Your first impression starts with your introduction

Many meetings and interviews begin with the same line:

“Before we get started, let’s begin with short introductions.”

What follows is usually predictable.

In a monotone voice, people list their name, role, location—and if you’re lucky—a “fun fact.”

If an AI were trained on thousands of these intros, it would probably respond with something about the weather.

Why? Because most introductions invite safe, polite, surface-level conversation.

But here’s what many miss: your introduction is your first impression and your tone-setter.

When you introduce yourself this way—especially to a new team, hiring manager, or potential client—you come across as vanilla.

The conversation stays safe, guarded, and forgettable.

If that’s your goal, keep the vanilla intro.

But most people don’t actually want to leave a vanilla impression—they just don’t realize how much it limits the tone of the conversation that follows.

You want to lead with the impression you want to leave.

Think about how a great comedian opens a show—or how a founder starts an investor pitch.

They don’t just say who they are; they set the tone.

They grab attention, spark curiosity, and make you want to know more—because you’ve been hooked.

You can do the same.

Lead with something bold, impressive, funny, or simply human.

Because when you show more of what makes you you—your story, your quirks, your energy—you give others permission to do the same.

That’s how real connection starts.

That’s how trust and stronger relationships are built—not through titles or job descriptions, but through authenticity.

Before your next introduction, ask yourself:

👉 What tone do I want to set?

When you open up in a non-vanilla way, you instantly shift the dynamic in the room.

You move from polite small talk to genuine connection.

And trust me—it’s a lot better than talking about the weather.

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