Social Etiquette Tip of the Week - "Making Introductions with Ease"

[Maria Brady]

Sweaty palms, not remembering someone’s name, awkward silences...for many people, making an introduction can be one of the most uncomfortable aspects of etiquette.

When you are in an uncomfortable situation, and you lose your self-confidence, it’s reflected in your posture, facial expressions, and demeanor. To avoid feeling socially awkward, and to present a poised and polished image when making introductions, all you need to remember is precedence…the order in which people are addressed. Here are some basic guidelines to keep in mind:

In both formal and informal social settings, women have precedence over men and older people over younger (as long as they are the same gender). You would say the name of the person that has precedence first…for example:

Formal - "Miss. Green, may I introduce...Mr. White"
Casual - "Susan Smith, this is...Bob Jones"

There are many complex introduction rules such as in business settings where ranking is taken into consideration. Then you have situations dealing with various titles, dignitaries, royalty, etc. but just knowing the basics will get you through most social situations.

To help make people comfortable as you make the introduction, include a brief but meaningful piece of information about each of the people to explain their connection. Never qualify a description by saying "my biggest client" or "my dearest friend" because the implication is that the other person holds a lower position in your personal hierarchy. When in doubt, be less personal.

Have you ever been in one of those sticky situations where you are called upon to introduce two people, but you can only remember the name of one of them? Introduce the person you know by their full name and then pause for the other to introduce themselves. This works in more cases. If you get not response simply say – I am sorry I have forgotten your name.

The most important point about introductions is to make them. If given a choice, most people would prefer you to make the introduction incorrectly, even if you forgot their name, rather than stand there unacknowledged and disregarded.