How to Introduce Yourself in a Meeting: 8 Tips + Examples

You’ve just started a role you’re thrilled about. Now, it’s time for your first team meeting—and time to introduce yourself. A good professional self-introduction is your first chance to show your new team that you have a lot to contribute. And it’s perfectly normal if you’re a little nervous. 

Just like every other professional mountain you’ve climbed, though, learning how to introduce yourself in a meeting at work is a skill you can practice. Once you’ve mastered these effective self-introduction tips, you can apply them anywhere—from meeting people at networking events to pitching to new clients. Read ahead for advice on how to introduce yourself in a meeting for the first time, including what to share and how to feel confident. 

• The importance of introducing yourself in a meeting
• Pitfalls to avoid when introducing yourself in a meeting
• How to introduce yourself in a meeting
• Meeting introduction examples
• Introduce yourself confidently with Fellow

The importance of introducing yourself in a meeting 

First impressions are everything, especially in new roles. They set the tone for your relationship with everyone else as they get a first glimpse of what you bring to the table. It’s your first chance to showcase your personality and explain your unique talents—and meetings offer a great opportunity to start off on the right foot. Here are some of the ways a strong introduction helps you build a solid foundation for positive professional connections. 

• Demonstrate your leadership skills. Effective public speaking is an important leadership skill. Show your new team that you can motivate and inspire with a clear, concise, and engaging introduction. 
• Facilitate productive collaborations. The great thing about introducing yourself in a meeting is getting the chance to detail your new role to everyone all at once. When exciting projects pop up that are relevant to your responsibilities and talents, they’ll know to reach out to you. 
• Break the ice. It’s normal to be a little nervous as you learn the ins and outs of the group with which you’re meeting. Introducing yourself in a meeting provides the perfect space to start the conversation. 

Pitfalls to avoid when introducing yourself in a meeting

You want to give an introduction that wows everyone in the room. Here are some tips for avoiding common mistakes so your introduction stands out for only the right reasons. 

• Be positive. Speaking negatively is almost never a good professional look, but avoiding complaints during your initial impression is especially important. If you have anything critical to say, keep it tactful or keep it to yourself. 
• Stay present. You don’t want to come off as distracted before, during, or after your introduction. Even if you’ve got tons of onboarding paperwork to fill out for HR, it can wait until after the meeting. Stay engaged in your introduction and give all speakers in the meeting the same courtesy. 
• Keep it professional. A quick personal anecdote is a great opportunity for your personality to shine. That said, be mindful of oversharing information that’s not appropriate for the workplace. 
• Get to the point. Your introduction is just the opening chapter. You don’t have to tell the whole story right away. Keep your introduction short and sweet.

Pro tip for team leaders: Set new team members up for success with an order of introductions using one of Fellow’s team meeting agenda templates. This way, you avoid a messy, disorganized gathering with rushed introductions.

How to introduce yourself in a meeting 

Here’s how to craft an introduction that will win over the whole room. 

• Leverage pre-loaded meeting templates
• Write out your introduction
• Explain your role in the company
• Practice your introduction
• Follow proper meeting etiquette
• Discuss your career history
• Pay attention to your body language
• Follow the “present, past, and future” framework
• Ask if anyone has questions

1 Leverage pre-loaded meeting templates

You only have one chance to make a lasting first impression. Fellow’s New Manager First Team Meeting Template or First Meeting with New Team Agenda Template both come with designated introduction sections built in, ensuring you have time blocked out to establish yourself as an effective and capable leader from the start.

2Write out your introduction

If you’ve got several years of experience to draw from, it can be difficult to narrow down exactly what to include in your introduction. Writing everything out makes it much easier to edit and refine so that you’re well prepared by meeting time. You can organize your thoughts and decide what’s relevant before the spotlight is on you. 

3Explain your role in the company

After your name, the most important thing for team members (or clients during a client meeting) to learn is your title. Start your introduction with your new role and a sentence or two describing your responsibilities and goals. It doesn’t hurt to briefly mention how you’re excited to contribute to everyone’s shared mission either. 

4Practice your introduction 

Introducing yourself in a meeting is a lot like practicing an instrument and building muscle memory for a performance. If you’ve shared your introduction out loud before, the words will flow much easier when it’s time for your meeting. Plus, you can hear how your writing sounds when speaking and make adjustments as needed. Pump yourself up and practice alone, or ask a trusted friend to listen and offer feedback. 

5Follow proper meeting etiquette

Your conduct throughout your meeting plays a role in your first impression. Following proper meeting etiquette, such as arriving on time and actively listening, shows your new team you respect them. Being polite and professional is also a great way to demonstrate you’re pleasant to work with. 

6Discuss your career history

You were chosen for this role because of your strengths. Take the opportunity to tell your fellow meeting attendees about the path that led you here. To keep it brief, try to think of major accomplishments that relate to your work. For example, if you boosted your previous team’s sales by 10 percent year-over-year, let your team know you’re great at closing deals. 

7Pay attention to your body language

It’s important to choose the right words for your introduction, but what you express nonverbally makes an impact too. Body language is an essential component of meeting communication—you’ll want to project confidence and show your friendly demeanor. Good posture, eye contact, and appropriate hand gestures (or none at all) are all key when delivering your introduction. 

You should also consider your attire. You don’t have to be overly formal, but you do want to wear a clean and professionally appropriate ensemble when you give your introduction. Every detail of how you present yourself makes a difference. 

8Follow the “present, past, and future” framework 

There’s a very simple structure to follow if you’re unsure of how to order the information in your introduction. Andrea Wojnicki of the Harvard Business Review details the “present, past, and future” model for seamless meeting introductions. Start with a present-tense fact about yourself, which can simply be your name and title. Follow that up with a little bit about your past experience.

After a brief overview of your past accomplishments, you’ll wrap up with a sentence or two about what you’re looking forward to in the future. Start on the right note and tell everyone how excited you are to work with them on innovative solutions. 

9Ask if anyone has questions

To give your new team the chance to get to know you better, close your introduction by providing space for questions. If time in the meeting is short, you can always encourage questions by email or a one-on-one after the meeting. This could be the perfect opportunity to spark a productive conversation with future project collaborators. 

Meeting introduction examples 

It’s always easier to write an introduction when you have some inspiration to guide you. Here are some examples of professional introductions for a few common meeting scenarios. 

• Introducing yourself in a meeting with your new team
• Introducing yourself in a cross-team meeting
• Introducing yourself in a meeting with clients

Introducing yourself in a meeting with your new team

Introducing yourself in a cross-team meeting

Introducing yourself in a meeting with clients

Introduce yourself confidently with Fellow

Introducing yourself in meetings sets the tone for productive and professional relationships. And Fellow is here to help! With collaborative meeting agendas, you can seamlessly add dedicated sections for introducing yourself to the meeting agenda. Plus, you can allow others to introduce themselves, as well! Utilize the collaborative agenda to jot down brief bios or interesting facts about yourself and each participant. This can be a fun and engaging way for everyone to introduce themselves beyond just their name and job title. Get started today with Fellow to make a lasting impression!

Parting advice

Coming up with a great self-introduction is easy when you follow these tips. A brief summary of your new role, past experience, and future wishes is all you need. If you need a little extra support, Fellow’s meeting agenda templates and note-taking features streamline your meeting introductions. With agenda templates, you’ll know exactly when to introduce yourself and what to say, and you can store everyone’s introductions in your notes. It’s a great way to figure out how you’ll present yourself and give everyone permanent reminders of who you are.