You would want to make a good impression on your friends when you introduce yourself on the first day in school or college. Wouldn’t you?
In this post, I’ll cover what to include in your introduction, few do’s and don’ts, and two sample introductions in the end.
What to include in your introduction?
Is there a format (for the introduction) to follow? The organizer, for example, may ask to include your name, place you come from, and your hobbies in the introduction.
If there is a format, follow it, but feel free to venture into areas that aren’t included in the format if they provide a more complete picture of yours.
You may include following in your introduction:
1. The start
You can start with the obvious – your name.
But that’s a common start. You can be bit innovative by starting with an attention-grabber. Watch the beginning of this video on marketing to get a feel of what I’m saying (duration: 14 seconds):
Neil didn’t start with his name. He started with things that will grab people’s attention immediately and came to his name later on.
You can follow the same strategy to stand out among your classmates, most of whom would be following the standard ‘name first’ approach. You can start with a unique experience or a peculiar fact about your city or your uncommon hobby. The first sample intro (later in the post) follows this strategy.
And if you’re looking for more conversations and introductions, you may have a look at posts on
- How to introduce yourself in different settings?
- How to say ‘thank you’?
- How to respond when someone asks ‘how are you’?
2. Where are you from?
The city you come from. You may add a sentence or two about the city as well if there is something interesting to talk about. Maybe the city is known for historic monuments. Maybe it’s known for natural resources.
And if you’ve lived in multiple cities, you may briefly mention the names and, as mentioned above, a sentence or two on the most interesting of them.
3. Where did you last attend the school?
Which school did you attend for 10+2?
Are there any interesting facts about the school? If yes, mention them. Maybe it was established a long, long time ago. Maybe your school has produced few famous alumni.
4. Interests and hobbies
What are your interests and hobbies?
Playing a sport? Traveling? Hiking? Reading? Kite flying? Or something unusual, say bull fighting?
Go into details if you’ve pursued the hobby with serious interest. For example, if you’re into reading, mention what genres you read, your favorite books, your favorite author, and how reading has affected you.
Don’t forget to mention your participation in extracurricular activities in school, if you did.
5. Which department have you enrolled in in the college?
Are you in Arts, Commerce, Mechanical Engineering, Science, or Economics? Unless it’s a class from the same department, mention the department you’ve enrolled in.
6. Do you’ve clarity on post-college career goals?
If you’ve decided the career path you want to pursue after college, you can share it with your classmates. You never know few of your classmates harboring same career aspirations may just approach you to be friends.
7. Where can you help others?
If you’ve a strength others in your class can benefit from, feel free to share it. For example, if you’re good in dancing, you can offer to teach the ropes to anyone interested. If you’re strong in a particular subject that is part of your syllabus, you can offer to help others in that subject.
If people know of your strengths, they’ll readily approach you when they need help. This is an easy way to make friends in college. And if you think helping others may be a time waster, you should remember that you too may need help in areas where others are stronger.
This is also a good stage – by offering help – to finish your intro. (See the first sample intro.)
Should I talk about my family?
Avoid it unless the format of the intro requires you to talk about your family as well. You need not go into what your parents do and which class your siblings study in.
Should I talk of my grades in class 12?
You shouldn’t unless specifically asked to as part of intro. Top grades can lend a snobbish air to your intro, even if you’re otherwise. Students may make an impression that you’re flaunting your grades, even if you aren’t.
Remember, the primary goal of your intro is to make friends, find people with shared interests.
Do’s and Don’ts
- Listen to intros that come before yours. If you can refer to someone else’s point or two seamlessly in your intro, you’ll impress people around.
- Prepare well if you aren’t used to introducing yourself too often. People often go blank on some of the points when they stand up to speak. Without good preparation, situation can be worse.
- If you’re nervous, fake confidence. People see what you show. And once you’re through the first few lines in your intro, your nerves will start easing.
- Make eye contact with other students while speaking. Don’t fixate your eyes on a familiar section of the audience. Move your eyes around.