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A copy-and-fill speaker introduction template, eight examples for conferences, schools, churches, meetings and webinars, and the delivery tips that make the first 60 seconds count.
By Awais Ahmad, Founder of GrowProfiles
Updated October 2026 · 11 min read
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Fill-in template
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8 examples
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60-second formula
Introduction script
Cue card
Hook
"Every one of us has sat through a meeting that should have been an email..."
Credibility
40,000 managers trained · author of Fewer, Better Meetings
Promise
Three changes that give your team a day back
Name
"Please join me in welcoming Dana Brooks!"
Read-aloud time
58 sec ✓
Free template
Applause cue
"Please join me in welcoming Dana Brooks!"
Name last ✓
Under 90 sec
The basics
Quick answer
A speaker introduction is a short speech, usually 60 to 90 seconds, that a host gives before a speaker takes the stage. To introduce a speaker well, open with why the topic matters, share two or three facts that make the speaker credible, say what the audience will get from the talk, and end with the speaker's name.
A good introduction does three jobs. It gets the audience curious, it tells them why they should trust this person, and it hands over the room with energy. It is not the speaker's full biography read aloud.
60–90 sec
Read-aloud length for most talks
150–200
Words in the script
2–3
Credibility facts, no more
1
Open with why this topic matters to this audience today: a shared problem, a question or a striking fact.
2
Two or three facts that prove the speaker is worth listening to. Pick the most relevant, not the longest list.
3
One sentence on what the audience will learn or be able to do by the end of the talk.
4
Say the speaker's full name last, clearly, then lead the applause as they walk up.
Copy and fill
Replace everything in brackets, then read it out loud and time it. Delete the optional line if you're over 90 seconds.
Standard template (60–90 seconds)
[Opening line that connects the topic to this audience or today's theme]. Our next speaker is [Name], [role or title]. [Credibility fact 1: a result, achievement or number]. [Credibility fact 2: a book, notable clients or years of experience]. [Optional: one short personal detail that makes them human]. Today, [he/she/they] will show us [the promise of the talk, in one sentence]. Please join me in welcoming [Name]!
Short version (30 seconds)
Our next speaker has [biggest credibility fact]. Today, [he/she/they]'ll share [topic or promise]. Please join me in welcoming [Name]!
Use it for panels, award lists and busy agendas.
Virtual event or webinar
Welcome, everyone. Our speaker today is [Name], [role], who has [credibility fact]. [He/She/They] is joining us from [city]. In the next [number] minutes, [he/she/they]'ll show you [promise]. Please put your questions in the chat as you go. [Name], over to you!
Tell people how to ask questions before you hand over.
Tip for hosts
Ask the speaker if they have their own introduction first. Many professional speakers do, and they'd rather you read it word for word.
Step by step
01
Many speakers have a ready-made script. If they send one, use it as written and only check the timing.
02
Find out what this audience cares about, so you can pick the facts that will matter to them.
03
Pick results, numbers and names that relate to the topic. Leave the rest of the résumé out.
04
Open with a shared problem, a question or a fact. Skip "Our speaker needs no introduction."
05
Say in one sentence what people will learn, feel or be able to do after the talk.
06
Ask how to pronounce it and write it phonetically in your script, for example "Priya NAH-ir".
07
Aim for 60 to 90 seconds. Cut anything that sounds like it was copied from a CV.
Examples
Each example follows the same formula: hook, credibility, promise and name. Use the one closest to your event and swap in your speaker's details. All the speakers below are fictional.
1
"Every one of us has sat through a meeting that should have been an email. Our closing keynote speaker has spent 15 years fixing that. Dana Brooks has trained more than 40,000 managers, and her book, Fewer, Better Meetings, is now required reading for new leaders in many companies. Today, she'll show us three changes that give every team a full day back each month. Please join me in welcoming Dana Brooks!"
Why it works: It opens with a pain everyone shares, uses two numbers and makes one clear promise.
2
"Graduates, twenty years ago our guest sat exactly where you are sitting now, in this same hall. Since then, Dr. Samuel Ortiz has built a career in emergency medicine and founded a free clinic that has treated more than 10,000 patients in our city. He has come back today to share what he wishes someone had told him on graduation day. Please give a warm welcome to Dr. Samuel Ortiz!"
Why it works: The link to the audience comes first, so students lean in before they hear the credentials.
3
"Good morning, church family. Our guest this morning has spent twelve years walking with families through recovery, first as a volunteer and now as director of New Hope Ministries. Pastor Grace Mensah is a wife, a mother of three and a woman of deep faith, and she has a word for anyone who has ever felt too far gone to start again. Let's welcome Pastor Grace Mensah!"
Why it works: Warm and personal, with the mission and the message ahead of the titles.
4
"Last quarter, customer complaints dropped by a third. The person behind that change is with us today. Priya Nair joined us two years ago to lead customer experience, and before that she grew a support team from five people to two hundred. In the next twenty minutes, she'll walk us through what worked and what's next. Priya, over to you."
Why it works: It starts with a result the room already knows about, then names the person behind it.
5
"In 2014, Marcus Hale was told he would never race again. Four years later, he stood on a world championship podium. Today, Marcus works with teams and businesses on performing under pressure, and he has spoken to more than 300 organizations in 12 countries. He's here to share the mindset that took him from a hospital bed back to the start line. Please welcome Marcus Hale!"
Why it works: A short story arc in two lines, then proof that the lesson works off the track too.
6
"Welcome, everyone, and thank you for joining from wherever you are. Our speaker today is Lena Fischer, a LinkedIn trainer who has helped more than 5,000 consultants turn their profiles into a steady source of clients. She's joining us from Berlin. In the next 45 minutes, she'll show you five profile changes you can make before lunch. Please put your questions in the chat as you go. Lena, over to you!"
Why it works: It covers the housekeeping, how to ask questions, without losing the energy.
7
"We have three people on stage who have each built a business from nothing. To my left is Omar Haddad, who started a coffee roastery in his garage and now supplies 200 cafés. Next to him is Julia Park, founder of a design studio with clients on four continents. And on the end is Tom Becker, who has launched and sold two software companies. Please join me in welcoming our panel!"
Why it works: One line per panelist, all in the same pattern, so nobody gets a longer build-up.
8
"Tonight's guest of honor has given thirty years to this community. In 1996, Ruth Adeyemi founded our city's first after-school reading program. Since then, more than 8,000 children have learned to read with its help, and many of them are in this room tonight as volunteers. It is my privilege to welcome Ruth Adeyemi to the stage!"
Why it works: It lets the impact speak, and the final detail about the volunteers lands the emotion.
On the day
1
Reading silently hides tongue-twisters and long sentences.
2
Know the first and last lines by heart so you can make eye contact.
3
The name is the applause cue. Pause just before it.
4
Start clapping as you say the name, and the room will follow.
5
Stay at the lectern until the speaker arrives, then shake hands and step away.
6
Your job is to make the speaker look good, not to give a mini-speech.
!
Audiences tune out after the third job title. Choose two or three facts.
!
Over two minutes eats into the talk and drains the energy you're building.
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Don't use the anecdote or joke the speaker is planning to open with.
!
"The funniest speaker you'll ever hear" sets a bar no one can clear.
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Check the pronunciation beforehand. It's the one thing they'll remember.
!
Skip long stories about how you met. One warm sentence is plenty.
For speakers
Hosts are busy, and many will be handed your bio a few minutes before you go on. If you don't send an introduction, they'll read your whole bio or make one up. Write your own script, and you control the first impression the audience gets.
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Write it to be heard, in the third person. Short sentences, no lists of titles.
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Keep it to one page in large type, with a phonetic spelling of your name.
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Send it a week before the event and bring a printed copy on the day.
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Ask the host to read it as written, and thank them for doing it.
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End with your name so it cues the applause and your walk-on.
Need a bio too?
Your introduction and your bio work together. Our speaker bio template gives you short, medium and long versions to send with your introduction.
FAQ
Most speaker introductions should take 60 to 90 seconds to read aloud, which is about 150 to 200 words. Keep it to about 30 seconds for panels and award lists, and no more than two minutes even for a major keynote.
Open with why the topic matters to the audience, share two or three facts that make the speaker credible, say what the audience will get from the talk, and finish with the speaker's full name and a welcome.
Start with the audience, not the speaker: a shared problem, a question or a striking fact that shows why the topic matters today. Avoid opening with "Our speaker needs no introduction."
End with the speaker's full name and a clear cue such as "Please join me in welcoming [Name]!" Then start the applause and wait at the lectern until the speaker arrives.
Use the same formula: hook, credibility, promise and name. For a guest speaker, add a line that connects them to your group, such as a past visit or a shared cause, and thank them for coming.
Yes. Professional speakers usually send the host a short introduction script, written to be read aloud, along with their bio. It saves the host time and makes sure the audience hears the right facts.
A speech of introduction is a short speech that presents a speaker to an audience. Its job is to build interest and credibility, then hand the stage to the speaker with energy.
Keep it under 60 seconds. Give the speaker's name and credentials, mention where they're joining from, explain how to ask questions, and hand over by name, for example "Lena, over to you."
Written by
Awais Ahmad
Founder of GrowProfiles. Since 2018 I've built websites, SEO, video and marketing for speakers, coaches and trainers, including three-time Olympian Devon Harris.
Read my story →Keep reading
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