How to Introduce Yourself in English (Confidently)

In this lesson, you'll learn how to  confidently introduce yourself in English.

You'll learn the exact phrases you can use  when introducing yourself to strangers in  

casual social situations and  in professional situations.

You'll learn the questions you might be asked and  

that you can ask others when  meeting for the first time.

And you'll get easy to follow templates  so you know exactly what to say.

Welcome back to JForrest.

Of course, I'm Jennifer.

Now let's get started.

Let's begin with casual conversations,  

maybe at parties or you're meeting  your neighbors or you're traveling.

I'll share a template called the Start Method.

Start.

The S stands for Start.

So how do you start?

Of course, with a greeting and your name.

That's easy, right?

I would say hi, my name's Jennifer.

My name is my names.

Or I would say hi, I'm Jennifer.

I use both interchangeably.

You probably know other greetings at  the most formal would simply be hello,  

good morning, good evening,  good afternoon, hello all.

Hello everyone.

A little less formal, more casual.

Hi there.

We add there when you don't know the person's  name or if you're addressing a group.

And the most casual would be, hey,  now, in a professional situation,  

you could say hello, everyone, but then  the same thing, my name's Jennifer.

Now, in this case, you might add your last name.

In a more professional situation,  my name's Jennifer Forrest.

But in casual situations, I  would say, hi, I'm Jennifer.

Now notice my name has more than one syllable.

In North America, people love reducing names  to just one syllable or using a nickname.

So if I do reduce my name or use a nickname, I  could add you can call me Jen or I go by Jen.

So someone might ask you, or you can  ask someone else, what do you go by?

My name is Jennifer.

What do you go by?

What name do you go by?

Or to sound a little more formal,  you can say what name do you prefer?

And then I could say, oh, you can call me Jen.

I go by Jen or I go by Jennifer.

These are the questions you might be asked,  

but they're also questions that you  can ask others to get to know them.

An important point in American English.

Don't say I'm called Jennifer.

Yes, you can say you can call me Jen to  introduce a nickname or a shortened name,  

but don't say I'm called Jen.

I'm called Jennifer.

My name is OR, I'm in American English.

Now back to our start model.

We know what the S means.

Let's move on to T territory.

So we'll talk about geography, place you can say  I'm originally from, and then the city or country.

I've been living in city or country for  number of years, so we'll put this together.

I'm originally from Winnipeg, but I've  been living in Ottawa for over 10 years.

This is true.

Now notice I said I've been living.

You can also use the present  perfect and say I've lived.

In this case with the verb  live, there is no difference.

Let's review some questions.

Where are you from?

Are you originally from?

And then the current location you're in.

How long have you lived in  and then the current location?

Or you could say, have you always lived in?

Have you always lived in Ottawa?

Don't worry about taking notes because I  summarize everything in a free lesson PDF.

You can find the link in the description.

Now in our start method, let's  talk about A, which is activity.

Remember you're in a casual situation, maybe  a party or you're meeting your neighbors.

So you can talk about work or hobbies or both.

First, let's review work.

I'm a graphic designer.

Don't forget that article.

I'm a graphic designer.

I work for a small company.

I work in graphic design.

So here in and then the area graphic  design is the area you could add on.

I specialize in you need that  preposition in and then a gerund.

I specialize in creating  logos for cosmetic brands.

You can also say I create  logos for cosmetic brands.

Now the questions you might be asked or  that you can ask someone, what do you do?

Students often stare at me  when I say what do you do?

They don't know what I'm asking.

This is what do you do for a living?

For a living.

But most of the time we just say what do you do?

This is saying what is your job?

But that is not how a native  speaker would communicate that.

What do you do?

What do you do for a living?

Someone could also ask you what type of work  do you do or what line of work are you in.

They're asking your area of focus.

What line of work?

I'm a graphic designer or I'm in graphic design.

Now if you're not currently  employed, you can still answer this.

If someone asks you what do you  do or what do you do for a living,  

you can say I'm a student, I'm a stay at  home mom, I'm a homemaker, I'm retired,  

I'm a graphic designer, but  I'm currently between jobs.

This means you are unemployed.

You could also say I'm currently exploring  career opportunities, again unemployed,  

or I'm in a career transition, again unemployed.

It's not common for someone  to say in social situations  

I'm unemployed or I'm jobless because  that has a very negative sound to it.

So we have alternative ways to say the same thing.

Let's talk about hobbies.

You could say I'm an avid cyclist and avid means  you cycle a lot, you're passionate about it.

I love reading.

I spend all my free time gerund verb drawing.

I'm learning how to play guitar.

I just got into yoga.

To be into an activity means  you enjoy doing that activity.

As for the questions, what are your hobbies?

What hobbies do you enjoy?

How do you spend your free time?

What are you into?

So again, those are questions you might be asked  or that you can ask whoever you're talking to.

Now this is just the point.

I'm an avid cyclist.

You might want to expand on this so  provide one piece of information.

I spend every weekend cycling in the mountains.

I'm currently training for a race, or you  can say I've been cycling for five years.

So this just gives more information  that you can have a conversation on  

instead of a further point you might  provide the reason I love reading.

It's a great way to relax after a busy day.

Designing gerund verb, designing logos,  

or it's so nice to disconnect from  screens for a few minutes every day.

Let's review our start method again.

We are on R.

This is your reason, your reason for attending.

Wherever you are, the party, the  wedding, the anniversary, the dinner,  

the neighborhood book club, wherever  you are, your reason for being there.

So let's say you're at an engagement party.

A couple is celebrating the  fact they're getting married.

An engagement party, you might say.

I went to school with a happy couple.

This is how you know the couple  and it's your reason for attending.

Or you can say I work with  Rebecca, Steve's my neighbor.

Or you could say I'm here with a friend  so you don't actually know the people.

I'm here with a friend.

She used to work with Christine.

So you might provide how your friend knows  the people who are hosting the party or event.

As for the questions, how do you know?

And then the person or people, how long  have you known the person or people?

Do you work with Rebecca?

So if everyone there works with Rebecca, it  might be assumed or it's just a good guess.

Do you work with Rebecca or just a  very general, what brings you here?

This is a polite way of saying why are  you here, which sounds odd and direct.

What brings you here?

Now let's review the T in our start  method, which stands for turn.

This is very important.

It means it's the other person's turn to talk.

How do you do that?

The best way is to end by asking  a question so you could use any  

of the questions we've already reviewed.

So how do you know the person or people?

Now if you are at a wedding related  event, you could ask someone.

Have you bought your dress for the wedding yet?

Because you know you're going  to the wedding in a future date.

Have you bought your dress so you can ask  questions related to the specific event?

Or if the person you're talking to has  a great relationship with the host,  

you might ask do you have any  funny stories about Christine?

Or have you met Christine's father?

Or are you from?

And then you can ask about the current location.

What do you do?

How do you spend your free time?

So you can ask any of the  questions we've already reviewed.

So now let's put our entire answer from the  start method together for our introduction.

Hi, I'm Jennifer, I'm originally from Winnipeg  but I've been living in Ottawa for over 10 years.

I'm an English teacher and I  run a YouTube channel and work  

directly with students in an online  training program in my free time.

I love being in nature and going  for hikes, walks and bike rides.

It's a nice contrast from  spending all day at the computer.

Christine and I met in university  and we've kept in touch ever since.

What about you?

How do you know Christine?

Keep in mind that this long introduction is  probably not the most common in social situations.

Is probably more common to share  one point and then ask a question,  

share another point, ask a question  and have more of a dialogue.

But let's review a professional situation  where it is more common to share a monologue  

when you introduce yourself, let's say at a  meeting, a networking event or a conference.

We'll use the impact framework.

The I stands for identity.

Who are you?

So the same information you already learned.

Hi, I'm Jennifer, I'm a graphic designer  with over 15 years of experience.

So notice with number of years of experience,  

I specialize in gerund verb creating  stunning logos for cosmetic companies.

Now in a professional situation,  

it's assumed you will also describe  your work when you introduce yourself.

That is part of your identity  in a professional situation.

Now let's move on to M,  which stands for motivation.

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

Why do you do it?

So you could say I've always had a passion for  art and I've been drawing since I was a kid.

So this gives you as the  audience, as my coworkers,  

more information about who I am  and why I love graphic design now.

P stands for projects.

What are you currently working on?

This is very important in  a professional situation.

I'm currently designing a new logo for one  of the world's largest cosmetic brands.

The A stands for aspirations.

What are your aspirations, your goals  for either attending this event,  

working on this project or in general in  the future as it relates to your career?

Because again, this is a  professional introduction.

You can start with my goal.

My goal is, and then you're infinitive,  

to connect with other graphic designers  who can both motivate and challenge me.

Or you could say my goal is to learn how I can use  

AI to save time and improve  the quality of my designs.

Maybe you would share this at a meeting that has  

to do with AI or a training or a  conference and networking event.

Now, the final letters CT, this stands  for connect, connect, one word connect.

So here you can either share how people can  connect with you if you're at a networking event,  

a conference, a training, or you can express  your interest in connecting with others.

For example, you can connect with  me on my website, jfdesigns.com,  

or you can say you can find a portfolio  of my work on social media at JF Designs.

Here's a phrase you need to know I'm  looking forward to and then a gerund verb.

I'm looking forward to connecting with everyone.

Or you could say I'm looking forward  to something, the presentation on AI.

So the expression is to look forward to.

So your verb is look.

That's what you need to conjugate.

Following this, you need a gerund verb or a noun.

I conjugated my verb in the present  continuous I'm looking forward to.

This is more casual.

You can also say I look forward  to the presentation on AI.

Here is the present simple, which sounds  more formal, but both are commonly used.

Now remember here we're connecting,  

so you might want to ask someone a  question to connect with them more.

What about you?

What brings you here?

Remember that.

What brings you here?

The same question you can  use in social situations.

What did you come here to learn?

If you're at a training or a  conference or seminar, or of course,  

you can ask a question related to their career.

How long have you been a graphic designer or  

what area of graphic design do  you focus on or specialize in?

Both of those are common.

Notice that preposition change.

So now let's put all the information  from the IMPACT method together.

Hi, I'm Jennifer, I'm a graphic designer  with over 15 years of experience.

I specialize in creating stunning  logos for cosmetic companies.

I've always had a passion for art, and  I've been drawing since I was a kid.

I'm currently designing a new logo for one  of the world's largest cosmetic companies.

My goal is to connect with other graphic  designers who can both motivate and challenge me.

I look forward to connecting with everyone.

Now it's your turn.

You can download the free lesson PDF so  you can write your introduction for casual  

situations and more professional situations  using the Start and the Impact method.

And if you like this lesson, you  want me to create another one,  

Put let's go, let's go, put,  let's go in the comments.

And of course, make sure you like this lesson,  

share it with your friends and subscribe to  your notified every time I post a new lesson.

And you can get this free speaking  guide where I share 6 tips on how  

to speak English fluently and confidently.

You can click here to download it or  look for the link in the description.

And here's another lesson that will help  you feel confident meeting new people.

Watch it right now.