Organisational behaviourFramework / modelModelAccessible

INTRO

How can intro improve people, teams, or organisational effectiveness?

AccessibleOperationalTeam1 min read

Contents

People remember the first and last things you say (‘the law of primacy and recency’) and if you can get the introduction to your presentation right, the audience will be...

INTRO is a mnemonic for designing a presentation opening that gains attention, establishes relevance and gives the audience a clear route. A prepared opening can reduce speaker anxiety and help listeners orient themselves quickly.

When to use it

Use INTRO for planned presentations, pitches, briefings and important impromptu remarks.
Write and rehearse the opening more precisely than the body when confidence is low.
Adapt the language to the audience rather than reciting a formula mechanically.

Origins

INTRO circulates through presentation-training practice in several variants. In this version it stands for Interest or Impact, Needs, Timing, Range and Objectives. No single originator is consistently credited. The components reflect older rhetorical practice: gain attention, establish relevance, preview the route and state the intended result.

What it is

The mnemonic structures five audience questions:

Interest/Impact — Why should I pay attention?
Needs — Why does this matter to me?
Timing — How long will this take?
Range — What will be covered?
Objectives — What will I know, feel or be able to do afterward?

How to use it

Open with relevant impact rather than biography. A question, evidence, brief story or consequential statement can focus attention, provided it connects honestly to the topic and does not manipulate or sensationalise.

Explain the audience need in their terms. State timing and scope after relevance has been established, then describe a concrete outcome. Join the elements into natural speech rather than announcing a checklist.

For a presentation-skills session, an opening might establish that every employee represents the company when speaking, explain why credibility matters, promise 40 minutes on stronger openings, memorable structure and conclusions, and state that participants will leave more confident.

A second example is a sales director explaining that a missed $100,000 cross-selling opportunity exposed a product-knowledge gap. She then proposes 30 minutes on the complementary range, prices, lead times and discounts so the team can handle the next opportunity. The need is implicit in the incident.

The original example used a punitive dismissal for dramatic effect. Avoid threats, humiliation or invented urgency: fear may capture attention while reducing psychological safety and trust. Choose evidence proportionate to the subject.

Rehearse aloud, check timing and make the first transition into the body explicit. For an impromptu talk, sketch the five elements mentally and compress them to fit.

Top practical tip

Write the opening for the audience’s ears, rehearse it aloud and make the need and promised outcome specific. Preparation should support presence rather than produce a robotic delivery.

Top pitfall

INTRO is a planning aid, not proof that an opening is effective. A formulaic hook, exaggerated claim or threat can lose trust before the main presentation begins.