President Elect

Meeting Tips: Introductions

Questions often come up on the introduction of visiting Officers and Guests at our meetings. Where do we begin? Who get introduced first? How do I seat officers and guests at the Head Table?

Let me see if I can help you with this. First of all, introductions should be done quickly and in an upbeat manner. The Head Table can either be introduced at the beginning of the Introductions or the Head Table may be introduced at the end of the introductions of special guests. In order of introductions, national officers would be introduced first—National Presidents, Officers, Regional Vice Presidents, National Governors, and Past National Presidents in order of seniority; then State President, Officers, State Governors (District Vice Presidents in 2003 on) and Past State Presidents in order of their seniority; Local Chapter Presidents visiting your Chapter, Past Local Chapter Presidents (your Chapter and visiting); then your Local Officers—President Elect, Vice President of Membership, Secretary and Treasurer. NAR, CAR and Local Association of REALTORSâ Officers may also be introduced, if you wish.

Some Chapters have “Head Tables” and others do not. If you have a Head Table, the podium can either be placed in the center of the table or to one end. If the podium is on the end of the table, the President would be seated next to the podium, the guest speaker next to her, then the President Elect, Vice President of Membership, Secretary, and Treasurer. If the podium is in the center of the table, then facing the audience the President would sit to the right of the podium, the guest speaker to her right, and then the Vice President of Membership. On the left of the podium would be the President Elect, the Secretary, and then Treasurer. Parliamentarian may also be seated at the Head Table at the discretion of the President. Visiting National and State Officers and Governors may either sit at the Head Table or in the audience.

Generally speaking, the head table is introduced from the least important first and the most important are introduced last. Thus, if you have the podium on one side of the head table, you would start with the Treasurer and move up through President Elect and lastly the guest speaker. If the podium is in the center, you would start to your left with the Treasurer to the President Elect and on the right from the Vice President of Membership to the speaker. Make each introduction brief, giving the name of the person and present title(s). If there is no present title, give most important past title. If your Officers are sitting in the audience, be sure to introduce them.

Most Chapters will have the attendees introduce their “guests”, while other Chapters have all the attendees introduce themselves. The type of introductions that the Presidents uses will probably be dictated by the length of the agenda and the size of the Chapter.

For additional information, you can refer to the Policy and Procedure Manual “Order of Introductions When you have a Head Table”on page 144.

Sharon Telles, ABR, CRS, GRI, LTG, SRES