Your Introductory "Script"

“The key to a good speech? Three things. Be clear. Be brief. Be seated.”
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt

If you are attending professional meetings, meeting with seminar speakers or collaborators, or networking for a job, you need to have a succinct introduction for yourself.  This is often called an Elevator Speech (a introduction that lasts no longer than an elevator ride).  You may not be giving this introduction in a elevator -- in fact, you probably won't be giving it in an elevator -- but you still need a script to use to capture your audience's attention quickly. Think of this as your 30-45 second introductory script.   This script will be what you use to introduce yourself to new people at just about any professional event you attend.  You need to practice your script so that you can highlight who you are and your important accomplishments yet make sure it doesn't sound like you actually are reading from a script -- it needs to sound spontaneous but professional.  How do you begin?  Here are my suggestions.   

Crafting your Introductory Script (as a student)

• Give your name
• Give the name of your program of study
•  If you are at a scientific meeting, make sure to say which university you are from
• You can also include your mentor's name
• Give your expected graduation date or number of years in the program
• Discuss your area of research interest and how your background relates

Giving your Introduction

• You will be giving variants of this speech for years so review it and make changes before each event you attend where you might meet someone new. 
• Be enthusiastic. Maintain eye contact and confident body posture. 
• Be flexible with your script so that you can be guided by the person you've just met.  Listen to their questions if they interrupt you and be sure to answer them.  Prepare in advance with succinct answers to likely questions. 
• Once you've been asked technical questions, you can fill the listener(s) in with more specific details about your project. 

Go ahead and write out your own script.  What would a practice script look like? Here is an example of what I could have used as a graduate student:

"My name is Betsey Wagener. I'm a 4th year Cancer Biology student at the University of Arizona and plan to defend in November. I work on prostate cancer metastasis mediated by matrix metalloproteases. Your research interests me because ____."