How to start a conversation and introduce yourself at conferences - Business English lessons

- Hi there, I'm your English coach Christina

and welcome to Speak English with Christina

where you'll learn about American culture

and business know how to become confident in English.

Conferences and trade shows are fantastic way

to create new business opportunities for yourself.

And often attending a conference can cost money.

Plus you take time out of your day to attend,

and it's important that you make your time

at a conference worthwhile.

One of the ways to do so is to have a plan

on how you will introduce yourself at the conference.

It should sound casual, yet professional.

Brief, yet give your listeners a good idea

of who you are and what you do.

Sound like a lot of pressure, fear not.

In this episode, we'll discuss how to design

the perfect and casual introduction

that you can use for all of your future conferences.

Let's go.

(upbeat rock music)

If you're attending a conference,

you wanna make a good first impression.

And your introduction is the place to do that.

How much should you say?

How can you build up a natural

get to know you conversations?

What questions can you ask?

Or not?

All of these are important aspects

of good social skills in English.

And that's why I'm creating a new course

to help you master social situations

and everyday conversations in professional life.

It teaches you how to socialize with confidence

and build up those important personal

and professional relationships,

get techniques to make you a good conversationalist,

as well as understand cultural differences

on a deeper level.

If you're a ready to network like a pro

and improve your smalltalk skills for your next conference,

try this course, in as little as 20 minutes per day.

You can feel confident in American English

at your next conference.

And there's a link in the show notes below

with more information about the course.

(upbeat music)

When introducing yourself,

you wanna favor keeping your introduction short.

Just a sentence or two is perfect.

But here's the tricky part.

Be brief, but include enough details

to spark curiosity in your listener.

Hi, how are you?

My name is Christina and I'm here to make some deals.

Oh, here's a card.

And are you interested in buying my services?

Give me a call.

Oh, hey, gotta go.

Brief?

Yes, friendly and casual.

Not so much.

After introducing yourself, your goal is for the listener

to be curious.

And to ask some questions.

Your introduction shouldn't be a monologue

where you tell your life story.

Hi, my name is Christina.

I'm 38 years old.

I don't have any kids, but I have a cat.

And I'm an English coach and teacher with my own company.

I'm from the U.S.A, but.

Does that sound like you?

Well, at least the good news is

that we can improve your introduction together.

Think of your introduction like a game of tennis

with the other person.

You say something short, they say something short,

and you take turns passing the conversation ball

back and forth to each other.

Give information about yourself.

But ask about the other person too.

And this will open up the introduction

to a more authentic conversation,

rather than a high pressure pitch

about you and your company.

People bond through shared experiences,

and a great way to introduce yourself is

to reference your interest in the conference.

Why are you there?

What is it about the conference

that really gets you excited?

Is it a speaker that you've been looking forward to hearing?

This reminds the listener

that they also share your enthusiasm in the event

and this can set the foundation for a lively

and mutually beneficial conversation.

Some things that you can say.

This is my third time at the CES.

How about you?

Or so what are you Looking to get out of this conference?

Or so what talks are you planning to attend?

Was there anything in the program that caught your eye?

Or did you see that Pat Flynn is doing a talk?

I love his podcast!

Have you ever heard of him?

So far, I've described a couple of guidelines to consider

that can help your introduction sound

more authentic and casual.

Now, let's dive into a real world example.

Instead of introducing yourself, your job title

and your company, focus instead of who you serve.

Now, what does that mean exactly?

Well, the people you serve are those individuals

who your company helps the most, your customers.

If you can incorporate a story centered around

those you serve all the better.

And this is likely more interesting to your listener

than your job title.

For example, if you're an engineer

who focuses on ergonomic design,

you might say,

you know how elderly people always struggle to open jars?

Well, I make their life easier.

My job is to design everyday products for the elderly.

And I'm always looking for ways to improve things like

can-openers, bottle openers, scissors,

so that they're easy to grip and use, grandma's love me.

Everybody loves a good story,

and you can give some very specific details about your work

by telling a relatable story.

For example, if someone asks, what do you do?

Or what are you working on right now?

Don't just describe your latest project.

Tell a story about it.

Let's take that earlier example,

the design engineer that grandma's love,

they might say,

right now I'm working with Black and Decker

to create a new line of age-friendly kitchen utensils.

We started with can-openers, and that was a hit.

And then we moved on to vegetable peelers,

and we weren't sure, you know, that that would work,

but the company got a 10% boost in sales.

Thanks to that thing that your grandma

can use to peel carrots.

It's crazy, right?

No, but you know what I really love about this

is that I get to help more seniors

enjoy their independence longer.

And yeah, t's a nice feeling.

While you may be at the conference to make sales,

ultimately your goal is about building relationships

because many sales happen over time

after building a solid relationship.

So keep your introductions short,

yet distinctive to inspire curiosity.

Encourage your listener to ask questions.

And be sure to connect over the shared experience

of the conference.

And finally, talk more about who you serve

rather than superficial details,

such as job titles, which might bore your listeners

or sound like you're bragging

because you have a fancy job title,

Mr. Chief Inspiration Officer.

With these tips, you're in a good position

to start an interesting conversation

and make a good impression and lasting contacts

at your next conference.

So now, what about you?

Do you have any tips on how to design

a brilliant introduction at a conference?

Share your tips in the comments.

And if you've been a student of American English

for years now and still feel awkward making small talk,

check out my new course designed to help you master

social situations and everyday conversations

in your professional life.

The link for more information is below in the show notes.

And thank you so much for learning

with Speak English with Christina

and I'll see you next time.