Introductions
At this year’s Learn English Together Summit, my workshop was a practical, fun exercise in introductions.
Why? Because introductions are a danger zone in English.
Introducing yourself is probably one of the first things you learned to do at school in English, it’s very empowering when you are young to give key facts about yourself: where you live, your hobbies, your favourite music…
Only, you have changed!
Don’t mess up your first impression by blurting out what you think you should say based on a school format.
If you missed the summit, we’ve designed a FREE, practical lesson in Giving a Great Introduction.
Try This
Grab a pen and write down how you would currently introduce yourself:
A. If you were sitting next to a stranger at a friend’s wedding.
B. If you were in the coffee queue at a work conference.
c. Lastly, if you were presenting your work to a group of high school students.
You may wish to do this in your first language, then work out how it translates.
Non-Professional Introductions
The Blue Noun Way
In this FREE Introductions Exercise I share a fresh way to introduce yourself to a stranger.
It demonstrates how powerful a few words can be.
Above all: make sure the introductions you automatically use to present yourself are up to date.
This simple introductions exercise gives you a ‘reset button’ for years of doing introductions one way (automatically).
It doesn’t tell you what to say (that’s for you to work out), it just demonstrates that there is more than one way of saying it.
And how powerful a little bit of language can be!
Fresh Eyes
Look at your introductions, are they different are from your first-language introductions?
If there’s a gap, you can use a translation tool, and memorise the results.
A Tip to Learn Introductions in English
Anyone can check their introductions are as good as they need to be – with the help of 8 friends.
Stand in a line and whisper your ‘elevator pitch’ introduction into the ear of the next person, and they repeat it.
Does the last person in the line know what you do?
If your pitch is getting lost in translation, it means it is not clear and concise enough in the beginning.
A Note for ESOL Teachers
Teaching Introductions in English
So often, a first class with a student is an introductions-based one.
However, too often it’s one-sided share. Worse, it often ignores cultural sensitivities or personal trauma the students may have (especially displaced people learning English for life in a new country, but not only).
A new English class doesn’t have to present themselves as they would in a professional space.
This practical exercise I give in the English Summit is a real alternative type of sharing: it invites people to share whatever they feel like: rather than forcing intimacy.
Other good first-class topics could be favourite recipes, song lyrics, and fantasy holidays…
Because no instagram or facebook account: It was a nice holiday week with relatively warm wether, perfekt for strolling through woodlands. Enjoyed the red and yellow leaves with more or less wind. My host was perfectly organised. We had a lot of blether and even seriously conversations. I had enough time increasing my talking and listening skills. And I do love the the scotish scenery.