How to introduce yourself in English
The entire transcript is given below. hey guys welcome
to lingua Marina today we're going to talk about introductions I know they can
be very difficult I recently attended a conference where everybody asked me
what do you do where are you from who are you basically today we're going to
learn some phrases that are going to help you in this situation so please watch
this video up to the very end because we're not only going to go through
phrases that you can use also going to come up with little monologues that you
can use later on and as a language learner what I've realized in the past you
know 20 years since I've started learning English I've realized that memorizing
certain templates and certain structures actually helps you brain a lot in
stressful situations so the next time you interact with native speakers and
they ask you something you will have a template in your head that you can use
right away so let's dive into introductions in English now one of the things
that you have to remember is that we typically divide our conversations into
three different groups the first group is informal conversations uh basically
you're chatting with your friend the second group semiformal and here you know
it depends on where you are but for example in the US when I go to a creators
conference and meet people who represent brands or other creators I think it's
semiformal because we're not 100% friends right away but we're not too formal
and when we talk about formal situations basically when you interact with
government officials or when you are interviewing for a job Rob so we're going
to go through phrases for all of these situations so when you need to introduce
yourself first thing is it a formal situation such as a business meeting or is
it an informal situation like a party back to the structure we start the
introduction with a greeting let's look at some phrases that we might use in
more formal situations greeting at the beginning of formal events uh for
example business meetings or interviews or formal dinners or even class use
greetings like hello good morning good afternoon and good evening if it's an
interview you can say good morning thank you for considering me for this role
then we have semiformal greetings and this is where your mind can be free you
can say hi there this is a slightly less formal way to say hello but still more
appropriate than just saying hey um when you talk to co-workers who you don't
know very well or you can just say morning it's a more casual way of saying
good morning informal greetings now hi is obviously the most popular then you
can say hey heya hey there what's up is my favorite how's it going how you
doing it's common in more informal language to leave out small grammar words in
greetings how are you doing often changes to how you doing which is more
informal hey everyone I'm thrilled to join this community now let's talk about
general information of course the first thing you want to talk about is is your
name so you can say please to meet you my name is Marina or just I'm Marina you
can also say I don't think we've met may I introduce myself or hello it's a
pleasure to meet you I'm Marina informal now it's funny so a lot of people in
the US know me as silon Val girl so sometimes I introduce myself it's kind of
funny I tell people I'm silon Val girl and they're like oh yes I've seen your
videos but then I tell them you can call me Marina this is my actual name so if
you have a nickname online and people might know you uh by that nickname feel
free to use it it's kind of funny that I have three personalities and sometimes
when I realize that the environment is very International I can say I'm lingual
marine and people like oh yeah yeah lingua Marina and some people still think
my name is lingua and I'm like no my name is Marina so you can call me Marina
I'm silon valley girl but uh my friends call me Marina by the way in North
America people often use first names right from the start and the mood is very
relaxed this really surprised me when I first came to the US and you know was
talking to formal Venture investors and they're like yeah I'm Sam I'm like okay
Mr no no no Sam so everything is really informal and really relaxed that
doesn't mean that people don't take these meetings seriously they do it's just
the nature of formal and business communication in the US is very friendly in
other places though they might be more formal and use T titles and last names
until they get to know you better in the USA there's an emphasis on personal
space and this can affect greetings a firm handshake is standard but respecting
personal space is important another fun story I've recently met a very
important businessman from India in the US and again I'm used to this culture now
so I did a firm handshake he was like no what you need to do is give me your
hand like this and I'm going to shake it gently don't ever do the formal
American handshake with Indians right because in India the culture is
completely different so I want you to understand that there are cultural
differences but don't think of them too much you will basically understand
what's going on once you are in the situation and that Indian businessman was
really kind to just explain everything to me and when I said goodbye I made
sure that I did it the correct way and we kind of laughed at it I think it was
pretty cool but again when I first came to the US and people were shaking my
hand and men were shaking my hand in a strong manner I was like wow some people
actually say it's a power move so the stronger the handshake is uh the more
energy that person has so you know it's up to you what you're going to do but
remember that about the Us and other cultures and other cultures might stand
closer or greet each other with a kiss on the cheek and that happens in friends
and they do two kisses on both cheeks and I just came back from um France where
people were doing that to me all the time even people who I met for the first
time and again for me was like you know in the US will never do that so the
first couple times I was a little bit nervous like what's going on but then
again I got used to it this is this country everybody kisses each other that's
fine then you can talk about your birthplace and current location I was born
and raised in St Petersburg Russia I come from St Petersburg I'm originally
from St Petersburg but now I'm based in California that's basically what I do
you know was born and raised in St Petersburg have been living in the US since
um 2015 or I've been living in the US for 10 years now inal you can say I'm an
your nationality like I'm Russian I'm originally from Russia but I've been
living in the US for the past 9 years same Petersburg Russia is my hometown
that's another way to say it I grew up in St Petersburg but now I live in Los
Altos Hills which is in California I spent the past few years in California you
may have already noticed that when talking about ourselves we're using a lot of
different tenses and it's very important to know all of them to interact freely
in English but if you're struggling with tenses I have a product that will help
now is the right time to unlock the mysteries of English tenses with the 12 in1
tenses handbook perfect for everyone who wants to master tenses this
interactive guide will help you understand the heart parts of grammar and fix
mistakes that you make now it breaks down The rules explains things in easy
words provides clear your examples and you practice straight away with
exercises remember practice makes perfect say goodbye to confusion and say
hello to confident automatic task usage in speaking and writing and um tenses
are an essential part of everyday conversations so please make sure they're
automatic in your brain click the link in the description below to download the
handbook now your activity share what you do I work as a manager or my formal
position is president at lingua marinas so I'm a president of a company called
lingua Marina and lingua Marina is basically a company above all of my channels
but if you're not an entrepreneur and you're working for a company you can say
I work for Google in the marketing department or you can mention a general idea
I work in sales my speciality is in sales or if you have your own business you
can say I'm self-employed I have my own business the more informal way to say
that will be I work for myself or if you're unemploy right now you could say
I'm unemployed nobody really I don't know it's totally okay to use that phrase
but I've never heard people say I'm unemployed I've heard people saying I'm
looking for a job in the Creator economy cuz I'm excited about being a Creator
and working with creators now let's talk about your education let's look at
some formal phrases I'm about to graduate or I have a degree in physics I have
a bachelor's Master's PhD degree in mathematics or in literature my major is is
or was economics or you can also say I graduated from this or that University I
did a postgrad in physics at Stanford again see how we're using different
tenses when talking about different things in our lives don't forget about the
handbook the link is in the description okay let's talk about your experience I
have number like 7even years of experience in making videos I have what is it 9
years of experience in making videos I have spent 10 years as a creator with
linga Marina or you can say I have spent 7 years as a manager with Google or
you can just say I worked in marketing for 9 years now of course whenever
you're meeting new people it's kind of cool to mention your hobby because when
you're meeting new people you're always looking for common topics and the more
common topics you find during this initial conversation the more exciting this
new connection is going to be now your hobby let's talk about it when I have
some spare time or in my free time I do yoga I'm interested in music I've
always enjoyed hiking very California activity a more informal way to say that
is I'm really into jogging I'm really into hiking I'm a big fan of singing so
here's what you get now let me give you a template that you can memorize and
use later on when you speak English hi there I'm Marina I'm originally from
Russia but I've been living in the US for for the past 9 years I work for
myself I have a degree in mathematics and economics I'm really into making
videos on YouTube this is a very easy and informal way to introduce yourself
I've given you the basics and you can add more details that would be relevant
to the situation here are a couple more introduction examples in different
settings informal introduction hello everyone I'm thrilled to join this
community my name is Luca and I'm a chef from Rome Italy I've just moved to
this neighborhood looking forward to connecting with all of you the next
introduction is going to be more formal for example if it's a job interview
good morning thank you for considering me for this role I'm Camila a graphic
designer from s Paulo Brazil my speciality is in creating visual stories that
speak to a global audience I'd love to apply my creative skills to your
company's Innovative projects and let's do semiformal say new workplace hey
team I'm absolutely thill to start my journey with you as the new sales
representative my name is sopia coming all the way from Madrid Spain with six
years of experience across different European markets I'm eager to dive into
our market and contribute to a shared success excited to learn and grow with
you all so let's summarize here are the steps to introduce yourself in English
greet your audience begin your introduction with a smile on your face as it
creates a positive impression number two share your name and some general
information talk about yourself name Place interests and hobbies if necessary
depending on the type of situation for example interviews meetings seminars Etc
share about your work education experience number four don't forget about your
friendly tone and style of introduction introduce yourself in a way that is
approachable quick homework write your introductions in the comment section
below this is a great task for you and also a great way for us to meet each
other thank you so much for watching this video up to the very end please do
not forget to subscribe to this Channel and I'm looking forward to seeing you
in my next videos bye
point summary of the key
points
The video discusses how to
introduce yourself confidently in English, offering templates for formal,
semiformal, and informal situations.
- It
emphasizes the importance of memorizing certain templates and structures
to help in stressful situations when interacting with native speakers.
- The
video covers different types of greetings suitable for formal, semiformal,
and informal contexts.
- It
provides guidance on sharing personal information, including name,
birthplace, current location, and nationality.
- The
video discusses cultural differences in introductions, such as handshake
customs in the US versus other countries.
- It
offers advice on how to talk about your occupation or professional
activities in various ways.
- The
video includes tips on mentioning your educational background and work
experience.
- It
suggests including hobbies or interests in introductions to find common
ground with new acquaintances.
- The
video provides sample templates for introductions in different settings
(informal, formal, and semiformal).
- It
concludes with a summary of steps for introducing yourself: greeting,
sharing your name and general information, discussing
work/education/experience if relevant, and maintaining a friendly tone.