Lesson 1 — Introducing Yourself in a Professional Meeting
Lesson 01 of 20

Introducing Yourself
in a Professional Meeting

30 min
Kymbat
Situation + Functional
🎯

Lesson goal

By the end of this lesson, you will have a reliable, natural-sounding formula for introducing yourself to new international colleagues — and you'll have practised it under realistic meeting conditions so it's ready to use this week.

Context / Situation

  • First-time meeting with a new support team from a European partner
  • You're joining a short kick-off call
  • 3–4 other participants; you don't know them yet

Why this matters for you

  • First impressions set the tone for the whole relationship
  • A reliable formula removes the hesitation that costs confidence
  • Promotion = more of these moments, not fewer
Warm-up
Think about it first
How do you currently introduce yourself on an international call? What do you usually say in the first 30 seconds?
What feels most uncomfortable — starting, finding the right words, or knowing when to stop?
Think of someone whose professional English self-intro impressed you. What made it work?
Timed speaking challenge
Try to introduce yourself right now — record or just speak aloud for 60 seconds. Don't prepare. This is your baseline.
1:00
We'll come back to this at the end.
The structure
Scenario

You've just joined a video call. The host says: "Great, I think we're all here. Let's go round and do quick introductions — name, role, what you're working on."

Your turn. You have about 60–90 seconds. What's the ideal structure?

Step 1 · Name + Role

State who you are and what your title is — keep it short.

"I'm Kymbat, I'm a financial analyst at the European Bank."
Step 2 · Responsibility anchor

Tell them what you own or oversee — one sentence.

"I'm responsible for financial reporting across our Central Asia portfolio."
Step 3 · Connection point

Link yourself to why you're on this call — makes you relevant.

"I'll be your main point of contact on the budget side of this project."
The formula
"I'm [name], I'm a [title] at [company/department].
I'm responsible for / My role involves [key area].
[Connection to this meeting / team / project]."
Key note on register

In professional English meetings, shorter is more confident. 60–90 seconds is ideal. If you go over 2 minutes on a self-introduction, it reads as nervousness, not thoroughness. Saying less, clearly, signals authority.

Functional chunks — learn these as complete units

Don't translate word by word. Each phrase below is a single building block — learn the whole thing.

I'm responsible for [noun phrase]
Describes your ownership / scope
"I'm responsible for quarterly financial reporting."
My role involves [gerund phrase]
Describes your day-to-day function
"My role involves monitoring budget performance across teams."
I oversee [area / team / process]
Shows seniority and ownership
"I oversee the financial analysis for our Central Asia region."
I'll be your point of contact for [topic]
Establishes your role on this project
"I'll be your point of contact for the financial side."
I work closely with [team / person]
Signals your cross-functional reach
"I work closely with the risk and compliance teams."
I'm based in [city], so we're in [timezone]
Practical, sets expectations on an international call
"I'm based in Almaty, so we're UTC+5."
Looking forward to working with you [on this / all]
Warm close to your introduction
"Looking forward to working with you all on this project."
Happy to take any questions [later / at any point]
Opens the door without overstaying your turn
"Happy to take any questions at any point."
Turn-taking openers (for when you speak first or are called on)
Sure, I can go first —
Volunteers confidently
"Sure, I can go first — I'm Kymbat, financial analyst…"
Of course — so, I'm…
Natural response when called on
"Of course — so, I'm Kymbat, I'm a financial analyst…"
Controlled practice — fill the gap, then speak it aloud
1 — You're on a call and the host asks for introductions. Complete this opening:
Use: "I'm responsible for…" + your actual job area
"Hi everyone, I'm Kymbat. I'm a financial analyst at the European Bank. ________________________________________."
Model: "I'm responsible for financial reporting and budget monitoring across our portfolio."
2 — A colleague asks: "What exactly does your role involve?" Answer in one sentence.
Use: "My role involves…" + a gerund (verb + -ing)
Model: "My role involves analysing financial data, tracking budget performance, and producing reports for senior stakeholders."
3 — End your introduction warmly. The call is international — you've never met these people.
Use one of the closing chunks from the previous tab
Model: "Really looking forward to working with you all. Happy to take any questions at any point."
4 — Now put it all together. Speak your full 60-second introduction aloud — use the structure from Tab 1 and at least 3 chunks from Tab 2.
Step 1: Name + Role → Step 2: Responsibility anchor → Step 3: Connection point → Warm close
1:00
Record yourself if you can — then listen back.
Freer practice — full meeting scenario
The situation

You've joined a kick-off call with the analytics support team from the European Bank's Frankfurt office. There are 3 other participants. The host introduces the meeting and asks everyone to go round.

Dialogue model — study first
Example kick-off call~90 seconds of interaction
HOST Right, I think we're all on. Welcome everyone — this is our kick-off for the Q3 reporting alignment. Let's do a quick round of intros. I'll start, then we'll go round. I'm Marcus, head of analytics in Frankfurt…
MARCUS …Kymbat, would you like to go next?
YOU Of course — I'm Kymbat, I'm a financial analyst at the European Bank, based in Almaty. I'm responsible for financial reporting across our Central Asia portfolio, and my role involves close collaboration with risk and compliance teams. I'll be your main point of contact on the budget and reporting side for this project. Looking forward to working with you all.
MARCUS Great, thank you Kymbat. And are you the sole analyst on your side, or is there a wider team we'll be coordinating with?
YOU Good question — there are two of us on the analysis side. My colleague handles the operational data, so I focus on the financial reporting specifically. We can loop her in if needed.
Your turn — roleplay cues
YOUR CARD — Kymbat
You are: Kymbat, Financial Analyst, European Bank, Almaty

Your scope: Financial reporting, Central Asia portfolio

Your role on this project: Budget and reporting point of contact

Use at least 3 chunks from Tab 2. Aim for 60–90 seconds. End with a warm closing line.
TEACHER'S CARD — Marcus (Host)
You are: Marcus, Head of Analytics, Frankfurt

After Kymbat introduces herself, ask one follow-up question, such as:
— "Are you the sole contact on your side?"
— "How often do you typically report?"
— "Have you worked with our Frankfurt team before?"
After the roleplay — reflection questions
  • Did you use all 3 structural steps (name/role → responsibility → connection)?
  • Which chunk felt most natural? Which felt forced?
  • How did you handle the follow-up question — did you buy time or jump straight in?
  • Compare this to your warm-up recording. What has already changed?
Quizlet import — lesson 1 vocabulary set
How to import to Quizlet (English → Russian): Copy the text below → Quizlet → Create set → Import → paste → set delimiter to Tab, row delimiter to New line → set languages to English / Russian → Import.
English — term / phraseRussian — перевод и пример
Copy-ready import text
Homework

Before next lesson

  • Record a 90-second self-introduction using all 3 structural steps and at least 4 chunks from today
  • Listen back once — note any hesitations, filler words (um/uh), or moments where you searched for a word
  • Import today's Quizlet set and study it for 10 minutes (flashcard mode, then match)
  • Use at least one of today's phrases in a real work email or meeting this week — screenshot or note it down

Optional challenge

  • Write out your ideal self-introduction in full — then practise it 3× without looking
  • Try varying the order: what if you lead with the connection point first?