How to introduce yourself the right way

TAKEN FROM MY NEWSLETTER, THE GROUND RULES.

At March’s SXSW Festival, journalist Tara Palmeri and the CEO of the Center for Countering Digital hate, Imran Ahmed, spent the first 17 minutes of their one-hour fireside chat introducing themselves.

Not long ago, I was in a Zoom breakout room where one participant rambled through their CV, then segued into an update on each of their children’s graduation paths up until their current occupations.

Introductions are not just for business events either. You’re at a backyard barbecue, introduce yourself with “Hi, I’m Brad,” and that works perfectly fine. But at some point, somebody will ask you what you do for a living.

I’m convinced people make up their introductions on the spot at least 90% of the time… and it shows.

• Too much information.

• Too vague.

• Too general.

• It goes right over the head of the listener.
  

Instead of winging it, construct it like an auto assembly line ahead of time.

Let’s start with three basic maxims:

1. All business introductions should be 20 seconds or less.

2. No introduction should be more than two sentences.

3. Have a version for people in your industry and those outside of it.
   

Everything else can come afterward in conversation or LinkedIn.

I endorse a variation of The Fishing Line structure by consulting expert David A. Fields: a 10-to-18 word statement that succinctly, precisely describes the audience you serve and the issue you address with them.

A Fishing Line is either aspirational or solves a problem. Here are the basic structures of both. Feel free to substitute the words that work for you.

For example, my own Fishing Line may be: “I help tech CEOs who want to deliver dynamite keynotes, but still stand behind podiums.”

Or yours might be “I work with fintech startups that want to launch new products without regulatory surprises” or…“I work with restaurant groups that want all their locations as profitable as their first.”

No frills easy-to-understand sentences. Minimal use of the word “and.” Expect taking at least several drafts to get each introduction version to say exactly what you want them to say. For the non-industry version, run it through the critical Grandma Test: if you told it to your grandma, would she understand what you mean?

Once you’re satisfied, audition them in real life.