Cut the Bio: Nobody Came for Your Resume

Let’s talk about the thing nobody says out loud during most presentations:

“Why are you spending 10 minutes telling me about yourself? I don’t care. Just get to the point.”

Sound harsh? Maybe. But it’s true more often than we admit.

There’s a widespread belief—especially in corporate, academic, and “thought leader” circles—that a presentation must begin with a long-winded backstory. A career timeline. A credentials flex. A meandering explanation of how the speaker came to care about the topic.

Here’s the problem: Most people don’t actually care.
Not because they’re rude or uninterested—but because they showed up for insight, strategy, or useful information. Not a biography.

If your ideas are strong, they’ll stand on their own.
If your experience matters, it will shine through in how you speak, what you choose to share, and how clearly you communicate.

Yes, context is valuable. Yes, credibility matters. But credibility is earned in real-time, not handed over just because you list your degrees or past clients.

Start with value.
Start with the tension, the insight, the “why this matters.”
Start with a reason for people to stay tuned.

And if you really need to give background, make it a slide, keep it short, and tie it directly to the takeaway you're about to deliver.

Because your audience isn’t looking to be impressed—they’re looking to be impacted.