English and Communication Skills I 1

Chapter 1 Introducing Yourself

Communication is the key. Self introduction is quite important. Practice makes perfect.

- Adapted from Ken

1.1 Introduction

Objectives

1.2 Self Introduction Explanation and Importance

1.3 Formal and Informal Self Introduction

1.4 Guidelines for Introducing Yourself

1.5 Quick Recall

1.6 Review Your Understanding

1.7 Answers

Reading and References

1.1 Introduction

All of us meet unknown persons quite often. There could be a necessity for talking to them. It happens in
distance education counselling sessions, training courses, job interviews, official meetings, parties,
weddings and community functions. The issue is how to begin the talk with persons not known so far. You
need to start the discussion by introducing yourself. This chapter provides you some suggestions
regarding self introduction for a few situations.

Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to:
Explain the term, self introduction
Discuss the importance of self introduction.
Explain the ways to introduce yourself during formal and informal situations.


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Discuss the guidelines for self introduction.
Your attention is drawn to the E-learning package on the same topic; you can find material on
methods of introducing yourself and others in a gathering. The need for self-introduction is described.
Modes of Introduction suitable for formal and informal situations like a meeting, interview, party and
classroom are illustrated. Correct and incorrect forms of introduction are explained. The process of
introducing others and use of titles appropriate to men and women are displayed. An example is
discussed to initiate discussion with strangers. The etiquettes of self-introduction are stated. Activities are
provided as exercises, which provide you an opportunity to test your understanding.

1.2 Self Introduction Explanation and Importance

Self introduction is the way of informing other people about your name, living place, educational
background, employment status and hobbies. Sometimes information regarding involvement in a social
cause, animal welfare or nature conservation may also find a place in self introduction. Basically, you
need to recognize the importance of self introduction. It helps you to start a conversation. The self
introduction is the first impression that you make on other people. It can play a crucial role in
creating/destroying your image. Just imagine the role of self introduction in a job interview. A job interview
starts with a self introduction and it could be one of the deciding factors in your selection. Also in a
training program or a conference or a party, you need to introduce yourself properly to ensure
participation in discussions. You should be able to introduce yourself differently for different situations.
We will discuss this aspect in detail in the next section.

1.3 Formal and Informal Self Introduction

Broadly, there are two forms of self introduction formal and informal. Formal self introduction is done
during formal meetings. A formal meeting takes place for an official/educational purpose and is strictly
controlled. The distance education counselling sessions, official meetings, training programs and job
interviews are some of the formal situations. In these situations, you need to use formal method of self
introduction.
An informal meeting happens in a relaxed way. An informal meeting takes place without any stiffness
seen in official meetings. An informal self introduction is required during informal meetings as in (birth
day, anniversary, etc.) parties, weddings or community functions or meeting others in public places
(Railway Station, Post Office and Airport). Meeting other employees of the office during lunch break or
evenings is also of informal type.

1.3.1 Formal Self Introduction

During formal self introduction, your may choose the focus and information depending on the time
available and situation as given in Table 1.1. You can change or add the words.
Table 1.1: Formal Introduction General Format


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Sl. No. Focus Model Information Necessity
i Greetings Hello or good morning or good afternoon or
good evening
Essential
ii Your name My name is or I am . Essential
iii Place where you live I am from . or I live in
Depending on time
available, this part
may be used or left
out. Also more details
can be given, if
relevant to the
situation
iv About your status I am a student of . or
I am working in .. Office or
I am looking for employment or
I have secured .Class in .Degree
Examination I. I have . years of experience
as ..
v Hobby I play . or
I read .. or
I listen to music or
I see TV programs
vi Farewell Nice to meet you or
thank you or hope we can talk again
Essential

Example 1: John Roberts is in a two week training program with 20 other members. He is asked to
introduce himself within 5 seconds. He does it as follows:
Hello. I am John Roberts. Hope we can talk again.
John Roberts uses (i), (ii) and (vi) of Table 3.1. Note that John Roberts has mentioned Hope we can talk
again as the farewell part. In a two week training program, he will have opportunities to talk to other
members often.
Example 2: Suppose that Rashmi Gupta is a student of Soft Skills Program of Teamlease. Her
Counsellor allows her around 15-20 seconds during the counseling session for self introduction. She
introduces himself like this:
Hello. I am Rashmi Gupta. I live in Rohini, Delhi. I am working in TeamLease. I listen to western music.
Hope we can learn from each other.
Note how Rashmi Gupta uses (i) to (vi) of Table 3.1, as she is given more time. The farewell (Hope we
can learn from each other) has been changed relevant to learning situation.
Example 3: Amrit Kaur is attending a job interview at 3 p.m. in an IT company in Chennai for the post of
Software Engineer. The Interview Board allows her up to 2 minutes to make self introduction. The way
she makes it is given below:
Good afternoon. I am Amrit Kaur. I live in Patiala. I have secured first Class in B.E. (Electronics and
Communication). I have Advanced Java Certification. I have 3 years of experience as Software engineer.
My hobby is supporting nature conservation movement. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.
In Table 1.2, self introduction is analysed against the focal points given in Table 1.1.




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Table 1.2: Self introduction made by Amrita Kaur during Job Interview
Sl. No. Focus Self introduction by Amrita Kaur Remarks
i Greetings Good afternoon During interview,
qualification and experience
need to be mentioned in a
short but focused manner.
Amrit Kaur stresses on her
education and experience
as relevant to the job
applied.
ii Name I am Amrit Kaur.
iii Place where living I live in Patiala.
iv About the status I have secured first Class in B.E.
(Electronics and Communication). I have
Advanced Java Certification. I have 3
years of experience as Software engineer.
v Hobbies My hobby is supporting nature
conservation movement.
vi Farewell Thank you for giving me this opportunity.

You can note that Amrit Kaur has maintained clarity and focus in self introduction, which could support
her selection.
From examples 1 to 3, you learn that depending on time available and situation, you can expand or
contract formal self introduction using the focal points given in Table 1.1.

1.3.2 Informal Self Introduction

During informal meetings with new persons, it is advisable to keep self introduction short and precise.
See the following example.
Example 4: Riya makes the following self introduction to another person, while attending a birth day
party.
Hi, I am Riya. Nice to meet you.
Riya has made use of focal points (i), (ii) and (vi) of Table 3.1. Some persons consider hi as informal
greeting and Hello as formal. Short self introduction gives opportunity to other person to continue the
talk. Being new to each other, information needs to be shared to the required extent. As farewell part,
Riya says Nice to meet you, since future meetings are not sure.

1.4 Guidelines for Introducing Yourself

Some of the important guidelines to be followed during self introduction are as follows:
Keep it simple, short and relevant. Do not use big/complex words.
Always look at the eye of the persons to whom you are speaking.
Speak in a moderate volume and speed comfortable to the listener.
Always speak in a polite tone. Do it without hesitation.
Always smile when you speak; it really matters.
Allow time for response.


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Practice for different audiences and time intervals.
1.5 Quick Recall
This chapter explains the need for self introduction and its importance. Formal and informal ways of self
introduction are described with examples. A detailed illustration is given for introducing self with clarity
and focus during job interview situations. Guidelines are provided for making proper self introduction.

1.6 Review Your Understanding

I. Match the following sentences:

Hello Michigan
How are you Hi, Sam
Where do you stay? Im fine thank you. How are you?
Where do you work? My pleasure
Nice to meet you I work in National Defense force

II. Rearrange the words in the correct order:

1. Name/what/is/your? _____________________________________________________________
2. My/is/fathers/name/Jack Peterson _____________________________________________
3. resident/Im/the /India/of ______________________________________________________
4. two /have/sisters/I ____________________________________________________________
5. are/you/where/from?___________________________________________________________
6. water/sports/love/I______________________________________________________________

1.7 Answers

I.
Hello Hi, Sam
How are you Im fine thank you. How are you?
Where do you stay? Michigan
Where do you work? I work in National Defense force
Nice to meet you My pleasure



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II.
1. What is your name?
2. My fathers name is Jack Peterson
3. Im the resident of India
4. I have two sisters
5. Where are you from?
6. I love water sports
Reading and References
1. Dr. Olenka Bilash. Self introductions. Retrieved from;
http://www2.education.ualberta.ca/staff/olenka.Bilash/best%20of%20bilash/IHLA_PDFs/SelfIntrodu
ctions_IHLAArticle.pdf
2. Introducing yourself in a job interview. Adapted from Mary Willes; Retrieved from:
https://www.ilc.cuhk.edu.hk/english/resource/job_interview-willes_revised_13.pdf