The Self-Introduction

Previously at the Chromatic English School we posted 3 Podcasts Worth Listening to. On that list was the Grammar Girl whose English tips for better grammar in writing and speaking are a great resource for improving your English. The Quick and Dirty Tips website has a lot of valuable learning resousces and the one I've been listening to a lot lately is The Public Speaker.

Listening to The Public Speaker Podcast Quick and Dirty tips for improving your communication skills I came across the How to Introduce Yourself to a Group or to a Class episode. Click on the link and go check it out now. I can wait till you get back...

OK, finished? Pretty helpful. What do you think?

I used this with my class today to help one of my students with her introduction for when she visits an American school in the spring.

Here is an outline of how I taught my class using the tips from The Public Speaker and somethings I added for the ESL learner.

Introduction

1. Say your name
Say your first name then say your name again with your last name. Say it slowly and pronounced so everyone in the room can hear it and remember it.

My name is Joshua, Joshua Wood. 

2. Say where you are from
Say the country you are from.

I'm from the United States. 

3. Say a few of your interests
-One or two that you might share with the class or group
-One that's personal to you

Shared Interests
Interests that are open and not too specific

• Music
• Reading
• Writing 
• Cooking
• Movies
• Sports

Personal Interests
Interests that are specific 

• Playing the drums
• Computer programming
• Writing a blog
• Public speaking
• Hanshin Tigers baseball 

A shared interest can be made personal by adding details to it:
I like reading especially Japanese mystery novels. (If especially is a hard word to pronunciation you can change to, I like to read. I really like to read...)

Use the prompt
When I take a break from studying I like to...

When I take a break from studying I like to watch movies, reading and playing the drums.

Your main goal for your self-introduction is for teachers and classmates to remember who you are and feel like they have something in common with you.

Please post your self-introduction onto Voice Thread. We look forward to hearing from you!
Happy learning!