How to: Introduce yourself

Meeting someone for the first time can be scary, especially when you have to speak in your non-native language. Speaking from experience, I am often so worried about making a mistake that I make one anyway and feel embarrassed, prompting me to stay quiet for the rest of the meeting or visit.

This is not great, and I don't want this to happen to you.

Here are a few ways to introduce yourself, and how to respond appropriately:

It's nice to meet you is a phrase that is easy to remember and great to use when meeting someone for the first time. Using a couple of sentences you can exchange names and workplace details.

• "Hello, my name is Bob Smith and I work for ABC Graphics. It's nice to meet you."

  • "It's nice to meet you too Bob, my name is Wendy and I work for Sunlight Systems."

Learning tip: Repeat the person's name

Note that Wendy repeats Bob's name, "It's nice to meet you too Bob." This will help Wendy to remember his name and helps her to check she has heard and pronounced it correctly.

I don't think we've met

Advancing on from this you could also use the phrase:

"I don't think we've met." when you see someone for the first time at a work gathering.

• "I don't think we've met, I'm Bob."

  • "Hello Bob, I'm Wendy."

The problem with this conversation is that it could just stop there. If you add on extra details about yourself, such as the department you work in, then conversation can flow from there.

• "I don't think we've met, I'm Bob from accounts."

  • "Hello, I'm Wendy from marketing."

Introducing two people to each other

Sometimes we may need to introduce two people who have never met before:

You can use phrases such as:

• "Wendy, this is Bob, he works in our accounts department in York."

  • "Bob, this is Wendy, she works in the US marketing department and is visiting us for a couple of weeks."

For a more advanced phrase you could try:

• "Wendy, I'd like to introduce you to Bob. He works in our UK accounts department."

  • "Bob, meet Wendy, she is visiting from the US for a couple of weeks and is a recent marketing graduate."

Use the phrases that work for you. Don't make it difficult for yourself to remember.

Next, try some small talk

The first few sentences of a new conversation are always the hardest, in my opinion, so have a few phrases prepared to help you settle in.

Some great small talk phrases to use in these introduction situations are:

• "Maybe you know Sarah, I worked with her a lot last year on a marketing project."

• "I hear the accounts department is based in York. I have always wanted to visit there."

• "Which college did you study marketing at?" "Is that close to your home town?"

You may be surprised where the interaction might take you if you give it a chance.

Talk to me about Business English coaching.

Melissa completed a Business English course and this is what she had to say:

"I really enjoyed the English lessons with Joanne. She is such a sweet teacher! The lessons were completely adapted to tasks I have to do at work. 

Whenever she saw that I was struggling with something, extra attention was paid to it. 

I have become much more confident with my English communication.

I definitely recommend Joanne Reilly!"