First impressions count, so getting your presentation off to a good start is vital. People make their minds up about you very quickly, in fact, in just one or two sentences, so start positively. Also, at the start of your presentation your audience will be attentive, don't waste this.Here is a nice simple formula to work to which will make sure that your introductions are always good and that you get off to that positive start. Potentially, there are six stages to an introduction.GrabberPerhaps better described as an opening statement. Something to make people sit up and take notice. Maybe an unusual fact or figure, maybe a shocking or profound statement, maybe a story or anecdote, amusing or shocking or just relevant. Whatever you choose, do make it relevant. This should be the very first thing you say - otherwise the impact is lost.CredibilityWho are you? What qualifies you to do this talk? Don't do this overtly. Just give the audience the relevant bits from your CV to show them that you are worth listening to on this subject.Sell Your ObjectiveTell the audience, 'What's In It For Them'. Remind them why they have come...which, we guess, they already know but it does no harm to remind them. It sets them up for what is to come. It's fine to say, "The objective of my talk this morning is to convince you that....". Selling your objective is much more powerful if you make it specific and personal to everyone in the audience. Remember, the only thing your audience are interested in is 'what does that mean for me?'.SignpostTell them what you are going to cover. What is it you are going to say to achieve that objective. Your signpost is your Contents page.People are global learners. They learn better if you put what you are saying into context. So show them the big picture at the start. Your signpost is like the picture on the box of a jigsaw puzzle. It shows you how all of those little pieces fit together. (I had a colleague once who boasted about completing a jigsaw in just six hours. He was particularly pleased, as it had said '3-5 years' on the box!)Go through your signpost in some detail, just like on the news. They wouldn't just say at the start of the news, 'the Prime Minister spoke in the House of Commons today', they'd briefly tell us what he said. 'Today in the House of Commons the Prime Minister outlined the Governments strategy towards the economy and introduced some new spending restrictions for the public sector".A signpost is essential to any presentation. It is not an optional extra. Your introduction is where it first appears. You can use it to control the whole of your talk. It should reappear each time you move from one part of your talk to the next, to allow you to guide the audience through your talk.Notes and QuestionsParts five and six of your introduction we will deal with together. They are housekeeping points. Tell your audience what they should do about notes. Do you have a handout? Or should they take notes. You can't tell an audience not to take notes. But they do need to have a basis for making the decision...i.e., is there a handout or not.What are your rules on questions? Do you welcome questions at any stage or would you prefer your audience to leave questions until the end? Let them know.If you don't deal with these little housekeeping points at the start of your talk, then there is a danger that your audience won't be concentrating on the first few minutes of it because they are unsure of the house rules.The above is called a full six-part introduction. It's a lovely formula and will get your talks off to a great start. You just slot your words into the formula. Include all six parts, unless there is a jolly good reason not to. For example, if you are talking to your own staff, best not to tell them who you are, 'Hello, my name is John and I'm your boss' may sound a little silly.