How is it possible that one of the most basic aspects of business communication is also one of the most awkward ones? We’re talking about how to introduce yourself in a professional context –at a meeting, before a presentation, or meeting new clients. Perhaps you’re also thinking about how to introduce yourself in interviews.
We are all able to say Hi, my name is Paola, and I am the Marketing Director at Talaera, but who are you beyond that? First impressions matter, and how you communicate in the workplace will help you have a better relationship with clients, leads, and coworkers. In this episode, you’ll learn an effective way to introduce yourself professionally in 3 easy steps. You can find the transcript at the bottom.
How to introduce yourself professionally
Introductions are extremely important for your professional life. They are like your new business card. The first interaction you have with someone will impact how others perceive you, and also the relationship you’ll later have with them. Acing your introduction in office settings will give you a clear advantage.
The very first tip is to have it prepared. Don’t improvise. Have it ready for any professional situation. You can’t hesitate when you introduce yourself. So follow the steps below, write it down, practice, and make sure it’s ready and fresh for when you need it. Drop your scripted introduction in the comments and we’ll tell you how you did!
A 3-step framework for professional introductions
When it comes to introductions, every case is different, and you need to understand the room. When networking, for example, introductions tend to be shorter, but in a negotiation, you usually spend more time introducing yourself and bonding with the other party. But, in general, a professional introduction should include these three parts or steps: (1) who you are, (2) what you do, and (3) what others need to know. Once you have those three, wrap it up. Don’t go on and on until the end of time. Let’s look at each step individually. I’ll explain them in depth and provide some examples.
1. Who you are
The very first step is to mention your name. This part is easy! You can use the below phrases to introduce yourself:
I don’t think we’ve met (before).
I think we’ve already met.
My name is …
I’m …
Nice to meet you; I’m …
Pleased to meet you; I’m …
Let me introduce myself; I’m …
I’d like to introduce myself; I’m …
My name is Melanie, but you can call me Mel.
2. What you do
The second step might sound simple, but it’s actually the most important part. Usually, people say their name and their job title. But what else is there to say about you? What is it exactly that you do? The tricky part is to find the right length of your elevator pitch. You need to provide some key points your audience can hang on to without having to write an essay.
So, yes, you should still mention your job title, your company, and perhaps even your department, but also add what you really do –in plain English. It should be short, so skip the details. A sentence is enough. What’s important is that people immediately understand what you do and want to work with you.
When explaining what you do, don’t focus on tasks, focus on results. Introduce yourself with your key skills and major achievements. Talk about how you help people and be specific. If you can craft an introduction that’s focused on the results that the other person is looking for, you have it. You win. Think about the problems they may have and offer a solution. And most importantly, adjust this message according to your audience.
You can just memorize the phrases below:
I am a [job title] at [company].
Officially, my job is to…
But really, I…
It’s all about…
Which is a fancy way of saying…
Examples:
I’m a copywriter. Officially my job is to write content for advertising. But really, I help companies tell compelling stories about their brands.
I am the COO, which is a fancy way of saying that I make sure that the company is run in the most efficient way possible.
Grab a piece of paper and write down a few sentences using this framework. Then, select the best introduction lines about yourself.
Here are some additional expressions to describe your roles and responsibilities:
I’m a [job] at [company].
I’m currently working as a [job].
I’ve been with [company] since [time] / for [period].
I work for [company].
I work in [field/industry].
I work with [department/person].
I’m self-employed. / I’m working as a freelancer. / I own my own company.
My role is…
My responsibilities include…
I’m responsible for…
I make sure that… / I ensure…
I oversee… / I supervise…
I handle…
I deal with…
Here’s another example:
I’m a Talent Acquisition manager. I’ve been working with Monsters Inc. since 2012, and my responsibilities include finding, recruiting, hiring, and retaining great candidates. It’s all about making sure the team keeps growing nicely.
3. What others need to know
The last bit of a professional introduction consists of adding other nice facts that are relevant to the people and the context. Here, you can show your contribution (what you bring to the table), and you can set the expectations for the meeting or presentation going on.
Here are some phrases you can use:
Today, I’d like to walk you through…
For the next 20 minutes, I’m going to explain…
I’d like us to… and decide on a follow-up for [these other tasks]
My purpose today is to share inside information about…
I’ll let you take the lead, but let me know if you’d like me to jump in at some point.
This should also be very brief, so you’ll want to sum it up in a sentence. And that’s it! You’ve learned how to craft a personal introduction that’s engaging and professional in 3 easy steps.
Now, it’s your turn. Prepare your own introduction and remember to include all the steps we just mentioned. Number 1– Your name. Number 2 – What you do (which includes your job title and how you help people), and Number 3 – A detail that the others need to know (what you bring to the table in that specific situation). And once you’ve included them, end there. As the Alice in Wonderland quote goes… “Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”
If you still need help to communicate effectively with other cultures, get in touch with Talaera. This article works as supporting material for our podcast episode on how to communicate better with US Americans. You can read the transcript below. Make sure you check out all our other Talaera Talks episodes and subscribe to get new episode alerts.
Keep improving your communication skills
Keep working on your communication skills for professional situations with our free resources. If you are serious about improving your business English skills, get in touch with Talaera. We will help you take your professional English communication skills to the next level.
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If you enjoyed this article, keep reading:
Talaera Talks – Transcript Episode 22
If you are learning English, including new English words and expressions will help you with effective communication. Remember to check out our other episodes on how to make small talk, how to deliver engaging presentations, how to speak English fluently, and many more: visit the podcast website. Listen to it on your favorite platform.
Intro Welcome to Talaera Talks, the business English communication podcast for non-native professionals. My name is Paola and I am co-hosting this show with Simon. In this podcast, we’re going to be covering communication advice and tips to help express yourself with confidence in English in professional settings. So we hope you enjoy the show!
0:24 : Introducing yourself in a professional context Hi, how are you today? My name is Paola and I have a question for you. How is it possible that one of the most basic aspects of business communication is also one of the most awkward ones? I’m talking about how to introduce yourself in a professional context, like at a meeting or before a presentation or meeting new clients… We’re all able to say ‘Hi, my name is Paola and I’m the Marketing Director at Talaera’. But who are you beyond that? In this episode, you’ll learn an effective way to introduce yourself professionally in three easy steps. You can later find the transcript and more examples on our blog. So talaera.com blog, and you’ll see everything there.
1:19 : Importance of preparing your professional introduction Now, introductions are extremely important for your professional life. They’re like your business card. And we don’t use business cards anymore. So it’s important you get it right. The first interaction you have with someone will truly impact how others perceive you. And also the relationship you will later have with them. The very first step is – have it prepared, don’t improvise, have it ready for any professional situation. You can’t hesitate when you introduce yourself. You cannot say: ‘Well… My name is Paola… I have two kids…’ That’s not professional. So follow the steps that I’m going to give you today. Write down your introduction, practice, practice a little bit more and make sure it’s ready and fresh for when you need it. You can also drop your scripted introduction in the comments on the blog, and we can tell you how you did.
2:24 : Structure of a professional introduction So when it comes to introductions, every case is different, of course, and you will need to understand the room. When networking for example, introductions tend to be shorter. But in the negotiation, you’ll usually spend more time introducing yourself and bonding with the other party. But in general, a professional introduction should include three parts or steps. Number one, who you are number two, what you do number three, a detail that others need to know. Once you have those three, wrap it up, don’t go on and on until the end of time. Now, let’s look at each step individually. I’ll explain them in-depth and provide some examples.
3:10 : Step 1 of a professional introduction: Who you are Starting by number one, who you are. Alright, the very first step is to mention your name. This is easy. And you can use us use the phrases that I’m going to give you now. Oh, I don’t think we’ve met before. My name is Anna. Or if you have met them. I think we’ve already met. Again, remember, I’m Mel or Nice to meet you. Pleased to meet you. Let me introduce myself. I’d like to introduce myself. Or if you have a nickname, you can say my name is Melanie, or you can call me, Mel. Good. We have the first part. Easy, right?
3:55 : Step 2 of a professional introduction: What you do Second one, what do you do? The second step might sound simple, but it’s actually the most important and perhaps even tricky part. Usually, people say their name and their job title. But what else is there to say about you? What is it exactly that you do? The tricky part is to find the right balance or length of your elevator pitch. You need to provide some key points your audience can hang on to without having to write an essay. So yes, you should still mention your job title, your company, perhaps even your department. But you also need to add what you really do in plain English. Forget about jargon and fancy words. It should be short, so skip the details, sentences enough. What’s important is that people immediately understand what you do and want to work with you.
4:57 : Tips on how to focus on results in your introduction When explaining what you do, don’t focus on tasks, don’t say, Oh, I do this and that and that. Focus on results. Talk about how you help people and be very specific. If you can craft an introduction that’s focused on the results, and the other person is looking for you have, you would think about the problems, they may have an offer a solution. And most importantly, adjust this message, according to your audience. So you can actually just memorize the sentences I’m going to give you or phrases I am at easy. I’m a software developer at Globex Corporation, you can describe what you do in two ways you can see well, officially, my job is to, or you can just say the nice result that you get out of your job. So but really, I what it’s all about, or, which is is a fancy way of saying, and here are some examples. I’m a copywriter. Officially, my job is to write content for advertising. prod is a little boring. But really, here’s where it gets exciting. But really, I help companies tell compelling stories about their brands. Or another example. I’m the CEO, which is a fancy way of saying that I’m making sure that the company is run in the most efficient way possible. Or I’m a talent acquisition manager. And my responsibilities include finding, recruiting, hiring, and retaining great candidates. Again, that’s the boring explanation. But then you can make it more exciting by saying, well, it’s all about that’s the phrase, it’s all about making sure the team keeps growing nicely. And then I understand exactly what you do. I’m going to add some more of these phrases to the blog. So again, talaera.com, go on the blog, and then you’ll see lots of other phrases to describe what do you do?
7:19 : Step 3 of a professional introduction: What others need to know about you So we have the name, we have what you do. And now we go to the very last part, what do others need to know about you? So the last bit of a professional introduction usually consists of adding other nice facts that are relevant to the people and the context. And here, you can show your contribution, what do you bring to the table in this very specific moment. And you can also use it to set the expectations for the meaning or the presentation going on. Some of the phrases you can use are today, I’d like to walk you through, or for the next one minute, I’m going to explain. Or I’d like us to do this now and decide on a follow-up for these other tasks. My purpose today is to share inside information about this is if you were leading the meeting or giving the presentation, but if you’re just part of the audience, and you were just introducing yourself, you can say well, Anna, I’ll let to take the lead / the floor is yours, but let me know if you’d like me to jump in at some point. This should also be very brief. So you want to sum it up in a short sentence.
8:34 : Recap of the three steps for crafting a professional introduction And that’s it. You’ve learned how to craft a personal introduction that’s engaging, and professional in three easy steps. Now, it’s your turn, prepare your own introduction. And remember to include all the steps equipment, we just mentioned. Number one, your name. Number two, what you do. And here you should include here your job title, but also how you help people. And number three, a detail that the others need to know, like what you bring to the table in that specific situation. And once you’ve included all three, end here. As the Alice in Wonderland quote goes, “Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end, and then stop.” And that’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna stop here. Craft your message, drop it in the comments, and we’ll let you know how you did. I hope you enjoyed today’s episode, and I hope to talk to you soon.
Outro 9:41 And that’s all we have for you today. We hope you enjoyed it, and remember to subscribe to Talaera Talks. We’ll be back soon with more! And visit our website at https://talaera.com for more valuable content on business English. You can also request a free consultation on the best ways for you and your team to improve your communication skills. So have a great day and keep learning!
