INTRODUCTIONS and BIODATAS

 

INTRODUCTIONS and BIODATAS

 

Today I would like to talk, or write about, Introductions. I arrange a number of meetings where people of eminence or otherwise are invited to speak. When it is my turn / task to introduce the speaker to the audience, I generally approach the speaker or his secretary to send me a brief formal biodata. The material I get varies in length, scope, purpose, language etc. Let me explain what I mean by this.

 

Some people are shear lazy and they mail a standard “one-size- fits-all” type of a biodata.

It may be so long and extensive that he might have prepared it when some chamcha suggested to him that he should apply for Bharat Ratna award. Or it may an application for some vacancy. Or something he wrote for “About the Author” cover page of a book that was never published.  Or it may be a part of an appeal to voters in some local Association elections. It may be in a language I cannot read or understand. In most of the cases the only common thing that I can safely use is the PPS photograph that helps me identify the person when he arrives at the venue.

 

Long biodata is useful to ‘kill’ time in cases of over allocation of time meant for the speaker and discussions thereafter. Some speakers are kind enough to tell you ‘frankly’ that they will finish much faster as they need to leave for another event. In one case, I had to read a very long biodata that when I ended, people started clapping either to show there were happy or thinking I have completed my speech!

 

In other cases, I have to put in some efforts to extract something interesting and useful to the audience of that meeting. Nowadays, it is online meetings. Face-to-face land-based meetings are out of question for many more months to come. I found out that when I introduce some speaker or deliver a talk myself, in an online meeting, I do not need to keep a piece of paper and read it out.  I open a word file where the text is kept.  During the meeting, while you are still facing the camera, you may open the word file and read it out. This way, participants won’t seeing you looking down to a piece of paper again and again when you are presenting. You are still visible to all,  on the video screen.

 

In my case I keep different versions of my biodata, meant for different purposes, in one file. And send only the relevant part to the party concerned. Couple of days ago I received a biodata, just tailor made for the audience, brief enough for intro-time specified, formal and just enough for the purpose. That was great gesture from Sri JR Gupta, Executive Chairperson of ISU3A. But such cooperating speakers are rare.

 

When a famous dignitary was arrogant enough to tell one meeting official to be very brief when introducing him, saying:” If someone who does not know me is here, he need not be here”. The official rose to the podium he said: I am very happy to introduce Mr X. He is” and sat down.  What he meant was: “He is – He is alive – Don’t understand why!”  I am not sure if this anecdote is real or fiction.