First impressions have a huge impact on how others perceive you, so introducing yourself is very important. Many people call the introductory speech an elevator pitch, since it needs to be concise enough to introduce yourself and inform people about your goals or interests in the time it takes to ride an elevator. It is also called an "icebreaker" speech, since it allows you to break the ice and make others know you. Evaluate your words carefully when writing a speech to introduce yourself. Writing a good presentation can build or damage your credibility.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Preparing Your Speech
Step 1. Prepare an outline of your speech
Start by preparing an outline of the main points. Break the speech down to the smallest parts to determine what is the most important thing you want to say and in the order in which you want to present those facts. This is the basic structure to build your speech.
- State your name in the first sentence of the speech. This can be as direct as: "Good morning (or Good afternoon). My name is Nicolás Pérez, and I am a computer programming student at the University of Lima."
- If your presentation is about work, mention your interests and career goals in the same sentence. This will save you time and express that your personal interests can serve your professional goals. For example, you can write "I work in an application that allows people to order pizza through their Twitter accounts."
- If relevant and appropriate, you can mention your education and professional training. For example, you can write "This is the fifth app I have designed. My second app, which helped people find nearby dog parks, won an award at my university."
Step 2. Mention your hobbies or outside interests
Depending on the case, you may be able to mention relevant hobbies or additional experience. Mentioning your interests and hobbies can allow you to solidify your authority on a certain topic, or seem tangential, depending on the purpose of your introductory speech.
- If you want to explain your passion or goal and how it has allowed you to shape your progression to the present, this could help you write an interesting story about yourself. For example, if you are writing a speech for your college class speech, you can explain how your interest in computers started from a young age and why it is now important to you to achieve your career goals.
- However, if you want to introduce yourself to potential clients at a business lunch, they may not be interested in your hobbies. Instead, they will want to know what you do now and what your abilities are.
- Write a draft with your experiences and hobbies, and another without this information. Have an objective listener listen to both versions and provide you with an opinion on them before you give your speech.
Step 3. Sell yourself
If you want to make a good first impression in a professional context, it is important that your speech conveys your abilities and skills. To do this without sounding complacent, link your past accomplishments to your goals and aspirations for the future, letting others know that your anticipated contributions in the future are based on your past contributions.
- Highlight your qualities, skills, and experience that are most relevant to the audience and the occasion. For example, you can write "Due to my experience with application design and my large network of professional contacts, I have a solid understanding of what young professionals are looking for today. My applications offer immediate convenience and gratification."
- The goal is to present yourself professionally and make a strong and lasting impression.
- If you want to sell yourself in front of a group of new colleagues, you probably don't have to talk about your family life or anything outside of work that is not relevant.
Step 4. Stand out from your colleagues
Present yourself honestly, but do so in such a way that your story stands out from the rest. If you have played an important role in a large project, mention it. Go further and make an extrapolation of what you have learned through experience, and explain what your ideas are that could be applied to make the project more effective, in case it is repeated.
- You can demonstrate your skills and experience while presenting yourself as a forward-thinking person who is constantly learning and developing. For example, you could write "I spend a lot of time attending application conventions and conferences to find out what audiences are looking for. I take pride in staying on the cutting edge of application design."
- Try to tie this into your overall career goals and personal development outline.
Part 2 of 4: Review and Practice Your Speech
Step 1. Cut out the speech
Some professional services consultants recommend that introductory speeches be as little as two or three sentences long. Others suggest that the presentation be five to seven minutes long. Even if it is not possible to make your speech as short or the time allows for a longer speech, it is important that you cut your speech to be as concise and informative as possible.
- If it's homework, make sure you stick to the assigned guidelines.
- If the speech is to be three to five minutes long, a two or seven minute speech will be just as inappropriate.
- If you want to give a short introductory speech in an interview, make sure you don't exceed the recommended time.
Step 2. Write short, simple sentences
Remember that you will have to say the speech out loud, and your audience will not be able to come back and reread your words if something is confusing. Present your speech in such a way that no one has doubts about what you are saying.
- Avoid long, scattered sentences. Instead, use concise, direct prose whenever you can.
- Carefully evaluate the structure of sentences. Reading the speech aloud will help you identify very long sentences that you need to restructure.
Step 3. Practice your speech
Review the speech out loud well before giving the actual presentation. Practice different intonations and evaluate your rhythm during the speech. You can practice just by reading at the beginning, but having an opinion is always helpful. For example, you can give the speech in front of a friend, family member, or colleague.
- Practicing in front of others will allow you to assess whether your speech captures the interest of your listeners.
- Think about the parts of the speech that are successful and the parts that are not.
- Try to get opinions as accurate as possible. To do this, ask specific and general questions after giving the speech.
- In addition to asking "What did you think of the speech?" Ask specifically what are the strongest and weakest parts.
- Check that you have conveyed a clear message. To do this, ask your practice audience what information they have obtained through your speech.
Step 4. Memorize your speech
It is important that you know what you will say and how you will say it in advance. While it is common in some instances to practice reading from a piece of paper, familiarize yourself with the speech to read as little as possible. Presenting yourself without reading a paper can create a solid impression of control, knowledge, and confidence. It will also help you retain the audience's attention.
- The audience will not be able to identify as much with what you say if you read the paper all the time.
- In any case, you can take a card with the main points you want to cover.
- Think of the index card as a point of reference, and not as a copy of your speech.
Part 3 of 4: Planning your speech
Step 1. Identify your audience
If you want to write a presentation for a professional context, you may choose a different message and use a different vocabulary than if you wanted to present yourself to colleagues in a casual context. Before you start planning your speech, ask yourself the following questions:
- Who is your target audience?
- What is the purpose of your presentation?
- What are the expectations of others?
Step 2. Decide what is relevant
If you've had all the time in the world, you've likely thought of a lot of interesting and relevant things to tell about yourself. However, the key to giving a successful presentation is to be short and direct. This means that you will have to decide what are the most important or relevant things that listeners should know about you. You will have to transmit that information in the least amount of time possible.
- Limit yourself to one or two main points that you want to convey about yourself. You can always add more information if time permits.
- Depending on the audience and the function of your speech, the focus should not be too narrow. For example, if you want to present yourself to a crowd of potential investors, you should focus on your skills so that they trust you. If you want to present yourself to a general audience (for example, for a class speech at the university), you can be a little broader.
- Remember that the goal is to present yourself overall as an interesting and focused person.
- That doesn't mean you should spend time talking about your love of basketball when performing on a professional stage.
Step 3. Evaluate the purpose and tone
Whenever planning a speech, you must have a thorough understanding of your goals and possible outcomes. Ask yourself what kind of message you want to convey to your listeners. Do you want to introduce yourself to network with other professionals or do you want to do it in a casual context (with new friends)?
- Do you want to convince someone of your point of view with the presentation or do you want to inspire or motivate someone to work harder under your leadership?
- All of these aspects will affect the way you give your presentation and the way you mention them.
Part 4 of 4: Give the speech
Step 1. Relax
If you feel very nervous before giving a speech, use brief relaxation techniques before speaking. Find a quiet place and take a few minutes to prepare. Take a deep breath, focus on your breath and count the seconds that pass as you breathe in and out slowly.
- You can also try visualization techniques to calm your nerves and gain confidence.
- Imagine how you will feel when you finish giving the speech and you see people smiling and clapping profusely. Then channel your confidence in the actual speech you will deliver.
Step 2. Adopt good body language
It may not seem like a big point, but slouching can make you appear less confident or professional, as well as distracting your audience. Stand tall and project a solid image. You may find it helpful to push your chest forward and contract your abdomen a little to keep your back straight, but try to look natural.
- Avoid crossing your arms and don't clench your fists.
- Don't look down at the floor or cling to the table or any structure on stage.
- Make eye contact with the people in the room in a measured and controlled way. Avoid staring at just one person, but don't constantly look all over the place either.
- Make eye contact with a person on the left side of the room and then with a person on the right side of the room. It varies between the points of the room in a controlled, natural and relaxed way.
Step 3. Don't rush
Don't drag out your speech, but don't stumble over the words or read so fast that no one can understand you. Find the balance and speed that is right for you. It is important that you speak slowly enough so that people can follow you and understand what you are saying, but not so slow that you sound boring.
- Find a comfortable pace of conversation.
- Practicing in front of others or recording and listening to yourself are good techniques for evaluating the pace of your speech.
Step 4. Use humor if you make a mistake
If you make a mistake giving the speech, don't panic. Apologizing too much will draw attention to your mistakes and make them seem more important. Instead, if you feel like you have to address the mistake, make a funny comment and move on. This will allow you to convey comfort and confidence.
- Self-deprecating humor can help you sound humble and pleasant. For example, if you have accidentally omitted part of your speech and have to pick it up, you can say something like "And now I'll go back to the previous part and tell you something important that I have forgotten. If you want to know the true" me ", you are watching it right now. ".
- You can nod your head quickly and gracefully in the face of the mistake and move on. For example, if you go out and make a mistake in the first sentence, you can say something like "Wow, sorry. I'm so excited to tell you about myself that I've mixed up all the words. Let me start over."
- However, don't be too self-critical. It is important that you make sure that people remember you for your strengths and abilities. Keep going fast.
Advice
- Don't be afraid to speak well of yourself. After all, this is a presentation, and it is the first impression you will make.
- Improve eye contact with the audience. Be direct and move confidently during the speech.
- If the presentation is too long, you will lose the attention of your audience. A good presentation should be short and direct.
- However, don't brag or brag, as your audience may lose interest in what you're saying.