LESSON 12
Hello! How to introduce yourself

LESSON  12
Hello! How to introduce yourself

When you are introducing yourself don't just say 'I am John from London.' There is very little potential in this to open up a conversation.
 
Instead, your introduction needs to cover three key elements
 
  1. Who you are.
  2. What do you do.
  3. One initiative or event that you are promoting / working on now.
 
I would say for example 'My name is Des McCabe and I help people to find work. I’m delivering an open workshop next Wednesday morning in London.'
 
This type of introduction is important for a number of reasons.
 
Firstly, it opens up the potential for discussion around the work that I do and the specific event or activity that is happening.
 
Secondly, it reminds me all the time of what exactly my priority is (helping people to find work) and how I am making this real (delivering a workshop next Wednesday in London).
 

​EXERCISE - Write down your Introduction

 Using the model above write down your introduction now.

  1. Who you are.
  2. What do you do.
  3. One initiative or event that you are promoting / working on now.
 EXERCISE -  In front of a Mirror
Get used to saying your new introduction. ​Say it out loud. ​Stand in front of  a mirror and say it ten times.

It might feel a bit awkward the first few times but after this you will find yourself refining the words to make it perfect for you. Practice so that it becomes natural.....
 
Questions
 
Q. Can we have different introductions for different people that we meet?
 
A. Definitely! If I know that someone is interested in CV writing rather than a Career workshop then I can talk about my CV coaching that I have available.
 
Q. Isn't all of this a bit pretentious and blowing our own trumpet?
 
A. Absolutely not! We have to give people confidence to know that we can help them. If they are uncertain, unsure or stuck on something then we have to be able to connect positively with them. Otherwise we will not be able to build a relationship with them and help them.
 
If they know from the outset that we are a specialist, expert, are very knowledgeable or have significant experience in a particular topic they are more likely to confide their  needs  or areas of  difficulty to us.
 
This enables us to get into a conversation with them to explore their particular needs and to see if there's any way in which we can offer advice, support or assistance.
 
 ​