won’t even tell you that, as a member of (organization), he contributes about (number) hours a year to collecting funds for that charity. He won’t tell you that, as a member of the Big Brothers Organization, he shares many weekends with twelve-year-olds. He won’t tell you that [insert other details about affiliations].

Emerson has said that the truly eloquent man is not one who is necessarily a beautiful speaker, but one who is inwardly and desperately drunk with a certain belief. That certainly characterizes (name), who deeply believes that we are responsible for the welfare of our fellowman. He deeply believes that each individual can make a difference—in business, in the community, in the world.

(Name) won’t tell you all about himself and his own efforts.

So to repeat: He needs an introduction. He needs to know that we appreciate his contributions to make our community a better place.

So, I’ll tell you those things tonight. On second thought, I guess I just have. Here’s (name).