Introduce Yourself How to Open-up

Introduce Yourself 

How to Open-up

Please introduce yourself - a question many a times – even in a Court of Law. One feels perplexed how to tell who is he and what to tell what not to tell. Many a times, he forgets even his primary introduction of name and surname. This happens because one is never prepared to answer such a simple question. He feels stressed for a few seconds, then gathers courage, controls his stress, starts with his name etc. How to introduce and what to take care of is of significance when substantives are in question.

Be before time, relaxed and have all the required – like your invitation to the gathering – may be oral one-but be sure how it reached you. Relaxed and stressed are two extreme you must choose the first one always. Do not be the last man in the queue- leave something for others-the humans and circumstances, also. Use the time wisely otherwise time would use you irreparably.  

You reach your audience by walking a few steps. Your gait is God’s gift and to a large extent has ingredients of the genes you have inherited; sometimes even the circumstances in which you are: late before the Interview Board. You must take steps in normal manners-do not try to make it special that will spoil the grace, the nature has bestowed on you and your audience would note it, before you come back to your normal gait which one has to be without notice. Gait neither too fast nor too slow – have the middle path- even Lord in Bhagavad Gita preached middle path for his devotees to reach him.

Fact of the matter is before you introduce yourself to any gathering you are already known to them in many respects-like name, qualification, and relationship likely to be developed and so on. Your presence tells the purpose as to why you are there and also a bit more.  

In addition your get up which includes your dress and make-up tells many thing. For example your dress must suit the occasion of your presence. One has to present himself as per the occasion must be formal; no casuals as they take away the seriousness of the situation like going before an interview board for a job. In any society whenever one goes for a happy celebration people expect him to be well dressed. Improper dress may get queries and questions from friends and seniors which are many a times not pleasant one seldom to one’s liking. Your dress must be graceful.

Your face get up is very important index of your personality. It must wear as natural look as God granted it to you. Sober and natural hair style is a great asset. Unnatural haircuts do invite attention of the people but with eye-borrows and nose ups. However, where you wear a haircut that suits your personality may not be sober one that becomes your symbol people love it and you are known as soon as you enter even if they have not seen your face. Just think of Karl Marx and APJ Abdul Kalam.

As soon as you utter the first letter of your voice it starts exhibiting the person inside. Your pronunciation, tone, tenor, volume, speed and pitch are indicators of knowledge, skill, experience and the life you have led. You can’t for a long time introduce artificiality to these aspects of nature’s gift to you. So one has to careful and cautious particularly with the audience with whom you are meeting for the first time.

You are one part, other part is your audience- over which you practically have no control. You must know as much as you can about them-their demographics, education, strata of society to which they belong, their age, engagement in the sphere of introduction. More you know, purposeful would be engagement otherwise it is curt and short. Must speak at a wavelength, in the language and manner understood by people in front. Never say no to the suggestions and views of your audience: answer them positively; audience is the other half and more important one.

Another important thing-whether we should talk with audience sitting or standing. Standing has always been considered more respectful & gracious and still more is your posture of “Attention” in armed forces way. Your posture convey the regards, respect and attention you have for your audience.

While talking always have the eye-contact. Eyes speak much more than the mouth or our vocal system. They convey what can’t many a times be conveyed by the words- like love at first sight. Eye-contact is highest in ladder of mannerism in an introduction.  In fact it is the gem of effective communication.  

Sometimes a question arises whether we should be formal or informal in our manners. One must understand the difference between formal and informal: consequences, pros and cons and the purpose they serve.

Formality means:

1.    Rigid observance of convention or etiquette.

2.    Strictly conventional behavior

3.    A thing that is done simply to comply with convention, regulations, customs or usage.

Informality means:

1.    A manner that does not take forms and ceremonies seriously.

2.    A casual or ceremonial manner.

3.    Naturalness, familiarity, relaxation, simplicity

In relations formality means to observe the etiquettes rigorously and strictly. Formality places a restriction on the use of lose words and makes one to choose the words before speaking and forces one to keep the conversation short and simple. Obviously the result is effective communication, lesser chances of any stress and helps to reach a logical conclusion. Interactions at the time of introduction must follow formal pattern of communication.

Informal communication is natural, spontaneous, relaxed, simple and straight forward. So informality in relations assumes complete understanding between the two parties, an assurance that the criticism is taken in a positive and receptive manner and that it would not provoke a violent response. It also assumes that the conversation is down to the earth, real, from the depth of thoughts and factual, there are no hidden ends to be got served and so on. There is no ego between the parties otherwise ego is the only requirement to destroy a relationship. When introducing yourself for the first time all these things are not sure: we are meeting only for a purpose or short time. Obviously the relationship is still to develop or you say there is no relationship so you have to be formal.

Contents of your introduction – what should they contain or not contain that is sometimes a big question. Where one is first to speak or is the only one to introduce the question is slightly more difficult to answer because in other cases tone of what is to be said, is set by the first speaker. You introduction should be crisp and smart so as to the serve the purpose of your presence. Normally people like to tell in addition to their name and qualifications, the success stories, their achievements and as to how their relationship would develop. In November every year in India every government’s pensioner’s introduction must include a statement that, “I am alive”. A pensioner has to give a life certificate about himself otherwise he does not get his monthly pension. Self-introduction is always purpose specific.

A confident “Who am I”, is the first brick of a long relationship-develop it smoothly and be stress-free.