"It’s great to meet you!” What do you say next? Whether you’re socializing for work or trying to make new friends, the conversation that follows may change your life.
Psychologists say that you have fewer than 30 seconds to make new people like you. After the first impression, it’s difficult to change their minds.
There is a lot of advice on body language, dressing up, and improving your personality. In this post, we’ll focus on how to introduce yourself in English and, more importantly, how to make sure people never forget you.
Casual first-time conversations can sound like this:
Victor: Hello. I’m Victor. How are you?
Marian: Hi, Victor. My name is Marian. I’m great, thanks for asking.
Victor: It’s nice to meet you, Marian. So, tell me more about yourself.
Marian: Well, I’m new here. I’m from Santander, Spain.
Victor: That sounds interesting. I have never been to Santander. What is it like?
Marian: Santander is a beautiful city in the north of Spain. We have lovely beaches and not too many tourists.
Victor: Santander sounds awesome. I grew up near the beach. I love the sand and sun! What else can I see there?
Marian: I love the sand and sun too! There’s so much to see in Santander. You should visit someday.
Our best tip here is to be like Victor! In the conversation above, he does three things correctly. Practice doing these three things in daily English conversation.
1. Show interest in the person. People like it when you’re interested in them. It makes them feel good—and people like people who make them feel good.
Victor asks good questions that encourage Marian to talk about herself. He keeps the conversation on a safe topic for small talk so she feels comfortable.
2. Share information about yourself. When meeting someone for the first time, it helps to discover how the two of you are the same. Generally, people like people who are similar to them.
Victor tells Marian he lived near the beach too. This builds camaraderie.
3. Show you are listening. People like knowing you hear what they’re saying—and they will like you even more!
Victor shows Marian that he’s listening by making appropriate responses. He asks follow up questions. He also repeats what Marian said—when she tells him “Santander is a beautiful city,” he says, “Santander sounds awesome.”
To make even better first impressions, improve your English conversation skills. Learn more English phrases for small talk, practice questions you can ask in basic English conversation, and find different ways to show you’re listening.
Get in touch with us—Learntalk is more than happy to help!
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