How to Introduce Yourself Intro

We’ve all been there that trade association meeting that Chamber of Commerce meeting where the host is OK before we start let’s all stand up and just introduce ourselves for 30 seconds.

It seems simple it seems casual.

No one’s asking you to give a big keynote speech and still our heart is racing.

I say What do I say.

We’re not even listening to the other people we’re thinking about what to say.

Now if you’ve ever experienced that you know exactly what I’m talking about here is the reality when it comes to simple introductions speeches.

There’s three possible outcomes for every single introduction speech you give to yourself.

Number one you make an awful impression your stammering your tongue tied you can’t say anything you’re Paolo I’m so nervous you say something stupid and articulate.

That happens every once in a while.

I can think of maybe three times in my life but that’s pretty rare.

Chances are that you’re really not going to do that.

The second option is you say something.

It’s interesting.

It’s memorable.

People want to come up to you afterwards introduce themselves to you give you their card.

That’s great.

That’s an ideal scenario.

That also doesn’t happen very often but that’s what you’re going to learn how to do.

After we finish this course the third option is you stand up.

Hello my name is Bob Barr.

I am with Bob Barr company and we do.

Bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah.

And then you sit down and the result is nobody remembers anything you don’t remember your name.

They don’t remember the name of your law firm or your company or your organization and they don’t remember what you do you just sounded like Charlie Charlie Brown’s teacher.

What what what what what what.

It’s all generic stuff.

That’s the real danger for most of us it’s lost opportunity it’s not that we give a bad impression or a horrible profession or people see our hands shaking.

The real danger is we make no impression at all.

We’ve taken time away from our family friends other activities to go across town to some meeting possibly two possibly three hours out of your evening or day or lunchtime to meet people to try to advance our organization make new contacts and we blew it.

That’s just not a good idea.

So I’m going to teach you exactly how to do this and this is a brief course folks as we only have to prepare a 30 second speech but make no mistake about it this is a speech that’s why you’re nervous about it or uncomfortable with public speaking is the number one fear people have so standing up even sitting down on a chair in a circle with eight other people introducing yourself is a type of public speaking that’s why people get nervous.

That’s why we need a plan.

That’s why we need to rehearse.

And that’s what we’re going to do right now.