Newsletter July 03

“How do you do”…it?

Today we’re looking at something that is seemingly quite simple, though very powerful if done correctly: Introducing yourself.

This complements our previous newsletter, on First Impressions (see below if you missed it).

During seminars I show people a line drawing of a man, for only 2 seconds.

Within these 2 seconds, people generally make the decision that this person looks very confident.

If people can form impressions so quickly, let’s make the most of the brief time we have to make this impression on others.

How do you look when introducing yourself?

Do you look open, welcoming, approachable, confident, competent?

How do you say your name or the name of your organisation?

Because these names are very familiar to us, there is the tendency to say them quickly, and so it can come out something akin to:
”Hello I’m Kmchambln from Sccssfulspkng.”

Rather than, “Hello, I’m Kim Chamberlain from Successful Speaking.”

To make the most of these first few seconds:

Look people in the eye

Have open body posture, strong stance, firm handshake and …a smile!

Say your name CLEARLY so that it’s easily understood

Practise it! It may seem a minor issue, but it can have a large impact.

TIP

Give people a hook if you want them to ask about you or your business.

eg “I’m Kim Chamberlain from Successful Speaking, and I talk about dead snakes” 

“I’m Fred Bloggs from ABC Company and I help people increase their business turnover by 50%”