How I upgraded my on-the-fly intro
Plus, a winter induced stream of consciousness!
Hellloo!
I hope you’re doing a-ok, keeping steady, and staying motivated these days!
Oy. The headlines are a downer.
I’ve been stressed about the tariffs, the social regression on DEI (perfectly timed for Black History Month), and threats to our shiny happy way of life.
To counter, I’m laser focussing on everything positive - like Canada winning the Four Nations Hockey Face-off. Why are we not still talking about that?
Like the clementines that were so lip smack tangy, my past lives clapped and broke out into gospel.
Like my daughter’s eyelashes brushing my chest as she whispered her grade school drama.
Like my son responding to my first call in a voice that sounded like his smile.
Like how I married the guy who shovels our neighbours’ sidewalks.
Like how at night, snow reminds me of sequins.
I’m living in the moment, focusing on what I can control, curling up with my cuties.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m cool to wait for spring.
Now for this this post – a refresh of an old standby.
Read in your browser for the best experience. Let’s dive in y’all!
How I upgraded my on-the-fly intro
My YES-ESSENTIALS in winter induced stream of consciousness
How I upgraded my on-the-fly intro
Fini!
Oh, that was me after dropping my luggage in our entrance, flopping in the chair, breathing the familiar scent of our home – Palo Santo mixed with cocoa butter and fabric softener. Trust me, it works.
I’m just back from a massive four-day media conference stacked with meetings, workshops, panel discussions, attended by creatives and execs trying to make sense of our steadily evaporating kids entertainment industry.
The point of it all is business and partnerships. We are all trying to get content sold. Got to sell first.
Happy to report, the vibe was positive. Everyone I connected with was in ‘figure it out’ mode. It was time brilliantly spent.
Before heading down, I gave some thought to my on-the-fly intro, the ‘all of a sudden’ intro you don’t plan. No real reason other than I noticed that I’ve been hyperaware of my self-talk; what I say “to” myself is padded and so much gentler, but I hadn’t paid much attention to what I say “of” myself, out loud. To strangers.
Not to get too existential, ‘cause I love a good “Who am I, really?” spiral, but seriously, who am I really in this moment, at this event, and what do I want to broadcast to other humans about myself?
This could easily have become an ooommmgggwwwtttfff?? meta moment, but I dialled down the question.
Simply put - could I make my intro more me?
I thought it might be interesting for me to share what I learned and what worked better for me than a full-blown yada yada “I’m a baller” “Let’s do lunch” intro.
Why? Because intros can be supremely comfortable and easy like Sunday morning OR hella weird.
And what I’ve seen online about intros seems so much more complicated than what I found works for me.
Setting the scene - we’re not signing deals while standing in cramped quarters, drinks in hand at networking events. Unless you are. Go on you.
Most of us, are looking for a little juice (you know, helpful industry info), a nice back and forth, and a reason to keep the connection past this moment in time. Shooting the breeze, but with purpose.
I went with colleagues, but we sometimes split up strategically if there was a conflict and/or to cover more ground.
I’ve been at this networking/chitchat/performance dance for a while, so I know to take a deep breath and self-pep before entering solo.
I went to three networking events
I attended a dinner party of sixteen and I knew exactly ONE other person who
I sat nowhere near
I had five or six “bump ins” between my thirty plus meetings. Those are the spontaneous meetings that can happen between the scheduled meetings. I had to decide if I had enough time for a bathroom break AND five minutes to speak to someone I hadn’t planned on meeting. I always jammed in both!
I had plenty of chances to test drive my new “deeply me” on-the-fly intro.
So, what did I say? Spoiler – less than before!
I versioned this for every convo, but in a nutshell, here’s what I found was a winning formula:
I started with my name. This is not a duh! So many people skip this part and when you’re five minutes in, “I didn’t catch your name,” feels super awk. I say my name for pronunciation. I could be Andr-EH-ah or a 90210 ON-drea. I’m a true seventies ANNE-drea. Got to get that right, right off the bat.
I said something short and humourous that linked me to the person or the moment for levity. ‘Cause humour is what makes my world go round.
I lobbed a question. This was the key to upgrading my intro. I kept the “me” part short off the top and immediately engaged the other person with an easy question.
We always circled back to me and our company, what we do, what I do, and eventually, how our mutual goals could continue our conversation past the market.
The early question was clutch and helped propel the convo forward.
Here's what I sounded like -
Hi, I’m Andrea. I’m also trying to figure out how to make shows in this ridiculous market. Have you figured it out yet?
Hi, I’m Andrea. Shall we do the networking thing since we haven’t met? What’s your name?
Hi, I’m Andrea. I’m the lucky Canadian they let in. Are you with _____ Productions?
The early question versus continuing the blah blah blah about me really worked.
And I did the same thing if the other person initiated the convo. I kept my first bit short and engaged the other person again quickly.
The one question I never asked was the dreaded, “So what do you do?” Womp womp. Basic convo killah and not an easy question. We always got there; we just didn’t start there.
My intro really worked as a quick onramp to get to know the other person, a fast track to connection. I focussed on the “in” of intro. I got “in” to a conversation.
And I noticed the other person matched my duration. They didn’t drone on with a soliloquy. Thank goodness. They got my vibe right quick.
A tight intro helped me launch into so many cozy conversations. No need to go in a big weighty company profile and job description. We always got to the important stuff.
I found I was more present than I ever have been at this past conference because I tuned into other people much faster. Less is more.
Tight, light, lob a question - worked like a charm.
Thought you might find my most recent personal experiment interesting!
So keen to hear if this was the least bit helpful and more importantly – what do you say?
My YES-ESSENTIALS in winter induced stream of consciousness
Here are all the things I’m saying “yes” to x my current mood. Some people eat their feelings. I write them. Well, I eat them, too. See below!
idon’t know what’s going on but i’m loving the health canada food recall mailing list. ijust signed up, the alerts come EVERY DAY and icheck them as soon as they come in. iknow it’s weird but i’m letting it happen. products with undeclared mustard and nuggets with pieces of bone in them? this is real info i can use!
yes, to this new concealer that clings like an ex-boyfriend. shout out to e.l.f. as they’re keeping their dei efforts. this campaign? brill.
isleep with a bonnet and now a mini hot bottle to keep me warm. is anyone cute in winter? had no idea about this beef tallow stuff and now i spackle my fine lines at night. only at night. fully convinced dogs will chase me if i use it in daylight.
i’m trying to grow my hair once and for all. will this grow my hair? iwant freakin’ roots reggae rapunzel hair.
have you ever had a fresh tortilla hot off the pan? please add to your culinary bucket list. tissue paper thin from this joint. my tastebuds jumped out of my mouth and twerked on the table. roti is not exactly a tortilla, but after i drove dad to his cardiologist appointment (he’s good!), we made a stop for my favourite lick meh fingers roti in the gta. this is saying something because i'm a germaphobe and won't lick my own lips.
igave jodie the cut eye after she stole my boyfriend jj, but all is forgiven because she told me to use the gloves and almond oil. ohmystars. results. shea buttah to finish. discovered these rookie cookies at a blackowned market for bhm. toffee with my coffee, num num.
ending with a confession. Iluv celine dion. she is a goddamn national treasure. her face. her hair. her angelic charm. ilistened to its all coming back to me last week and those lyrics hiiiiiiit. babybabybaby! why does the guy have to crash out for this video? itotally did the dramatic drop by the window while singing along. isee you video director, mirroring the motorcycle crash with her fall. no winter of my discontent with celine in my ears. she’s my golden!
phew. done.
As always, thank you for riding with me and for reading.
Catch you soonsies!
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