It can be intimidating introducing yourself.

Having a really good intro is a key way to get over that hump and make a real good first impression.

Hi, my name is Adriana Girdler.

I'm president of CornerStone Dynamics and a productivity expert

And in this video, I'm going to share with you some tips on how to make an excellent intro when you're introducing yourself for the first time.

Be confident!

Before you even start speaking introducing yourself, how you feel really has impact on how others see you.

So you really want to be confident.

Now what happens if you're not feeling confident at the time that you're being introduced to someone?

Well, we're gonna fake it till you make it, and here's some tried and true techniques that you can do in order to feel more confident.

Smile would be the first thing.

When we're smiling, we welcome people into our space, and what a lovely way to be introduced to someone when they're smiling.

Remember all those times you met someone for the first time and they had a frown on their face?

What was your first impression of them?

Probably not a great one, and you probably didn't want to approach them again afterwards, so smile.

Another thing you can do to really exude confidence is to have eye contact, particularly when you're new to the job, you may not feel like you have the authority or the expertise.

And you know, you may see someone and they're higher up and then you kind of look downwards and you're not really talking to them and you're also getting quiet.

Guess what?

Have the confidence: speak to people face-to-face, eye-to-eye.

it shows that you're into what they're saying, and they will be back at you, but it also exudes the confidence that you need.

And use the right tone of voice - don't speak softly - use the right voice.

Don't yell, but use the right tone to show what you're passionate about, which really is yourself, you're here.

I want introduce who I am to you

So, those, turn up the confidence level, turn on that switch.

It makes a huge difference before you even say anything.

Be brief.

An introduction is not meant to be a long-winded story; if someone is really interested in you, they will want to know more.

You just want to get them intrigued so they ask the question: "Hey, can you tell me more?"

So, say your name, where you're from, and a quick little tagline as to who you are and what you do.

You may have to think about this: write it down, practice it a few times, but it does make a big difference because then people want to know more about you, and they will open up that conversation.

Be yourself,

You don't have to pretend to be anyone but you.

You are perfect the way you are, and people will be attracted to that if you really are connected to who you are.

So, a really good example of this is I was at a course, this is years ago, and there were tons of other executives.

And I introduced myself, and in that introduction, I was being myself, and at that point in time I was really focusing on being authentic and doing a lot of self-inward reflection and personal growth, so that was something that really resonated with me at the time, and I actually said it.

I said who I was, my name, I said, "The one thing I'm really focusing on is how to be more authentic and live the life that I want to live," and that was a pretty unusual answer, that long time ago

I think was over ten years ago that I did that.

But that being said, it intrigued people, and afterwards I had two people specifically come up to me, one that actually became a client who said, "Your answer made me want to learn more about you."

So be yourself, don't worry about anything else but who you are, and be authentic.

State the basics: going back to basics, really important.

So, when you're being introduced, sometimes it's hard because you're kind of on the fly, you weren't expecting it, or sometimes we just get nervous so remember, state your name, be very clear with it, state what department you're from or the organization that you're at, and they usually ask kind of one introductory questions sometimes if you're in a workshop setting, but if they don't, just state why you're at the meeting, like, I'm here to provide this insight from this group.

Boom, you're done.

Don't go into a longer story because sometimes when we get nervous, we speak more than we normally would, so be brief and be specific.

Close out your introduction, so what do I mean by that?

Everything has a start, middle, and an end no matter how short it is or how long, so when you're introducing yourself we already talked about being brief and being confident and eye contact and all that fun stuff and stating who you are and why you need to be there.

Close it off, either say, I can't wait to work with all of you if it's a larger group, or if it's one-on-one perhaps ask them who they are and how they are going to contribute to whatever it is that you're doing or how you can help them, but you want to close it out, to end it, not just leaving it hanging.

Like, Hey, I'm this person!

What? Okay... next!

Close it out, it just allows for smoothness to the conversation, and it can flow into something that is really good, like my example before, I actually got clients from that introduction because I closed it off.

So, whether you're meeting someone in the hallway for the first time or you're at a meeting, knowing how to introduce yourself is really key to making that good first impression and knowing that you are a resource that people can go to.

Those are all the things you're setting yourself up for in the working world.

If you would like more information on this topic, guess what?

I have some amazing pocket books you can go to that talked about empowerment, great meetings, and all that fun stuff that allows you to be better at what you do.

So tell me who you are, please in the comments below, I would love to meet you.

If you could please subscribe to this channel with the button below, give this video a thumbs up, share with your friends, family, and colleague I really would appreciate it.

Until then, signing off until the next video. Bye!