What’s your stance on bragging to pump up an audience’s reaction to a speaker?  Are you a fan, dead set against it, or somewhere in-between?

Let’s acknowledge a truth – almost regardless of culture – the thought of overtly ‘bigging’ oneself up in a group situation doesn’t sit easily for many.

Small wonder. From a young age, bragging tends to be discouraged. Right, left and centre you may come across advice like:

“This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches.”,  Jeremiah, 9:23

“Who knows himself a braggart, let him fear this, for it will come to pass that every braggart shall be found an ass.” , All’s Well That Ends Well, William Shakespeare

“Self praise is no praise.”, Your mother

All of this can lead a body to regularly hide his or her light under a bushel rather than risk the appearance of being a showoff.

Of course, there’s a snag if you’re speaking to people who know very little about who are, what you’ve done and why they should listen to you.  If you tell them nothing about yourself, you may be missing a trick.

Letting audiences know about your experience and track record can make a huge difference to who’ll turn up to hear you speak and their dispositions towards you before you stand up and/or while you give your talk.

But take care.

Before getting to some principles you should bear in mind in this arena, let’s start with an example of ‘how not to do it’:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Fred Shamelessly-Famously-Smythe.

Fred is the Big Thing Inc Professor of Corporate Strategy at Impressive University and Director of Something Important at Equally Lauded University. He is also the founder and Vice-Chair of the Inspiring Program at Famous Institute, a former diplomat and a fellow of the Frightfully Powerful Association. Additionally, Fred is the author of Strategy My Way and The Definitive Guide to New Wave Business.

Please join me in welcoming him to the stage.”

While I’ve purposely changed the name, job titles and books I’ve associated with the above for instance, in the interests of avoiding embarrassment…

…This is not an over the top caricature meant to amplify a point. It’s a real ‘word for word’ introduction given for a speaker at a recent conference, read straight from his bio in the event brochure.

Not only is this nauseatingly over the top and as subtle as a lump hammer, it also misses the point.  It’s all about the speaker and not the audience.

Here’s what you should know instead:

Rule #1: A little goes a long way.

Never bore or turn off your audiences by flaunting laundry lists of accomplishments and accolades. Keep your credentials short. Don’t milk them.

Audiences rarely need more than topline information to make assessments about who you are, what you’ve done, their attitudes towards what you might talk about and the likelihood (unless you prove otherwise) that you’re going to be a trustworthy source. Concentrate on relevance over quantity.

Rule #2: It’s not about you

Find ways to focus on what your audience will get from the experience of hearing your speeches via your use of printed bios, the way you’re introduced to your audience and at the outset of your speech. Don’t make it all about why you’re so special.

Here’s a certainty. Although we can all have our more altruistic moments, audiences will be more interested by thoughts of ‘What’s in it for me’ (WIIFM) than your grade point average or how many ‘golly gee’ badges you possess.

Rule #3: Show don’t tell

It’s easy to be underwhelmed by those who share lashing of detail with us about how great they are. It can smack of arrogance and/or there’s a good chance your audience will find the minutiae you share to be dull and forgettable.

But if you can show your audience why they might want to pay attention –where they can see what you’re getting at/the issues you intend to address and the vantage points from which you may do this…You’re on to a winner. It’s instantly more interesting.

Rule #4: Take responsibility for your introductions

As mentioned in a previous article about the oft forgotten importance introductions to a speaker…

…Make sure you take charge of what is said about you and what you’re planning to say. Don’t leave this to chance. Discover how and why you can and should leverage introductions to influence your audience before you say a word.

Over to you:

What’s your take on how much bragging a speaker should engage in prior to and during a speech?

Please share your experiences, thoughts and observations.

Let’s work together to inspire others through your speaking. To find out more click here!