Introductions
At this year’s Learn English Together Summit, my workshop is a practical, fun exercise in introductions.Â
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.Â
This page is here to help you work out what you want to say.Â
It has a fun exercise that you can follow along to.Â
Above all: make sure the introductions you automatically use to present yourself are up to date.Â
Do This
Before you read further, 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.Â
c. Lastly, if you were presenting your work to a group of high school students.Â
You may wish to do this in your first language, then work out how it translates.Â
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. Â
Learn English Together 2024
If you attended my session at the 2024 Learn English Together Summit, please use this link to book your FREE 1:1 Introductions Review to practice introducing yourself.
You MUST have shared a drawing of your resulting ‘object’ on social media – and tagged me/Blue Noun to qualify.
Tips for Professional Introductions
The Essentials
Know what your job title is in English.
It sounds obvious, but some job titles don’t translate easily, for example, professeur in French is not the same as professor in English (in most cases it would be ‘lecturer’).
If it is not relevant to say where you live, you don’t need to use it.
Likewise for your age. It’s a high school English default setting to use it.
Unless you are 80 and have just completed your first parachute jump, I would advise against it.Â
It’s Personal
For me, it can be relevant to mention favourite bands or artists (Dandy Warhols if you are asking) because I’m an independent ELT professional, and part of my role involves sharing culture to make connections and break down inhibitions.
But I wouldn’t introduce myself that way to peers at a teacher’s conference.
I’d start by saying I’m an independent English coach based in Scotland, offering bespoke English language holidays to adults.
That way, anyone can know if I’m a useful contact, either by being independent (non-corporate), or a language coach (not a teacher), by being based in Scotland (can share Scottish culture), by being in the tourism and travel industry (more than traditional education).Â
We all wear different hats (have different roles) and how we present ourselves changes accordingly.Â
Ensure you have considered the different ways you would introduce yourself to different peer groups/audiences.Â
Your Name
I know you know it!
But will your audience know how to write it – or should you say ‘Molly with a ‘y’ or spell it out (yes, perhaps, if it has hard sounds for your audience).
Some people use this as a way of being memorable: ‘Gulce (rhymes with Dolce)’ will get your name inside someone’s head.
Want to do this? Prepare it in advance so it is automatic.
‘Ruth… rhymes with, ugh….umm,’ doesn’t look so good.
What Do You WANT to Be Called?
Most work places now use first names, but what should the people you are speaking to call you?
If you are teaching, learn what the institutional culture is.
Should your students call you ‘Miss’ or ‘Ruth’ or ‘Ms Pringle.’Â
Plus, nowadays, when presenting to an audience, you can expect people to quickly Google you: what page do you want them to find?
Own it. Point them to it your best platform in your introduction.Â
Standard Introductions
Most webinars will ask you to put a brief introduction to yourself in the chat. Who you are, what you do, and where you live.
Some try to make it zany and ask if you prefer cats or dogs, like pineapple on a pizza etc.
These are icebreakers designed to get you to lean in and commit to being here: to kickstart the algorithm, they are not asked to not learn what makes you tick.
They are not particularly interesting questions as they don’t gather any real quality information.
However, asking how you last voted or your opinion on euthanasia is widely viewed as too personal, too soon.
(Again, not in some sectors, it’s for you to know).
When meeting strangers non professionally, we need a way of presenting ourselves to attract like-minded people. That’s not data (where we live, our age) but our passions and interests.Â
Non-Professional Introductions
The Blue Noun Way
I want to show you a different way to introduce yourself to a stranger, using English as a second language.
This workshop demonstrates how powerful a few words can be.
This is a fun exercise showing an alternative to traditional introductions – only you can work out how much or how little of it is relevant to your professional field.
But even if you can’t use the information you share, it is great to know that you can express yourself so simply and powerfully in English.
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!
A Practical Exercise to Learn Introductions in English
Did you miss the live workshop?
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…