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Starting a presentation has got to be one of the most stressful parts of giving a presentation. You’re worried about what you’re going to say, especially if English isn’t your first language, and whether you’ll give a good impression. That’s why I think this week’s presentation tip about starting a presentation with a quote is really valuable.

A quote to start your presentation can quickly get the entire audience onto the same page. That is, your audience can be aligned to your presentation in a very short time when using a quote.

So when do you introduce yourself in your presentation if you’re using a quote? Well, you can do it before or after you show the quote, but it depends on the situation. If you’ve been introduced, then there’s no need to give a self-introduction. If you do not get introduced, you may want to wait until after you’ve talked about the quote to introduce yourself. Why?

I think the quote will get the audience focused on the topic and on you, so if you then tell them who you are, the audience will already be happily paying attention.

Here’s the video: