Introduction is a skill worth mastering. According to statistics, a successful networker or a businessman in New York meets 3 new people every day. There are about 90 opportunities to introduce yourself and make a good first impression a month!

I attended a personal branding conference in Ibadan and I wanted to share with you the most impressive exercise they had us to do. They taught us to introduce ourselves with greater clarity and confidence using only 6 key words. The exercise was called the 6 Word Intro. They carried-out an exercise to show us and it was great. They asked us to go introduce ourselves on the camera before and after the exercise. This is reminiscent of the before and after image in The Big Loser.

The framework is very simple:

The first word is I or We if you represent a company.

The second word is HELP or a version of the help

The third part is WHO Do You Help aka customer

The next part is ACHIEVE. It will be the same for everyone.

And the last part is RESULT, finally, what are you helping them achieve?

I + HELP + (insert the word for the client) + ACHIEVE + (insert the word for the result)

The reason why this formula is so powerful is because it allows you to return the ball to the applicant faster than normal. It intrigues them and interests them.

When I say, "I help adults and adolescents achieve academic greatness," the other person chooses where to focus on in my introduction. They are also surprised at how concise I am and opens a dialogue.

"Wow, how are you doing this?"

"Are you a guardian?"

"What kind of greatness are you talking about?"

And most importantly, let the other person lead the conversation. For example: "I help business professionals connect and grow their businesses.”

"Wow, what kind of professionals?"

"How are you doing this exactly?"

The applicant is totally committed now, which increases the likelihood of making the actual connection.

Feel free to modify the formula according to your needs. I always change the client depending on where I am, whether I'm talking to Dumbo Creative, PWC Executive or with parents at an APT meeting.

Try practicing by saying in front of the mirror. Most communication is not verbal and much of the way you say it is not what you say.