I couldn’t believe the date when I looked it up last night. May of 2012. It’s been 14 years. Yet it’s still so clear in my mind.
I was driving home from Northbrook on a Sunday evening.
Alec Baldwin’s smooth voice was introducing Renee Fleming on his radio show, Here’s the Thing.
Baldwin has a way with introductions, and this one lives in my memory:
“Renee Fleming has a powerful effect on people. Conductor sir George Solti described the opera singer’s voice as double cream. Garrison Keillor said she made his nostrils twitch. NY Chef Daniel Boulud created a signature dessert to honor her.
But Renee Fleming is down to earth.
Renee grew up in Rochester, NY where both of her parents were high school music teachers. During the first two years of her life, while in her playpen, Renee would listen while her mother gave singing lessons.
One might say Renee Fleming was born into music.”
I have been a fan of Renee Fleming’s voice ever since my friend Jeffrey played a recording of her singing, Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise.
Double cream, indeed!
But now I was more captivated by Baldwin’s masterful introduction.
I’m kind of a geek for intros.
Growing up, that was one thing my dad never let me get away with, boring introductions.
Whether I was giving a speech or writing a paper, my dad was a stickler for opening strong.
Dad knew what he was talking about.
Studies show that you have about 8-10 seconds to capture your audience’s attention.
But how often have you approached your introduction as an after thought? Or didn’t think of it at all?
To open strong every time you speak, there are 4 essential ingredients every intro needs. Check out the first ingredient in my video below.
Then get the rest of the yummies when you sign up for my free workshop: The Art of the Introduction. It’s part of my mini workshop series called Three Pillars of Courageous Communication which runs for one hour each day on Zoom, Sept. 4-6.
Wednesday, Sept. 4: How to Speak so People Listen;
Thursday, Sept. 5: The Irresistible Power of Storytelling;
Friday, Sept. 6: The Art of the Introduction.
When you register, you register for them all. Can’t make one? No problem. I’ll send you the replay!
Hope to see you there!
Jenny
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