Business Etiquette – How to Make Introductions

Introductions often create lasting first impressions. Make sure to act with proper etiquette when you meet someone for the first time and whenever you introduce people.

When You’re Introduced

During an introduction, follow these guidelines:

• Stand up: If you’re seated, it’s polite to get up when you’re introduced.
• Smile: A smile shows that you’re pleased to meet the person. Failing to smile can turn the other person off.
• Make eye contact: Making eye contact for the few seconds of the introduction shows the person you’re meeting that you’re focused on them.
• Shake hands firmly: A firm handshake conveys poise, confidence, and professionalism. The key to a good handshake is the grip. Take the other person’s right hand in your right hand until the web between your thumb and forefinger touches the same area on the person you’re meeting. Hold on firmly and pump up and down two or three times while looking the person in the eye. Don’t offer—or take—just the fingers.

• Make a point of remembering: Unless you expressly take a mental pause to remember a name, it’ll fly in one ear and right out the other.
• Using first names: Whether to use a title (Mr., Ms., Dr., etc.) or call someone by their first name is a matter of context. One good rule of thumb is to use the title until the other person invites you to do otherwise (or does otherwise themselves).
• Business cards: Give out business cards discreetly and only to people with whom you’re fairly sure you’ll be working in the future. Give business cards to someone who outranks you only if he or she specifically requests one.

Introducing Yourself

If you’re at a meeting or event and no one introduces you, it’s fine to introduce yourself. The key is not to be too bashful or too aggressive about it:

1. Walk up to the person or people you’d like to meet.
2. Say hello and give your name and position. If necessary, give your company name as well.

Making Introductions

When making introductions, provide enough context so the two people have some basis for interaction. Also keep in mind the respective ranks or seniority of the two people being introduced.

• Introduce the less powerful person to the more powerful person first, regardless of age or gender.
• Introduce coworkers to clients, not the other way around.
• When people are of equal or similar rank, introduce the one you don’t know as well to the one you know better.
• When someone holds a formal title (doctor, professor, senator), use it when introducing him or her.

If You Forget a Name

Everyone forgets names once in a while. If you forget one, don’t make a big deal—simply say, “I’m sorry, I’ve drawn a blank on your name,” make a concerted effort to remember the name this time, and then move on.