THE BEST WAY TO SAY IT
At a recent networking meeting, the M.C., a very bright, capable woman and an excellent speaker, was outlining the program, highlighting the events and speakers we were going to hear from. She knew how to use humor to liven up her laundry list of information and all was going along swimmingly, until the moment came to introduce the first speaker. And then she said, "So, without further ado, please welcome..." and gave the speaker's name.
What's wrong with that?", you might ask.
Nothing... or a lot. It depends what kind of speaker you want to be.
That small, over-worked, and trite phrase says a great deal about the one who uses it. It's not the only tired phrase still assaulting our ears. One of my least favorite is "awesome," a super over-worked word. How many times a day do you hear someone say something is "awesome" when it isn't? It used to be reserved for something really spectacular, mind-blowing, inspirational, one-of-a-kind. Now we use it to describe our breakfast cereal or toothpaste.
Why do we do that? Why do we use words or expressions in a context where they're not really appropriate or repeat them just because we think it’ll make us sound cool? What has happened to expressing ourselves uniquely, giving some thought to what we say and how we say it? Why do we let words tumble out of our mouths without thinking about what they really mean?
"Without further ado" was a popular phrase in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the 21st century, most good speakers try to avoid such over-worked words and phrases because it's a sign of laziness, a lack of preparation and minimal creativity. No one gets punished or penalized for using them, or applauded, either. Audiences are smart. They expect more from the speaker than just a repetition of the same things they've heard for years and years or every day on the street.
If you're the M.C., and you need to move the meeting along, try replacing "without further ado", with something simpler and classier. How about, "It's now my pleasure to introduce...", or "Let's begin with...", or "Let's move on to..." Try simply describing the next item on the agenda without any other preamble. You don't always need a transitional phrase. The audience will get that you're moving on to the next thing without you pointing a big verbal arrow at it.
As for 'awesome'... it isn't going away any time soon. But evaluate carefully if it really belongs in your presentation. There might be better and more creative ways to express yourself. Find words and phrases that are unique to you. One of the clues to being a unique and sexy speaker is to use language that makes you stand out from the crowd. Be creative. Your audience will applaud you for it!