The Art of an Introduction

     For me the hardest part of writing has always been the introductory sentence and the closing sentence. Similarly one of the hardest parts of socializing has been introductions. What do I say? Do I introduce myself first? How do I introduce my friend to others? Once I get past that part it is usually smooth sailing but oh the slightly awkward introduction!! As I have talked to other people I have discovered that I am not alone in finding introductions difficult and/or confusing. With a bit of research I have found that there are rules (guidelines, for those of you who don't like rules) on how and when to make introductions. But there are LOTS of them and some of them disagree with each other depending on the source. So I am here to simplify all that for you and condense all I learned into four easy guidelines :)

1. When in doubt; introduce yourself first: There are very few people who are 100% comfortable with making the first move when introductions are involved. Pretty much everybody has some doubts in their mind as to whether they should go up first and introduce themselves to someone they don't know. So realize that just because someone hasn't come up and introduced themselves doesn't mean they don't want to. It probably just means that they are just as unsure as you are. So take courage and spare yourself the awkward and just go up and introduce yourself first.

2. When introducing yourself or being introduced, make eye contact and smile: Confident, friendly body language puts everyone at ease. Eye contact conveys confidence and interest in the other person. It shows that you actually want to talk to them. Same with a smile; no one wants to be introduced to a grump. And if you do come off as unfriendly, whoever you are talking to is probably going to make quick their escape. So, smile and look who you are talking to in the eye.

3. A good firm handshake gives an excellent first impression: This goes along with my comments on confidence and friendliness. A good handshake can convey both. However who initiates a handshake can be a cause of some confusion. So here are some guidelines:

• In general a lady offers her hand to a gentleman because she shouldn't have to shake his hand if she doesn't want to.
• A "higher ranking" person offers their hand first. Be it your employer, father in law or the President, they offer their hand first.
• If your situation falls in neither of these categories then you should offer your hand first. It saves confusion. However you are perfectly within your right not to (because of germ spreading or something like that) but if someone offers their hand to you it is the height of rudeness to refuse it.

4. Introductions do not need to be fancy or creative: "Hi, my name is Emilie Cox. What is your name?" is a perfectly acceptable greeting and does not take a lot of forethought. If you are introducing your friend to someone else "Hannah, this is my friend, Megan. Megan, this is Hannah." is correct and easy to say. There is no need to overthink what you are going to say. That only adds stress where stress is not due. So don't over think it.

To sum up; be confident and friendly. A cheerful smile goes a long way. And remember, introductions do not have to be complicated or intimidating so don't think of them that way :)