As marketing and communications professionals, we're all comfortable introducing ourselves to new people, right? Or does the idea of describing your professional self to someone new cause you to break out in hives, or at least decline that upcoming event because you're worried you won't know what to say? 

I think that just because we know our way around a website, can whip up a press release or plan a marketing campaign with ease, it doesn't automatically make us masters of all interpersonal communications. So what's a self-respecting communications professional who knows the importance of networking to do?

I'd like to suggest a two-part strategy:

First, learn from others who can help you think about and prepare your introduction ahead of time. I came across this LinkedIn post: 5 Ways to Introduce Yourself Perfectly in 20 Words or Less. This down-to-earth method frames the problem and offers practical ways to think about the best words to use in an initial conversation. 

Second, practice your new words by attending at least one of MHSCN's upcoming networking events. They're informal, which makes it easy to talk casually with one another. And we usually include some fun icebreaker questions or activities to help get the conversation going!

I'm going to bone up on my introduction and take it for a test spin at our June 8 networking event. How about you?

Mary Beth Schwartz

MHSCN President