Small Talk Tip - How To Introduce Yourself To Someone New!
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Emma from mmmEnglish shares a simple four-step method for introducing yourself to someone new in English. Whether you're at work, meeting a neighbor, or chatting at the park, these steps make small talk easier and more enjoyable. The method includes finding a common point of interest, casually introducing yourself, asking a relevant question, and leaving with a friendly goodbye. Emma emphasizes keeping the conversation brief to create opportunities for future interactions. This approach helps English learners build confidence in making new connections.
Takeaways
- 😊 Keep introductions short, fast, and easy to remember for any context like work, parks, or casual settings.
- 💬 Use a four-step method: find a connection, introduce yourself, ask a relevant question, and give good vibes before moving on.
- 🌞 In step one, find an interesting point that connects you to the person, like the weather, food, or shared activities.
- 👋 In step two, introduce yourself casually. Add 'by the way' for a relaxed tone, e.g., 'I'm Emma, by the way.'
- ❓ In step three, engage them with a question relevant to your opening topic, like 'How long have you worked here?'
- 👍 Step four is all about giving good vibes and wrapping up the conversation with a friendly closing, like 'It was lovely to meet you.'
- 😌 Keep the first meeting short and think of it as laying the foundation for future interactions, not a deep conversation.
- 🐕 Tailor your small talk to the context, like mentioning kids at school drop-off, or dogs while at the park.
- ✏️ Practice by writing down your conversation ideas and follow the four steps to refine your approach.
- 👥 The goal of small talk is to make a positive impression and create opportunities for future interactions.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video script?
-The video focuses on teaching a simple four-step method to introduce yourself in English, making it easy and enjoyable for English learners.
What are the four steps in Emma’s introduction method?
-Step 1: Find an interesting point that connects you to the person. Step 2: Introduce yourself and tell them your name. Step 3: Engage with a relevant question about the context. Step 4: Give good vibes and move on.
Why is it important to keep the introduction short and simple?
-Keeping the introduction short and simple is important because most first-time meetings are brief. The goal is to make a positive connection and leave room for future conversations.
How does Emma suggest reducing nervousness when meeting new people?
-Emma suggests focusing on making the introduction simple and viewing it as a brief interaction rather than a big commitment. This helps reduce the anxiety of meeting new people.
What types of situations does Emma provide examples for using her method?
-Emma gives examples of using her method when meeting a neighbor, meeting a colleague at work, and chatting with other parents at a school drop-off.
Why does Emma recommend using 'by the way' when introducing yourself?
-'By the way' makes the introduction feel casual and relaxed, allowing it to flow naturally into the conversation without overwhelming the other person with too much information.
What kinds of questions does Emma suggest for step 3?
-Emma suggests asking questions related to the context of the meeting, such as asking about the area if you're new, or asking about work or kids in relevant settings.
Why is it important to 'give good vibes and move on' after the introduction?
-It's important to leave the conversation on a friendly note, as this creates a positive impression and opens up opportunities for more interactions in the future.
How does Emma compare the first meeting to building a relationship?
-Emma compares the first meeting to laying the first brick in a wall, where each short interaction helps to build and strengthen the connection over time.
What does Emma encourage viewers to do to practice the method?
-Emma encourages viewers to think of scenarios and write down their responses for each of the four steps in her method, practicing how they would introduce themselves in different contexts.
Outlines
🎤 Introduction to Small Talk and Self-Introduction Tips
This paragraph introduces a four-step method for introducing yourself in English, applicable in various settings like work, with neighbors, or in social gatherings. Emma, from mmmEnglish, highlights how easy and quick these steps are, allowing for immediate practice. She emphasizes that this method reduces anxiety and is designed to make introductions smooth and memorable. Emma also mentions her background, as a language coach and co-founder of an English-speaking community for women, encouraging viewers to stay connected through her socials.
🤝 Why Small Talk is Important and the Four-Step Method
Emma discusses how meeting new people often triggers nervousness, especially for English learners. She explains that people fear making mistakes, running out of things to say, or being introverted. The four-step method is introduced as a way to overcome these challenges. Emma asks viewers to reflect on what makes them nervous and introduces the four steps: finding a connection point, introducing yourself, engaging with a relevant question, and ending the conversation with good vibes. Each step is designed to make brief encounters meaningful, laying the groundwork for future interactions.
☀️ Step 1: Find an Interesting Connection
The first step is to find something relevant in the moment to connect with the other person. Emma gives examples such as commenting on the weather when meeting a neighbor or discussing lunch in the office kitchen. The goal is to make a simple, relatable remark that eases into the conversation. These initial comments are crucial to creating a connection and can be about anything relevant to the setting, like sports, kids, or a shared experience.
🙋♀️ Step 2: Introduce Yourself Casually
In this step, Emma emphasizes keeping introductions brief and casual. She explains how adding phrases like 'by the way' makes introductions more relaxed and natural. The introduction should provide just enough information to keep the conversation flowing. Emma provides examples of introducing yourself in different scenarios, such as at work or when meeting another parent at school, and advises viewers to let the other person respond or ask questions.
❓ Step 3: Ask a Relevant Question
The third step involves asking a question related to the initial connection point. This keeps the conversation going and makes it engaging. Emma offers examples of context-related questions for different settings, like asking a neighbor how long they've lived in the area or a colleague about their projects at work. These questions are designed to be simple and relevant, encouraging the other person to share more about themselves.
💫 Step 4: Give Good Vibes and Move On
Emma explains that the final step is to end the conversation on a positive note, leaving the other person with a good impression. This step is about making the interaction brief but pleasant, setting the stage for future conversations. Emma suggests friendly closing lines like mentioning you need to go but look forward to seeing them again. The aim is to create a positive, lasting impression without dragging out the conversation.
🐕🦺 Practicing the Four Steps
In this section, Emma encourages viewers to practice the four steps by imagining a conversation with someone they meet while walking their dog. She invites them to write down their responses for each step and offers to provide feedback in the comments. This interactive practice aims to help learners internalize the method and become more confident in real-life conversations.
🧱 Building Connections One Brick at a Time
Emma wraps up the lesson by reinforcing the idea that the goal of these first conversations is not to have long, deep discussions but to create a positive interaction that can lead to future conversations. She compares these brief interactions to laying the first brick in a wall, which will grow with every future encounter. She encourages viewers to engage more often and practice these skills to improve their English fluency and confidence.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Introduce Yourself
💡Small Talk
💡Four-step Method
💡Connection
💡Context
💡Engage
💡Good Vibes
💡Brief Interaction
💡Next Interaction
💡Confidence
Highlights
Learn a four-step method to introduce yourself in English, making the process easy and enjoyable.
This method works in various situations, like at work, with neighbors, or in social settings like parks.
Emma from mmmEnglish helps English learners speak confidently and is the co-founder of Hey Lady!, a community for women to build fluency.
Step 1: Find an interesting point that connects you to the person you're speaking with in that moment.
Step 2: Introduce yourself by saying your name, adding 'by the way' for a more casual, relaxed introduction.
Step 3: Engage with a relevant question based on the context or topic you used to start the conversation.
Step 4: Leave the conversation with good vibes and keep it brief, aiming to inspire future interactions.
Example of step 1: If you're meeting a neighbor, you can start with 'It's a beautiful day, isn't it?'
Example of step 2: Introduce yourself by saying 'I'm Emma, by the way. I just moved into number seven.'
Keep your introduction simple and brief, focusing on just a short, friendly interaction.
You don’t need a long conversation; the goal is to make a good impression for the next time you meet.
In step 3, ask relevant, engaging questions like 'How long have you lived here?' or 'Which team do you work in?'
Step 4 is about giving a friendly goodbye like 'I've got dinner on the stove, so I'd better go, but lovely to meet you.'
This method applies in different contexts, like when meeting someone at work, in the neighborhood, or when picking up your kids.
Think of every brief interaction as laying the first brick in a longer-term connection with someone.
Transcripts
This is my best small talk tip,
how to introduce yourself to someone new.
Right now I'm going to teach you my four-step method
to make introducing yourself to someone in English
easy and enjoyable.
You can use these steps to introduce yourself at work,
to a neighbour, at a bar, at the dog park, anywhere
and the best part is it's short, it's fast,
it's easy to remember
so you can start practising your introduction today.
I'm Emma from mmmEnglish and I help English learners
around the world to speak English confidently.
I'm also the co-founder of Hey Lady!,
an English-speaking community for women
to develop confidence and fluency as English speakers.
You can find me on all my socials, all the links are down
in the description.
But right now, let's dive into my
four-step process to help you introduce yourself to anyone.
Okay I'm so excited to share my method
to introduce yourself in English because it's
simple and it's easy to remember.
We can get so worried and so nervous about meeting
new people.
Perhaps you worry about making a mistake in English,
perhaps you don't quite know what to say
or you worry about running out of things to say once you start.
Maybe you're an introvert and you really have to force
yourself to meet new people.
Is that you?
What makes you nervous about
meeting someone new in English?
Let me know down in the comments.
So let's get started with those four steps to introduce yourself.
Step one:
Find an interesting point that connects you
to this person in that moment.
Step two:
Introduce yourself, tell them your name.
Step three:
Engage with a relevant question about the context
or the topic that you mentioned in step one.
Step four:
Give good vibes and move on.
All of this should be over in two or three minutes.
We worry about starting conversations but the reality is that
most first-time meetings are really brief
and they are the opportunities that we have to
find connections,
connections that you can use
later on when you see that person again next time.
So don't think about this first conversation as being
a huge commitment.
It's brief, it's fast
and you've got to hit some key points.
So I'm going to break down each of those steps now
but to do that, I'm going to share three different scenarios.
Meeting your neighbour, you've just moved into a new house.
At the office,
you've been working there for a few months now
but you see someone that you haven't met yet
in the staff kitchen.
When you're dropping your kids off at school
and you see some of the other parents
chatting outside the classroom.
At each step, we'll talk about these three different scenarios
so that you can see how my method applies in
each of these different contexts
and I'll give you some examples.
Step one, find an interesting point that connects you to this
person in that moment.
It's a beautiful day, isn't it?
The weather is a perfect topic because most likely,
you'll be outside when you're meeting your neighbour.
That smells good!
What have you got for lunch?
Usually, you run into people in places like the staff kitchen
so we're using the context to start our conversation.
Don't forget your lunchbox, Ted!
He forgot it three times last week.
This is great because it's relatable, everyone's a parent
here so they can laugh about the silly frustrating things
that their kids do so it's a really great way to start
a conversation.
See how in each of those different situations, the comment
or the question that I use to start the conversation
connects you to that moment that you're in.
It could be the weather, it could be a sports game,
it could be your kids or your car,
whatever it is that is relevant in that moment
and it can be really simple.
In fact, it should be because
you're just getting started here, you want to keep it simple.
Now at step two, you want to take the opportunity
to introduce yourself
but this is not the type of introduction where you
give lots of information about your
family or what you do for work or
where you're from or anything like that.
It should be fleeting, almost like
a little extra piece of information.
I'm Emma, by the way.
Adding "by the way" helps
this interjection seem casual and relaxed.
We use it in English conversations all of the time
to give a little bit more information or
to introduce a new subject to a conversation so it's just like
a little interjection, a little disruption
and you can add a little bit more context to it if you want.
I'm Emma, by the way.
I just moved into number seven.
I'm Emma, by the way.
I just started in the policy team.
I'm Emma, by the way, Ted's mum.
I think our kids are in the same class.
Easy, right?
Just keep it simple.
Once you've introduced yourself,
then pause, let them speak.
They're probably going to introduce themselves
or say something nice.
They might even ask you a question.
Step three, engage them with a relevant question about
the context or the interesting point you made in step one.
How long have you lived in the area?
Hey, you wouldn't have any recommendations about a great
restaurant nearby, would you?
Do you know if there's a dog park in the area?
How long does it take to walk to the beach from here?
How long have you worked here?
Which team do you work in?
What projects are you working on at the moment?
So tell me, where is the best coffee around here?
What's your son or daughter's name?
I think Ted has talked about Sam before.
Are you going to the school concert on Friday?
Do you have any other kids at the school?
How old are they?
These are just a few ideas but you can see that we're just
extending the simple ideas and the questions
that are related to the context in that moment.
And we've already made it to the last step guys.
Step four, give good vibes and move on.
We're not aiming for a ten minute conversation here.
We're aiming to make a good impression and importantly,
inspire the next opportunities for our next conversation.
We're going to take all of the information we collect
at this first brief meeting and use it to build a stronger
connection with this person next time.
So right now, all we need to do is leave this conversation
in a friendly way so that that person you're talking to
looks forward to talking to you again next time.
Well I've got dinner on the stove so I'd better go but
lovely to meet you.
It was great to meet you anyway.
I'm sure I'll see you around.
Well it was lovely to meet you.
I'll see you at drop off tomorrow!
Okay now it's your turn to practise.
I'm going to give you the opportunity to meet someone new
and I want you to think about the four steps in this process.
I want you to write down your answers in your notebook
or type them down into the comments below.
I want you to think about what you would say for all four steps.
If you add it down into the comments,
I'll be able to come down and read your ideas,
make some suggestions or some corrections if you need it.
Sound good?
You see this woman while you're out walking your dog.
How can you start a conversation with her?
So step one is
find an interesting point that connects you to this person.
Step two, introduce yourself.
Step three,
engage them with a relevant question about the context.
And step four, give good vibes and move on.
Pause the video and imagine your conversation.
And there you have it!
I hope my small talk tips help you to introduce yourself
to start more English conversations and make more
English-speaking friends.
Remember that the first time you introduce yourself
to someone,
your aim is just to have a friendly, positive interaction,
not to have a long, deep, detailed conversation.
Think of this first meeting as you laying the very first brick
in a wall.
That wall is going to grow, it's going to become bigger
with every short interaction you have with this person.
Right now, you're just creating the opportunity for your next
friendly interaction.
If you enjoyed this lesson, please let me know.
You can give me a like, you can drop me a little comment
or even better, you can subscribe to my channel
just down there so you never miss
a mmmEnglish lesson.
In fact, let's go check out this one right now.
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