How to Introduce Yourself in a Professional Situation

by Gary Genard

“Before we get started, let’s go around the table and have everyone introduce themselves.”

Uh-oh!

Can anything turn a poised professional into a quivering blob of jelly more quickly than a roundtable where that suggestion is made?

Perhaps not. After all, it’s the extremeexample of the “Introductions make me awkward” experience. What could be worse for anyoneself-consciousabout introducing themselves than to have the moment draw visibly nearer, moment by excruciating moment?

Give me a round or two with a heavyweight contender any day. 

Self-introductions needn’t spur nervousness and anxiety, however. For one thing, they’re opportunities to get started right away in reaching your goals for the meeting. So they require the same approach as all of your public speaking: a concern with meeting others’ needs rather than your own.

And they work in today’s video conferences as much as they do in in-person speaking. 

Breathe to Calm and Focus Yourself

Whether…