Public Speaking Tip: Introducing Yourself

How would you introduce yourself, for example, in an interview where you are asked to tell people a little bit about yourself?

You may think it's easy because the subject of "You" is something that nobody knows better than yourself.

But you have to bear in mind that there is a fine line between introducing yourself in a way that will make the right impression on people and coming off as a shallow person that nobody can take seriously.

Many people, when asked to introduce themselves, will proceed to give a narration of their life story including their first dog, their childhood spats with the rude kid in the playground, a litany of the leadership positions they've held from pre-school through college and the list goes on.

You must bear in mind that you have a very limited amount of time to make an impression.  Truth be told, nobody wants to know about your entire life's history and in fact, some things, they don't need to know.  So make sure you make an impression from the get go or you'll lose their interest.

Assignment #1 in the Competent Communicator Manual and the Pathways manuals is all about self introduction.  The Ice Breaker speech allows you to get comfortable for your first speech and talk about yourself.

But because of the time limitation, you have to be smart about what you will focus your speech on.  Here are some things that you can talk about.

1) Your life principles - What are the principles that you hold on to in life and how did you come about them?  Perhaps it's something like always maintain integrity above everything else.

2) Significant events in your life that shape your character.

3) Hobbies that you love doing, but make sure it positions you as somebody with useful skills.  For example, you like writing or you keep a healthy lifestyle by playing a sport.

4) People who have impacted your life particularly what you learn from them that make you who you are today.

5) Dreams that you hope to achieve.

There are plenty more topics that you can talk about but the above is how you keep it focused during the time allocated.  Most of all, have fun doing this speech and let your personality shine through.  Nothing else makes it easier for that than to talk about something you love and are passionate about.

If you would like the opportunity to hone your public speaking skills as well as learn leadership skills, join us for our bi-monthly meetings on every 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month.  Our meetings start at 8pm.  For further information please contact us at gurneyhydrotoastmastersclub@gmail.com or refer to our Next Meeting page for information on our next meeting.