First impressions are everything, especially when used for networking purposes. An effective introduction combines the elements of authenticity and creativity, with the speaker momentarily taking command of a room in a business meeting.
Yet, because of the pandemic, these standards changed. Computer screens became replacements for face-to-face conversations, and gatherings went largely by the wayside.
Equipped with her preparation exercises, Eileen N. Sinett, a speech communications consultant, is sharing a remote presentation on the precipice of a time where companies are starting to return to their traditional business models.
“Introduce Yourself: Creative Introductions for Networking and Beyond” is held by the Princeton Public Library in partnership with PSG of Mercer County on Friday, March 25, from 9:45 a.m. to noon. The free event can be accessed via the web conferencing platform GoToMeeting. Attendees can join from the PSG website at psgofmercercounty.org/p/event-calendar.html.
While Sinett is originally from Middlesex, her Plainsboro-based practice, Speaking that Connects, has now relocated with her after 35 years. Sinett moved to Riegelsville, Pennsylvania, during the pandemic, meaning that all of her operations are now indefinitely remote.
“I look for creative ways to assist professionals to describe themselves in a way that is memorable,” she says. “As a communication person, I do it because people want to feel better about themselves, whether they have a lisp or a stutter, or whether they’re doing a thousand audience presentation for the first time. They want to feel good about themselves, and I want to nurture that feeling.”
Sinett, who has a bachelor’s degree in communication disorders and speech arts from Emerson College, as well as a master’s in speech correction from Kean University, adapted her upcoming presentation to reflect how the pandemic has changed conversation.
Sinett has refrained from participating in networking events over the past few years, a drastic change for the professional with years of leadership experience in workshops. Before the pandemic, Sinett says that “everybody followed each other” in terms of a default introduction.
“It was like name, rank and serial number,” she remarks of the order, which often grew repetitive after 50 or more people followed the same pattern. The atmosphere can make it difficult to remember who people are, and it inspired Sinett to come up with tricks to make the initial word choices matter.
She prefaces that one of her tactics is to set aside two minutes, then list everything a person does starting with a verb — in no more than six words. Sinett explains that by expressing what an occupation’s tasks or talents are, the overall descriptions can improve.
“You’re not a dentist, you improve people’s smiles. You enhance confidence through cosmetic dentistry,” she says. “It’s the action of the verb that really makes the introduction stick.”
She elaborates that people will frequently refrain from going outside of their comfort level in these scenarios. This is why, when given time to complete an exercise and analyze the results, professionals are more inclined to find the confidence to go above and beyond.
Rather than just improvising on the spot or memorizing a tagline, there are options to choose from, Sinett explains, that do not result in disappointment or negative comparisons to others.
For example, if three people from the same industry are in one meeting with their practices in a similar location at comparable price points, the differentiating factor for making a connection might even be a detail as miniscule as a clothing choice. Talking about the uniqueness of a person, or their clients, may be a distinct way to impress others.
Starter phrases, a term that harkens back to Sinett’s time as a speech pathologist, are also part of Sinett’s arsenal.
“Introduce yourself starting with ‘imagine.’ People can do it. They just never thought to do it,” Sinett says. “Or, introduce what you do starting with ‘my best client says,’ ‘my friends say,’ ‘picture this,’ or ‘what keeps me awake at night is.’”
Another tactic, this one brand new, involves comparing oneself to animals.
“You could say, ‘I’m a cross between a tiger and a kitten.’ ‘Sometimes you need a tiger in the courtroom. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.’ That kind of thing. Or ‘would you prefer a sweet cuddly puppy or a full grown German shepherd to represent your case?’ That could be how you start as legal support,” she says. “It’s a little metaphorical and symbolic, and it can be anything.”
Sinett’s favorite exercise, though, is to lead with an alter ego, or who a person is when not working in their field.
“For me, I like tap dancing,” she starts, using herself as an example. “‘I’m a tap dancing speech coach with a foundation in communication sciences — that means I embrace precision and performance while taking in physical, behavioral, and cultural nuance.”
“Now, this all has to be pertinent to the kind of meeting it is. It’s not for every meeting, but if you see the same people every month, perhaps this is something that works for you,” Sinett explains. “It depends on the structure of the event.”
Prior to the pandemic, formality was the norm, with some of the formats kept structured as a means of expediting the lengthy process.
Remote introductions have been far less proper, a fact that Sinett attributes to everyone’s names being printed on the box of the Zoom screen. People lead with questions and open up the chat for responses, but the interaction is hardly the same.
Sinett recommends that a simple icebreaker can work just as successfully as a catchy slogan when approaching a casual meeting.
“Because people have been so isolated, the necessity to differentiate yourself, creatively, I think, is less of a major criterion,” Sinett says. “People are so ready to be with people [that] I think they’re going to be a lot more liberal, at least in the beginning, of judging and expecting creativity. I think they’re going to be so happy just to be in the same room that the formality is not going to really kick in until this ‘new normal’ is ongoing for a while.”
The “original” networking of saying hello and exchanging pleasantries might be enough, Sinett says. The consultant adds that everyone is facing the unknown variables of reentering the workforce together, so she does not know if the world will return to form or change accordingly.
“We may go again in the direction of formality and structure and creativity, but I think as people are just getting back to live interactions, the focus is more on connection than the creative,” Sinett says. Introductions are now more important than ever, she continues, because seeing someone live or going for a handshake will be the monumental factor.
“What’s important is that you show up authentically, know who you are, and [you] can share something about yourself,” she says. “Ask, not only share, and ask about the other person, because it is a dialogue.”
“You can be creative once you’re authentic,” Sinett says. “I think authenticity leads, creativity enhances, and connection follows.”
