«You never get a second chance to make a first good impression»
Oscar Wilde
In his laws of learning, Georgi Lozanov, father of the Sugestopedia, states that the first thing that the learning partners must feel for their facilitator is admiration. And that admiration comes from the recognition that the person with whom you are learning is a valuable human being.
The presentation of a facilitator can occur in two contexts: that a representative of the host company is the one who performs it or that the facilitator corresponds to present himself.
Whatever the case may be, the first thing to do must be aimed at reinforcing the learning experience, which makes known its central message and what is going to happen during its development, so that from that moment it is formed in the mind of the participants a clear idea of what the facilitator is going to do.
In the same way that a facilitator can, with his message, reinforce the learning experience; he can also ruin it by saying more than necessary, exaggerating his virtues or qualities. That egocentric posture can negatively affect his image in front of the Learning Partners, regardless of whether what he has said about himself is true or not.
Whether it is the facilitator who introduces himself or someone else, it is essential that they show measured enthusiasm, according to the occasion, without overselling or showing a speech about the enormous virtues that the facilitator is bringing to the room.
It is about highlighting those things that deserve the attention of the audience that the facilitator expresses why this learning experience is transcendent and why it is worthwhile for the participants to dedicate part of their time.
If one facilitator is responsible for introducing another one, he must find out how to pronounce his name correctly to avoid creating discomfort in the guest.
It is necessary to know the approach he will give to his intervention and the concepts he will emit during it. It is also important to review (and confirm) his credentials, and show those that indicate that he has something new, that can add value to the participants. It is also possible to ask him what he would like to be said about himself that would make him feel comfortable and pleasing in front of the audience.
Great care must be taken not to show information that may be sensitive or embarrassing to the person who is going to be introduced.
If the facilitator is responsible for introducing himself, he can show elements of a biographical or anecdotal nature, including surprising details that can please his interlocutors and generate a favorable emotional connection with them.
He can express to them what he feels about his presence in that learning experience and says or does things that allow the participants to know him and know each other in a brief and expeditious way, through conversation in pairs, trios or quartets.
The fact that the participants experience the feeling that they have already met other people since the very beginning of the activity adds an additional enthusiasm to the audience.
The facilitator should remember that his objective at the time of introducing himself is not that the public is impressed with him, but rather to make a good impression on his audience, not only on himself but on the experience as a whole.
The introduction of the facilitator is not the main segment of the event; it is the learning partners and the experience itself. If what the participants remember is the facilitator and what he said about himself, the learning experience was not successful.
For learning to occur, the facilitator should not forget that the focus should be on the learning partners and not on him.
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