Hate introducing yourself at the beginning of a meeting? Here's how to nail it.

Picture the scene – you’re attending a meeting with a group of people who haven’t worked together before. Everyone’s sitting round the table and the meeting host has suggested that a round of introductions would be a great way to kick-start the meeting.  Thankfully they don’t start with you, but it’s going to be your turn in 4 people, 3 people, 2 people...  You’ve started to panic, your palms are sweaty and you don’t know what to say!  It’s finally come to you, the pressure’s on and you just say the first thing that comes to mind.  And once it’s over you kick yourself – you didn’t say what you wanted to say, you forgot a really important aspect of your role and you didn’t sound as professional, in control or smart as you wanted to.

If this sounds like you, the first thing to know is that you’re not alone – we’ve all been there, even those of us who should know better!  The second thing to know is that with a little bit of preparation and practice you never have to feel that way again.

Being able to confidently introduce ourselves is a real skill that can pay dividends as we progress through our career.  First impressions do count, and it’s an opportunity to not only let people know what our name is but also our headline skills and abilities, and most importantly, the value that only we can add.  A stellar introduction is an opportunity to present with gravitas and executive presence, and a chance to build credibility and a positive reputation. And the best introductions are memorable – for the right reasons!  They give people an insight into us as human beings that they can engage with and remember.

It’s a common observation that we don’t like talking about ourselves - talking about who we are, our successes and achievements can make us feel uncomfortable and perhaps worry that we might come across as a bit arrogant or pushy.  A good introduction is a long way from a full-on sales pitch, but to let people know who you are involves talking yourself up a bit, and this is a skill to get comfortable with.

To feel really confident, the old adage that ‘practice makes perfect’ rings true.  Perfecting in advance what you want to say and then rehearsing it out loud pays dividends so here are some Fearless strategies to help you.

A stellar introduction should be:

1.    Concise – ideally no longer than a minute

2.    Relevant – to the people in the room and the job in hand

3.    Engaging – interesting content delivered in an upbeat and enthusiastic way

4.    Memorable – a story or piece of information that helps people remember who you are

Here’s our recommended structure for introducing yourself with an example:

Say hello and state your name:

“Hi everyone, I’m [Sandy]”

Let people know your role/job title:

“...and I’m the [Head of Events] here at [Rockwater PRGroup].”

Explain what you’re responsible for – keep this brief and relevant. What are the top 2-3 things you’re responsible for that your audience really need to know about?

“That means I manage the events team here and have commercial responsibility for managing our annual schedule of events.”

Share a sentence on your career history – where have you come from? What’s interesting in your background that adds value to your role now?

“Prior to working here I worked for 10 years as an Event Producer in the B2B conference industry working across several sectors, including finance, utilities, transport and healthcare.”

Say why you’re in the meeting/the value that you’re adding - this is often the bit we find hardest but if we haven’t got a clear role in the meeting or project then you probably shouldn’t be there, so don't be shy!

“I’m here today because I hope to be able to contribute some ideas based on my events expertise and what I’ve learnt from working across different sectors.”

Close with enthusiasm - all to often we just fadeout, or default to a half-hearted ‘That’s me’ or ‘Thank you’. Try instead to end on a positive statement:

“It’s great to meet you all and I look forward to getting started!”

Tips for success:

Prepare 3 different introductions that you might have for different groups of people so you’ve got all bases covered:

1.    Existing colleagues who don’t really know you
2.    New clients
3.    Colleagues who are new to the business

Write them on the back page of your notebook in bulletpoint format so you can have a quick scan just before you join a meeting.

Then - rehearse it! Often the first time we hear ourselves saying the words out loud is at the meeting, and by then it’s too late. Practice saying it loud to yourself or practice introducing yourself to a friend or colleague who can give you some feedback.

With a little bit of planning and practice you can make sure that the next time you have to introduce yourself, you’ll absolutely nail it!  And the better you start off, the more confident you’ll feel for the rest of the meeting.

This article was written by Natalie Forkin, Communication Skills Coach at Fearless.