The trainer’s self-introduction

I consider a trainer’s self-introduction to be very important for the following reasons:

•  It is an opportunity for the trainer to establish credibility. Once a trainer has established credibility, it is very easy to command the attention of the audience. Conveying the subject matter becomes easier. 
• It sets the tone for the training session and provides a natural segue for the trainer to launch into the next topic – which could be a round of introductions from the trainees (if the class size is reasonably small to allow this) or the subject matter itself.

     My thoughts on a good introduction:

• It should be formal, but not pompous.
• The trainer needs to clearly convey the credentials that justify his/her being a trainer for the course.
• As far as possible, the credentials should be quantified. For example, instead of saying ,“I have a lot of experience in this area”, you might say, “I have 15 years of experience as a customer support engineer and that has given me a lot of learning opportunities in the area of handling difficult customers”
• A little bit of humor certainly helps and puts the audience at ease.
• You can talk about your personal interests and hobbies, but spending too much time of those can distract the trainees and take their focus off.