Introducing.
StepsEdit
Method One of Four:
Introducing Yourself in Any Social SituationEdit
- 1Make eye contact. Eye contact shows that you're engaged in the interaction. Eye contact is one way to connect with another human and show that the other person has your attention. When you make eye contact, it shows that you are open and engaged.[1]
- If you're not comfortable looking straight into someone's eyes, stare at the point between the eyebrows; she won't notice the difference.
- If you’re in a group setting, make periodic eye contact with those around you.
- 2Smile..[2]
- 3Use appropriate body language..[3]Advertisement
Method Two of Four:
Introducing Yourself to an IndividualEdit
- 1Exchange names. If the introduction is formal, say "Hello, I'm [first name][last name]." If it's informal, say "Hi, I'm [first name]. Immediately after you've stated your name, ask for the other person's name by saying "What’s your name?" in a pleasant tone. When you learn the other person's name, repeat it by saying "It's a pleasure to meet you, Pedro" or "Nice to meet you, Caroline."
- Repeating the person’s name will help you remember it, and give the introduction a more personal touch.
- 2Offer a handshake or other culturally appropriate greeting. Most cultures have a form of physical contact to accompany a greeting. In the United States, it is often a handshake. Be sure to keep the handshake brief and not too loose (floppy) or firm (bone-breaking).
- Be aware of cultural differences. For instance, it is considered rude to firmly shake hands in China.[4]
- It is often appropriate to greet with a hug, especially if you’re meeting a friend of a friend or an in-law. Hugs show more openness than a handshake. Women more often than men may prefer a hug to a handshake.
- In many cultures, it is culturally appropriate to greet with a kiss. In South America, for instance, all women are greeted with one kiss, and in France, women are greeted with one kiss on each cheek. If you are unsure of the appropriate greeting, follow the other person’s lead or watch how other people greet around you.
- 3Ask questions. It’s important to show interest in the other person. Ask where she is from, what she does for a living, or ask about any common bonds you may have. Ask about what she loves to do and the passions she has in life. Show that you are engaged and interested in what she has to say.
- You may tell a little bit of your background in order to engage conversation and share about yourself. Telling someone where you work or that you love rock climbing is appropriate and may lead to more conversation topics.
- Don’t take the opportunity to talk only about yourself. You will come across as selfish or uninteresting .
- 4Close the conversation. After you've met someone for the first time, you should end the conversation by restating that you enjoyed meeting. If the interaction was formal, say something like "Mrs. Castro, I'm delighted to have met you. I hope we can talk again soon." If your conversation was informal, you can say "It was great meeting you, Harold. Hope to see you around."Advertisement
Method Three of Four:
Introducing Yourself Before Giving a SpeechEdit
- 1Greet the audience and state your name. If you're giving a speech, it's important to state your first and last name. As you say hello and give your name, remember to speak clearly and confidently.
- Say, "Good morning, I’m Chelle Arnold" or "How is everyone doing today? My name is Lisa Carroll".
- 2Share some relevant information about yourself. After you provide your name, share why you and the speech are relevant, making sure you provide your credibility. The sort of information you share will depend on the audience and the subject you'll be talking about. If you're giving a speech about the importance of eating organic foods, tell people that you're a scientist, chef, or environmental professional. If you’re giving a speech about child development, be sure to include that you are a child psychologist.
- Provide any other relevant information. For instance, you can provide a brief background of your credible experience. “My name is Erica Lafaurie and I am a professor of environmental science at Berkeley. After I conducted my research in the Amazon rainforest, I realized how important it is to share ways to protect this land.”
- 3Communicate effectively. From the very start, make sure your voice is loud enough for everyone to hear you. Avoid mumbling by enunciating your consonants crisply. You can even ask the audience if you are speaking loudly enough for all to hear. People will not be able to understand you or respect what you are sharing if they cannot hear you.
- 4Move your body. Stand with good posture, and move freely while you speak. Stand up tall, move your shoulders back instead of slouching, and keep your hands free, using them to gesture when necessary. If you don't have to stand behind a podium, then walk around to show the crowd how comfortable you are and to make yourself look less stiff.Advertisement
Method Four of Four:
Introducing Yourself at a Professional EventEdit
- 1Say your full name. Make sure you provide your full name so that the person can remember your name. You can say, "Hi, my name is Mark Salazar," or "Hello, I'm Angela Grace," and they'll be more likely to remember you.
- 2Give a one-sentence description of what you do. If you're at a networking event, then it's likely that you'll be talking about what you do to a variety of people. So, what do you say when a new connection asks, "What is it that you do?" Do you launch into a ten-minute story about your career path? Do you reel off a list of your accomplishments in your field? Absolutely not. Unless you're having a more lengthy conversation, you should be prepared to give a one-sentence description of what you do that gives the following information:[5]
- Who are you, professionally? Are you a teacher, a project manager, or a health care professional?
- Who do you work with? Do you work with children, cross-cultural project teams, or micro-finance organizations?
- What do you do? Do you help second-grade children develop their writing skills, do you help cross-cultural teams meet complete their goals while keeping their budgets, or do you help microfinance organizations expand their market base in developing countries?
- Now, put your sentence together. State who you are, who you work with, and what you do.
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- 4Follow up with a question. If the person has asked you what you do first, don't just walk away and praise yourself for a job well done. Instead, ask the person what he or she does in return. This is not only polite, but shows that you have a real interest in this person's career path and want to build a meaningful connection.
- 5Say goodbye like a professional. Don't just wave and say, "Nice meeting you" and walk away from the person. Anyone you meet at a networking event can have the potential to help you in the future, so make sure that you make eye contact, repeat the person's name, and exchange business cards or any other pieces of relevant information before you walk away to introduce myself in front of the class. How should I do that?Answered by wikiHow Contributor
- Say your name. Say one thing you like to do. Smile. Look confident. Don't go on about yourself. If you're a kid, just say your name, what you like, and that you're excited to attend the class. If you're a grown up attending the class, do the same. If you're teaching, say your name, what you like, and your expectations.
- I want to befriend a group of girls, but no conversation seems right. I'm frustrated because I've been wanting to for months but I lack the confidence. How should I do this?Answered by Bexterlove
- Don't worry too much about starting the perfect conversation. Sometimes just introducing yourself and asking someone about their day or week can be a great conversation starter that can help bring up some common ground. Also, it can be really helpful to plan an event, like doing something later in the day or week, which can help give purpose to the conversation.
- How do I introduce myself without people thinking I'm weird or freaky?Answered by wikiHow Contributor
- Just be yourself. Don't think about what other people think about you. Simply say something like, "Hi, I'm [your name]." People will not think you're weird. Face your fears and you will probably make lots of friends.
- Please give some examples on how can I introduce myself in front of the class.Answered by wikiHow Contributor
- You could start by saying your name and, if you're comfortable, a nickname after that. Then, you can tell them a few things you like/dislike. To end it off (a short introduction is what you're looking for), you could maybe crack a joke or make a pun.
- When is the appropriate time to introduce myself in secondary school?Answered by wikiHow Contributor
- The best way to introduce yourself in secondary school is when somebody comes up to you or is near you and says hello. This doesn't mean you have to be quiet until someone approaches you, but don't go around the school randomly picking people to introduce yourself to.
- I have a very difficult time making eye contact during conversations. Is there anything I can do besides focusing between the eyebrow region?Answered by wikiHow Contributor
- Look at the walls of the room which will make them feel as you are making eye contact even though you're not. You could also turn it into a timing game of 5 seconds eye contact, then look away. Then come back after a short pause and do 5 second eye contact, then look away again. In time, it'll come to feel more natural. If the worst happens, just let people know you have a hard time making eye contact and you're trying to improve this -- most people will be understanding and may even cut you a lot of slack since they know you're not trying to avoid them or seem bored in their presence.
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- Would it be appropriate to mention that I am mentally challenged or to have a business card to identify myself properly?Answered by wikiHow Contributor
- Mention that you are mentally challenged at appropriate times, such as when someone is talking about something related to it, or when they are trying to talk about something and you can't quite comprehend it. Most likely, they will be perfectly fine with you mentioning it, but try not to say that right off the bat. For the business card, it would be very handy and helpful, as you can bring it into the conversation almost at any time.
TipsEdit
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- Avoid eating anything that might stick to your teeth.
- Don't look away or act distracted - it will make you look bored or uninterested.
- Don't speak when your mouth is filled with food.
- Focus on the positive. An introductory conversation is no time to say negative things about yourself or someone else.
- Try to lighten the mood start out with a joke or a compliment.
- If your hands tend to get sweaty, wipe them on a napkin before beginning the introduction.
- It might help to pace yourself. If you don't know him very well but want to get to know him, maybe start by making eye contact and then introduce yourself the next day. If you feel comfortable, just do the steps mentioned in this article when you're ready.
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Reader Success Stories
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This version of How to Introduce Yourself was reviewed by Tasha Rube, LMSW on August 10, 2017.