Introduce Yourself As Inigo Montoya
Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. I work on the ground floor for business development. May I give you some ideas for lunch?
Ellie McLean, CEO of the Work Lunch mentoring program, invented clever mnemonics for self-presentation, inspired by the noble swordsman from The Princess Bride .
To introduce yourself to people in a more confident and meaningful way, you should model your performance after Inigo Montoya’s famous phrase from The Princess Bride : “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. ”With these three sentences from Inigo:
- Welcomes his new contact
- Calls himself
- Explains how he and his contact are related.
- Sets the tone and purpose of the meeting
Every time you introduce yourself in person, by email, or over the phone, you should do the same. If you hate making phone calls or meeting people, it is very helpful to have an introductory line that covers these four points.
He works in a professional environment:
Hi, it’s Nick! I work for Lifehacker, a how-to site. I am writing about how to be a rodeo clown. I saw a video of your work at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo and wanted some advice from you.
Works more day to day:
Hi, I’m Norm, I’m a regular here. I haven’t seen you at the bar before, can I get you a beer?
This is usually not difficult. It is used when you are anxious, when you find yourself in a new or frightening situation and forget basic things. It even works in a room full of strangers, if you have any reason to be with them.
The Work Lunch is a mentoring for underrepresented people in the gaming and tech industries in Australia and New Zealand. McLean included Inigo Montoya’s advice in her working lunch presentation and tweeted a slide from her personal account . It appears online every few months , often uncredited. So next time you will find out who started it: a real professional networker.