How To Introduce Yourself Quickly.
Hello all. I am Onomoaso Itabor. I will like to share a presentation skills tip with you all.
Sometimes when you go to networking events, you have to introduce yourself in 10 seconds or less. Everyone sits around a big table and when they get to you, you stand up and you have got 10 seconds to give a quick intro.
Your name, your business. Your name and what you do, and that is it. Despite how easy that may sound, only 10 seconds, often I see people stumbling over this. They forget to say something, their body language is not confident, they are mumbling, you cannot hear them, and it does not really leave a good impression.
So I would like to share with you some tips for being more effective when you have only a few seconds to introduce yourself.
First, prepare what you are going to say. You could say a lot about who you are and what you do, but what part are you going to focus on in the little time that you have.
Are you going to talk about what you do, are you going to give your location, are you going to talk about your most recent client? What is it you are going to say?
Prepare this. And then practice it. If you do not practice it, very often you will stumble over it and it will come out like this. I am uh, I am Luke and I am from IT and I guess that is it. Oh yeah, I work here at the headquarters in Lincoln, yeah.
That is not a great first impression.
So practice in front of a mirror or on camera, what are you actually going to say, so it comes out smoothly enough. So you can say it a couple of different ways. You do not have to memorize a script but be ready to say it a couple of different ways so it comes out smoothly, sharing what you would like to share.
It is also important to be aware of your body language and this includes several different elements.
First your voice. Speak loudly enough and clearly enough so people can understand you. Enunciate more than you might usually. It may be the first time people are hearing your name or what division of the company you are from or what your business is. So do not mumble through that. Do not rush. Speak clearly. Enunciate the words so they can understand, and make sure you speak with a little bit more energy and animation, especially if it is a large group that you are speaking to.
Another element of body language is your eye contact. It is important not to look down all the time when you are trying to introduce yourself. You want to make sure you look at the audience. If you have a lot of people seated around the table you can take turns looking at different parts of the audience or different people during those 10 seconds.
Another element of your body language is your facial expressions. Remember to smile. You do not have to grin like you have just heard the funniest joke in the world, but you at least want to smile, to relax you and the audience, and to convey sincerity and warmth.
Another element of your body language is your posture. It is important to stand up straight. Your mom was right, stand up straight. Why? Well because it helps you, first of all to be energized. It helps your voice. Right? You are not collapsing your body, so you get plenty of oxygen if you stand up straight, so your voice is nice and strong. It also helps you remember to make eye contact, because you have got your head up, your shoulders back, you are showing confidence, you are not afraid to take up your space at the table and you are looking people in the eye. So stand up straight, be mindful of your posture. It is an easy way for you to demonstrate confidence if you have a good strong posture.
Now if you go ahead and follow these tips it will be easier for you to be effective in those situations where you have to introduce yourself quickly in 10seconds or less.
Thanks for reading. I am Onomoaso Itabor.
Interesting ... And yet the easier, deeper states and practices are missing ... Though i do not mean this as a critique. As these easier deeper states are generally ignored within business circles.
The most fundamental is Breath. Where is it? What is it doing? If you find your breath is shallow or very rapid just before you are about to speak, you are in trouble. As no matter what you say in that state the overall impression will be of lack of confidence and lack of self-belief. So, deepen the breath. Long slow exhales are best. If a quick reset is necessary, exhale and hold the breath until a little beyond first signs of discomfort. If the mind is racing like crazy, go for a 4-4-4-4 cycle (each component of the breath cycle performed or held for a count of 4). If you have experience do them at 5 or 6.
Breath would sort most other issues but if Body is not feeling comfortable, shake it off. Even if it is hidden in getting up from the chair and kind of adjusting posture/clothes.
Very important when standing is to feel as if you are lifted by the centre of the chest (heart-led). A variation of this I heard from the Voice Coach to the London Olympics Delegation for the previous Olympics when they were putting their candidacy first and had to make their presentation. It changes your whole presence. It also changes the quality of the voice.
Feel your Passion for your work or for what you are sharing. In a roomful of well-rehearsed lines, that raw passion will make you stand out big time.
etc.
Onomoaso, this is great advice! I used to do a lot of networking when I was starting my writing business, and as an introvert, I thought it would kill me. But I'd seen so many other people at the events I went to who made it look FAR more painful than it had to be. Either they mumbled or they used the same RHYMING intro every single time, or they just looked so uncomfortable that it was hard to watch. You've given such good advice here, I'm going to share your piece with my writing students - some of them are in the same boat. If they could get comfortable just standing up to introduce themselves, I know it would pay off big-time. Keep the posts coming!
Hello, Onomoaso. Thank you for the introduction tips. Your post was well-written and helpful. But, guess what. You didn't introduce yourself!! I want to hear a little bit about your life. Please share. :)