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Oh, how I dislike the business lunch or dinner meeting in which everyone must stand and introduce themselves. What we tend to hear, one after the other, is a name, a profession, and a place of business that becomes sing-song after the 1st introduction. Not only is it spoken in a lilt, but everyone takes their voice up at the end of each statement so that it sounds like they are asking a question. If you know who you are, why not say your name as a statement and not a question? If you know your profession, state it, don’t question it. And, if you would really like to ‘change it up’ a bit, why not begin by asking your audience a question? That will awaken the group as well as make you stand out from the crowd. When introducing yourself, greet your audience and then take your voice down at the end of your name. The best way to know if you are doing this correctly is to record yourself, play it back and study it. Listen hard and see if your voice rises at the end of your name or the end of your company name. You may have difficulty hearing this type of inflection at first. Only after a successive number of playbacks might you begin to recognize what you are doing wrong. Your next step is to introduce yourself just as if you were at a social function, shaking someone’s hand and offering your name: Hi, I’m Jane Doe or Hi, Bob Smith. In a situation like this where you are in a less formal environment, the chances are good that when you say your name, you will be making a statement and not asking the other person if indeed Bob Smith is your name or not! If you sound like everyone else in the room, then you will definitely be just one of the pack. If, however, you would like to make a statement, why not begin a bit differently. Occasionally, my opening goes something like this: “Hello, I am The Voice Lady and my business is your voice.” When others hear those words and the slight emphasis on the word your, they remember me because it is different. Perhaps in opening your introduction, you could begin by telling the group what you do and then give them your name. Or, begin with a brief joke or a question. Startling your audience is one of the best ways to get to them to remember you. And that is the entire reason for the personal introduction. The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels provides private, group and corporate training throughout the United States and Canada as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement and presentation skills. Visit Voice Dynamic and voice your opinion in her new blog.
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