• Tell a joke. A touch of humor in good taste is a great way to break the ice with an audience; that is, to ease the tension and relax everyone. The key, as with a quote, is that the joke must be tied to the topic you're going to talk about. Otherwise, it serves as a distraction and can turn an audience off regardless of its humor.
If you're not comfortable as a joke teller, go with another introduction technique. There's nothing worse than watching someone fumble in trying to tell a joke.