Hello Guys!
This is our first post about learn English and the topic will be “How To Introduce Yourself and Others”
For your information, this topic will be divided in 2 categories, as:
- Introducing self
- Introducing others
This topic is speaking material for you guys who still at high school especially for the students at the first year.
Well, surely you guys will automatically get what the topic will be. This is one of the important point for you guys to note, when you learning English, especially if we work at international company in the future we will need this skill when meet with someone new.
We hope that you can stop being nervous about meeting new people and introducing yourself full of confidence. Ok then, we’ll let you know some awesome tricks about introducing yourself and others.
- Introducing Yourself to Others
Hi guys, I’m Feni Marlina, you can call me Feni. I’m living in Bandung and I’m 20 years old. I love travelling and exploring anything.
That’s an example of short introduction about ourself. You can also use ‘First, let me introduce myself’, ‘allow me to introduce myself’, or ‘ My name is …’ You can practice by the video below.
These are some phrase for your reference. You can memorize some of it in mind.
To practice the conversation, you might have some role play with the same topic with your friend, so you can easier to understand. You can use below script for your practice:
Script 1
Ranti meets her teacher, Mr Bakri at the post office.
Ranti : Good afternoon, Sir.
Mr Bakri : Good afternoon. You are ….
Ranti : Ranti, Sir. My name is Ranti. How are you?
Mr Bakri : I am fine, thank you. And how about you?
Ranti : I am fine, too.
Mr Bakri : Well, Ranti. I have to go now. Pleased to meet you.
Ranti : Pleased to meet you, too, Sir.
Script 2
Budiman: Hi! My name is Budiman. I am from Indonesia. What is your name?
Annastasia: I’m Annastasia. You can call me Anna.
Budiman: Where are you from, Anna? Spain?
Annastasia: No, I’m from Denmark.
Budiman: Oh really? It’s good country.
Annastasia: Yeah, I know it.Budiman By the way, nice to meet you, Anna.
Annastasia Nice to meet you, too.
Budiman: Are you studying here, Anna?
Annastasia: No, I’m not. I am just having holiday here.
Budiman: Oh, have you visited Sri Gethuk water fall in Yogyakarta? It’s good holiday destination.
Annastasia: Well, it’s my plan. I am going to visit Sri Gethuk Waterfall next week. Many friends of mine suggested Sri Gethuk as holiday destination. They told me Sri Gethuk has wonderful place. So, I decided to visit this place to spend my holiday.
Budiman: Yeah, it’s true. Sri Gethuk is wonderful place. Okay, I hope your holiday fun. Nice to talk to you. See you, Anna.
Annastasia: Okay, See you.
Or you can try and explore with some tricks below:
First Trick – Break The Ice
You have to “break the ice”. What? Yup, it’s not exactly mean. You have to get comfort with someone. In this case, you have to be friendly and at least give a smile to your new friend. As we know, there too many ways to start a conversation with someone new, but you don’t have to use it all and choose some of tricks to keep in mind.
We will give you the example as below, which is most natural and common to use and comfortable to say.
Feni : Hello, I’m Feni. (and you have to offer your hand to your new friend)
Angel : Hi, I’m Angel. (and you both hand shaking)
Feni : Nice to meet you, Angel.
It’s as easy as you read it. You can also break the ice by using other common greeting like “good morning” or “good afternoon” You can use another trick that gives you a reason for starting the conversation, like:
Excuse me, do you know where to go to Dago?
Sorry for asking, do you student from this school?
I’m sorry, can I join here with you?
After ice breaking session, you can choose happening topic to talk to your new friend. Or you can give her/she a compliment. It’s easier since you only need to find what you like about them and tell them about it. These are some compliment formulas that you can use:
1.Your + Noun Phrase + is/looks + (really) + Adjective
Example:
Your dress is really elegant.
Your hair looks great!
2.I + (really) + like/love + Noun Phrase
Example:
I really like your earrings
I love this vegetable soup!
3.This/That + is + (really) + Adjective + Noun Phrase
Example:
This is a really nice painting
That’s an awesome car
4.What + a/an + Adjective + Noun Phrase
What a lovely apartment
What a cute puppy!
You have to be a little careful when picking an object to compliment. Don’t compliment them as a whole person, because they might be offended or think it’s too forward (overly-friendly). Or you can watch the video for clearly explanation.
Second Trick – Follow-up Questions
To keep the conversation going, you have to bring more simple questions ready in your mind. Search it on your known database and memorize. Question are always better than comments, because it make the other person talk and this gives you time so that you can think of new things to say.
How are you?
Where are you come from?
What bring you here? or How it’s going?
How long will you staying here?
Third Trick – Ask More Question after Listen
You can use this trick if you are not conficent with you English skill. It’s easier to listen to the other person than you speak.
Feni : How are you?
Angel : A little tired.
Feni : What’s happened?
Angel : I have many things to do, so I didn’t sleep well last night.
Feni : I’m sorry to hear that. What went wrong?
Angel : Well, I have to prepared a lot of documents to bring to meeting on Singapore the day after tomorrow.
That’s how you can keep the conversation going each time by asking to the other person for more information. You can also learns more about your friend through this trick.
Angel : Where are you from?
Feni : I’m from Canada.
Angel : Wow! That’s so far! When did you arrive?
Feni : I fles in last night.
Angel : Was it a long flight?
Feni : Just a few hours. But I’m still feeling jet-lagged.
Angel : What’s the time difference?
We can see how this conversation work. When we meet people, we usually have similiar conversations to introduce ourselves and get to know each other better. That’s why it’s important to practice these introductions and memorize some of these common questions.
For better comprehension, let’s find out below other example:
Angel : What are you doing here?
Feni : I’m here for the conference.
Angel : So am I. What company are you from?
Feni : I’m with the sales team from Kaspersky.
Angel : That’s really interesting. Do you like it?
Feni : Most of the time, yes..
Angel : What do you like about it?
Feni : I get to travel to nice conferences like this!
It’s important to be carefull to keep the conversation positive. Don’t say anything bad about their life in case they disagree with you.
Fourth Trick – Prepare Basic Answer about Yourself
Conversation is not always about asking questions. The people you’re talking to are going to ask you the same questions that you’re asking them. Because of this, it’s very important that you can answer these questions easily. Keep your answers short and simple so you have less time to make mistakes.
Have answers ready for these questions:
Where are you from?
What do you do?
What are you doing here?
Do you like your job?
How was your trip?
Are you having a good time?
What do you think of the weather?
What do you think of the movie/event/conference/restaurant?
Even when questions are specific, you can have a general response prepared. Say something generally positive, then add in more detail. Adding the detail keeps the conversation interesting. Then you can ask a question.
Example 1:
Brian: What do you think of restaurant?
Amy: It’s really nice. I especially liked the fish. Did you?
Example 2:
Brian: How do you find the conference?
Amy: It’s really interesting. I especially liked the first speaker. What did you think?
Example 3:
Brian: How was your trip?
Amy: It was mostly fine. I only had one layover. How was yours?
Fifth Trick – Have an Exit Plan
Have you ever been feeling awkward and trapped in silence situation?
Well, not all conversations are going to be good. If you find you have nothing more to say or you’re not connecting with the person you’re talking with, you need a way to leave politely. Here are a few key lines for leaving:
Excuse me, I need to (find my friend/go to a meeting)
Well, it’s been lovely talking to you.
Best of luck.
Nice to meet you, Brian.
I hate to run off, but I need to go.
Let me give you my card before I go.
Enjoy your time here!
As you say these phrases, hold out your hand for a handshake, making it clear that you’re ending the conversation.
Final Trick but not last – Smile and Be Confident
Most people will be happy that you came and talked to them. Even if you make a mistake, keep talking. People will remember your smile and your confidence more than any small errors.
Finally, practice saying these expressions a few times at home or with a friend so that when you meet someone new, you’ll be prepared.
Anyway, you can improve above tricks by yourself or you can discuss further with your friend or teacher at class, that’s why I said it’s not last, since they will suggest more tricks about this topic.
- Introducing Someone Else
You can use tricks in session before to explore your conversation after you introduce yourself.
In introducing others, usually we use ‘I would like to introduce you to…….’, ‘I’d like you to meet…’ or ‘Let me introduce you to…’
May I introduce myself? I introduce a good friend of mine? This is Simon. Have you met Simon?
Can I introduce myself? I introduce a good friend of mine? This is Rod. Have you met Rod?
I’d like you to meet John.
I want you to meet Ronaldo.
Below are common phrase for introducing others.
As previous session, you better practice how to introduce others by these script.
Script 1 – Formal Introduction
MARGARET: Mr. Wilson, I’d like you to meet Dr. Edward Smith.
MR. WILSON: It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Smith.
DR. SMITH: Pleasure to meet you, too.
MARGARET: Dr. Smith is an economist. He just finished writing a book on international trade.
MR. WILSON: Oh? That’s my field, too. I work for the United Nations.
DR. SMITH: In the Development Program, by any chance?
MR. WILSON: Yes. How did you guess?
DR. SMITH: I’ve read your articles on technical assistance. They’re excellent.
Script 2 – Informal Introductions
JIM: Who’s the tall woman next to Barbara?
CHARLES: That’s her friend Mary. Didn’t you meet her at Steve’s party?
JIM: No, I wasn’t at Steve’s party.
CHARLES: Oh! Then let me introduce you to her now. Mary, this is my friend Jim.
MARY: Hi, Jim. Nice to meet you.
JIM: You, too. Would you like a drink?
MARY: Sure, let’s go get one.
Script 3
Yoppi : Hey, Hanne. It’s good to see you here.
Hanne : Hi, Yoppi. Glad to see you too. Are you here for the interview?
Yoppi : Yes. Are you?
Hanne : Yes. I was called to come for the interview the other day.
Yoppi : Good, me too. Did you come all by yourself?
Hanne : Actually, My friend from the same university is here for the interview as well. Here, Yoppi, I would like you to meet my friend, Ando.
Yoppi : Oh, hello, my name is Yoppi. How do you do?
Ando : Hi, my name is Ando. How do you do
Yoppi : How are you, Ando?
Ando : I’m fine, thank you. And you?
Yoppi : I’m fine too. Thank you… So, you are from the same university as Hanne?
Ando : Yes, that’s true.
Yoppi : Were you his classmate?
Ando : No. Actually, we were in different faculty.
Yoppi : Oh, really?
Ando : Yes, I was from the faculty of communication while Hanne was from the faculty of Economics.
Hanne : Yes. We knew each other since we were in high school.
Yoppi : Oh, I see that… Well, Pardon me, I think I should get going for registration first. Pleased to meet you, Ando
Ando : Well, pleased to meet you too, Yoppi.
Yoppi : Bye, Hanne! See you around!
Hanne : Alright, see you!
Script 4
Sinto waiting for Ando and Yani, his new colleague at the airport.
Ando : Excuse me. Are you Henri?
Sinto : Yes. I’m Sinto Susanto.
Ando : How do you do, Sinto? I’m Ando from University of Jakarta.
Sinto : How do you do, Sinto. Nice to see you.
Ando : Nice to meet you, too. Did you have a good journey?
Sinto : Yes. It was fine, thanks.
Ando : Let me help you to bring your suitcase.
Sinto : That’s very kind of you.
Ando : Not at all. Let me introduce you to my friend Yani this is Sinto. Sinto this is Yani.
Yani : Hello, Sinto. Nice to meet you.
Sinto : Pleased to meet you, too. How’s the trip?
Yani : Well, It’s nice and exciting.
Sinto : Great, then. You must be tired. I’ll take you to the Hotel first.
Ando : OK. Thanks, Sinto.
EXERCISE
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
That’s all we can share about how to Introduce Yourself and Others. Hope it can help you to comprehend and practice at home. Please note that you only need to practice and explore more phrase for introduction.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, we have to run. It’s been lovely talking to you about introductions. Enjoy your time speaking English and see you next session!
Material Reference from :
http://www.fluentu.com/english/blog/how-to-introduce-yourself-in-english/
http://www.kursus-inggris.com/2015/10/introducing-yourself-memperkenalkan-diri.html
http://www.kursus-inggris.com/2015/09/complimenting-someone-memuji-seseorang.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNOkzntIpwU#action=share
- Say Hello English - 