When giving a speech or presentation there a few formalities that generally have to be covered. In every meeting or conference someone needs to be thanked. Whether it's the person or company that provided the space, the presenters, the coordinator, or the people that provided the food, someone needs to be thanked. So whose job is it to thank all those people? Ideally the Master of Ceremonies (MC). In any meeting or conference there, hopefully, is one person who is directing the flow of the day. This person (again, hopefully) is introducing the speakers. And it is also this person who, during their opening and closing remarks, thanks all the people who made the meeting possible.
But here is what usually happens. The MC gives the opening remarks and thanks everybody. The first speaker gets up and thanks everybody. The coordinator gets up and thanks everybody. The next speaker get up and thanks everybody. The third speaker gets up and thanks everybody. Beginning to notice a trend? If it's boring for you to read it, imagine how boring it is for the audience to listen to it.
So as a speaker what should be your role in thanking everyone? If you are there to give a presentation to educate or entertain, it is not your job to thank the people who brought the food. You are there for a very specific reason: to give a message. And to give that message effectively, you have spent time on preparing, structuring, and practicing you speech. If you break the timing and flow of your presentation with formalities that have nothing to to with your message, then you are diminishing the effectiveness of the presentation.
Think about it. When you are introduced, you come up to the podium and start off with formalities by thanking people, your audience starts to tune you out. They've tuned you out before you even got started! Who knows when in your presentation they'll tune back in! Your opening in one of the most crucial parts of your speech. Start with a bang! And don't break the flow of your closing by thanking everyone under the sun either. For you to leave them with a WOW feeling, you've got to give them a WOW moment. Giving formalities isn't going to cut it.
Now, some of you may be thinking, "I'll feel rude not to thank the people." Two thoughts: 1) wouldn't it be rude not to give your audience your very best 2) If you feel absolutely compelled to thank people be sure you work it in your speech and preparation and be sure that you are thanking someone specific for a specific reason. There's nothing worse than babbling through the thanks.
One way to get around thanking people in your speech is to have the thanks in your written prepared introduction. Just keep in mind that it is the MC's job to thank the people who coordinated the event and your job to deliver a great presentation with a powerful message.
