Have you ever given a speech when you had a special guest? Maybe your parents came out to listen to you. Or maybe you were hoping to give a keynote speech for a group of companies when the CEO shows up unexpectedly.

Isn’t it scary?

It does not have to be like that. There are some simple rules to help you properly acknowledge special guests during your speech. They are not complex and will help you do it seemingly on the spur of the moment.

In this article, I’ll give you seven questions to help you answer the general question of “How to properly acknowledge special guests during your speech?”

1. Who are you presenting them for? There are only four basic people you are presenting them for. You can introduce them by yourself. You can present them to your audience. You can present them by themselves. Or you can present them to the organizer. Be careful introducing them for your own reasons. It can easily become a fancy way of dropping names. The best reason is to honor them.

2. Do you really have to acknowledge them? There are many reasons why you might introduce a special guest. Each reason will impose its own rules on how you present it. For example, you could introduce your parents to thank them for cheering you on. Or you can introduce the CEO to thank him for giving him the opportunity to speak. But not all of these are valid reasons. So the second question you need to answer is “Do you really have to acknowledge them?” If so, then you’ll know why you need to present them, and you’ll have a start on saying something about the presentation.

3. Will they thank you for introducing them? A story is told about a club owner in New York who introduced Janis Joplin. He asked her to join the cover band on stage. Unable to refuse, he did so with a series of muttered curses. When he got on stage he discovered that the band didn’t know any of his songs. Being notoriously shy, she proceeded to unburden herself at the top of her voice in four-letter descriptions of the club’s owner.

Being in front of an audience is an enormously terrifying thing. Never embarrass your special guest. When in doubt, err on the side of not having them standing. Just say something like “I’d like to thank our special guest for joining us tonight.” followed by a list of why he is thanking them and “So, thank you.” get the job done without forcing them to stop.

Four. What kind of speech are you giving? Different types of speeches have different requirements. A formal speech, for example, often has a specific point where you thank special guests.

5. Are you introducing someone else? If you have multiple people to introduce, such as in a formal speech, you may want to introduce them at the same time. On the other hand, you may also want to spread out the presentations so that it doesn’t sound like you’re listing the people who will be attending.

6. Will an introduction fit into the thank you portion? Most speeches have a thank you at the beginning and end. Sometimes your introduction during the thank you may fit better. For example, you can thank the CEO during the thank you to the organizers and then ask him to stand up.

7. Are you talking about them at any point in your speech? One of the best methods is to incorporate your introduction into your speech with a story that engages them. For example, you might have a part of your speech where you discuss an important lesson your parents taught you. This would be a good time to ask the audience if they would like to meet you. Then you can ask your parents to stand up.