Quite often, I notice that English students learn to introduce themselves in a way that is scripted and unnatural.
Most textbooks fail to reflect authentic English interactions. That’s why today we’re going to look at some natural and common ways to introduce yourself in English.
For a good introduction in English, you need to practice in advance. As an English learner, it’s a good idea to prepare a couple of introductions and practice them until you’re comfortable with them.
Also, keep in mind that self-introductions are context dependent. To come up with good introductions, you’ll need to think about common places and situations where you are likely to introduce yourself in English.
If you landed on this post looking for inspiration, here’s what we’ll cover today:
How to introduce yourself in a class
How to introduce yourself in casual situations
How to introduce yourself in a meeting at work
How to introduce yourself in an interview
Context is everything
When we see someone give the most engaging, impressive and rapport-building introduction, we immediately think they’re gifted.
But in reality, there’s usually a lot of work behind it.
When writing your sample introduction in English, ask yourself:Who exactly am I talking to? Depending on your answer, there will be different things to include in your introduction.
So, what makes an introduction effective? First, it needs to be appropriate for the given setting.
Consider, is it a formal or an informal situation?
Because you know that saying “Hey there! How’s it going?” is perfectly okay if you’re with a group of friends, but of course, it might come across a bit odd in a meeting with your boss. So knowing the context is important.
Let’s look at some ways you could introduce yourself in English based on different situations.
How to introduce yourself in a class
So you’re in a class with other students and your teacher asks you to introduce yourself in English.
Self-introductions in a class are meant to be brief and conversational. You don’t need to provide a detailed account of your life. Keep this checklist in mind:
Mention your given name if different from your official name.
Talk about where you’re from, or where you were born and where you’re living now.
Share an interesting detail about yourself: What do you for fun? What interests you?
Maybe you’re too busy at work and don’t have time for hobbies. Not a problem! Just talk about a hobby you did in the past, or an activity you’d like to try in the future.
If you’re taking the class by choice, mention the reason you’ve decided to take it.
This leads us to something like this:
“Hey, I’m Mateo but people here call me Matt. I grew up in Argentina, and lived there most of my life before moving to the United States. I speak Italian, Spanish and English. I love gaming, and I stream on Twitch almost every day. I’ve always wanted to improve my English so now that I have the time, I’ve finally signed up for classes online.”
Here’s another example:
“My name’s Lucia and I’m from Spain. I was born in the south of Spain but I live in Barcelona. I work as a translator, and I don’t have much time for hobbies these days. But in the future, I’d like to try yoga. I’m taking this class because I want to improve my speaking in English.”
What if you’re the teacher introducing yourself to a new class?
Introducing yourself to a class is one of the first challenges you’ll have to overcome as a new teacher.
First impressions are important. The moment you start talking, your students will start forming an opinion of you.
So what should you take into account? Here’s my list of tips:
Keep it light, fun, and professional.
Share some fun facts to break the ice.
Try to find common ground: are you teaching little kids? Tell them your favorite ice-cream flavor. If instead, they’re teenagers or adults, share your favorite TV show.
Talk about your goals for the class.
Have your students ask you questions.
With my students, I try to make it interactive and fun using randomizers.
Here’s an introduction I shared with a class of 14-year olds earlier this year:
“Welcome back to class! I was looking forward to meeting you.
I’m Sol and I’ll be your teacher this year. I always enjoy staying at home and hitting a good mystery book! I’m not much of an outdoor person, as you can see. I love rainy days where I can wrap myself in a blanket and binge-watch series without feeling guilty!
Do you know why I love English? Because it makes me feel like I have a superpower! And my goal this year is to help you become the best English speakers possible. Now, tell me about yourselves. What do you love the most?”
If you notice, the tone is personal, and you can customize it based on your preferences. I like introducing myself as approachable, so I break the “teacher” mold and show a glimpse of my personality.
If you’re looking for creative ways to introduce yourself to your class, here you’ll find hundreds of templates of Meet The Teacher banners.
How to introduce yourself in casual situations
As much I love the rush that’s brought about by spontaneity, there are some situations that turn out better with a little preparation.
Small talk is the perfect example to illustrate this point.
The best advice I could give you is to keep your introductions short and light. You’ll also want to give the other person room for follow-up questions.
When it comes to greetings, you could say: “Hey there,” “Morning!” or “What’s up?”
Here are some examples:
Morning! I don’t think we’ve met before, I’m Aryan.
Hey there! I’m Surya. I’m new—I just moved to the building a couple of days ago. Have you lived here for long?
Hi Amy. I heard it’s your first day so I thought I could reach out and introduce myself. We haven’t officially met but I’ll be working with you on this project.
How to introduce yourself in a meeting at work
Work meetings are usually planned ahead, but let’s not overlook the importance of the introduction.
Let’s say you have to lead the meeting. In my experience, meetings at work are expected to get straight to the point. So start with a quick greeting then share the purpose of the meeting right away.
Here are some things you should consider when tailoring your introduction:
Quick greeting.
The purpose of the meeting.
What you’ll be covering.
Here’s an example:
“Good morning everyone! I’m Diana from product development and today I’m excited to share with you that the mobile version for our product will be available as of Tuesday. Today, I’d like to give a quick demo of the new functionalities.”
NOTE: The tone will be dependent on the company’s culture. Tech companies usually encourage a more relaxed and casual style. This gives the freedom to use informal expressions that may be frowned upon in more conservative settings.
How to introduce yourself in an interview
I’m currently working for a multinational company based in the United States and one of the things I had to go through was an English assessment during my interview.
So, I know that interviews in a foreign language have that extra element of anxiety, because it’s not only about our job skills.
But the good news is that designing a well-crafted and compelling introduction in English will pave the way and give you the confidence and ease you need to make a good impression during your interview.
So when your interviewer asks you: “tell me a little bit about yourself,” keep the following points in mind:
If you’ve been contacted before by your interviewer, you could start with: “It’s nice to finally meet you in person!”
Alternatively, you might start with saying, “Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me today…”
Then continue with talking about relevant experience. What makes you a good fit for the position?
Mention relevant professional information that your interviewer would want to hear about you. Why would adding you to the team be an asset?
Make sure you research the company and find out as much as you can about it. Include in your introduction why you’re interested in the company.
Here is an example of how you could introduce yourself professionally in English:
“It’s so nice to finally meet you in person!
After graduating from university, I worked in sales for a few years. But three years ago, I started working in digital media marketing and my experience in sales definitely helped. I was able to help the company consistently hit its targets and grow their brand in the industry. I know that you’re looking to grow your influence online, and that’s why I applied for the position…”
Professional introductions and questions like “tell me about yourself” may feel overwhelming if you’re unprepared. On the flip side, taking the time to practice your answer will give you the opportunity to share important and relevant information with your interviewer and leave a lasting impression.
Check out our article 10 Tough Interview Questions and How to Answer Them in English to learn how to answer interview questions effectively in English.
Grammar points for introductions in English
Remember:
Use the present simple for general facts about your life and routines.
Use the present perfect when you talk about your life experiences and achievements.
But if you mention a finished time period (last year, in 2010, etc.) use the simple past tense.
Final thoughts
Introductions will always be awkward if you don’t know what to say. In short, don't get caught unprepared! So make sure you take the time to write down some introduction samples in English for different scenarios and practice them until you master them.
I hope that today’s tips have helped you! If you have any questions, please share them with us in the comments.
About the Writer
Sol is an English teacher and a self-professed grammar geek. As a writer for In English With Love, her mission is to create content that will help encourage and inspire English learners.
