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Informal PersonalIntroductions

Gail P. Taylor, Ph.D.

UTSA MBRS-RISE/MARC U*STARPrograms

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Science Is Communication

Many formsPapers, talks, etc

Begins with Introductions!

New colleagues New labmates

Scientific Conferences

Involve both exchanging name ANDinformation about your research

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Introductions

Will introduce yourself to many people

Very important for networking

People will EXPECT this Need different lengths

5 second

15 second

~1-3 minute

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Confidence and Introductions

Everybody is nervous and unconfident at times, butmask in different ways

Confidence and warmth impress people and drawthem to you

Dont show nervousness The more you do something, the more confident you

feel

Intro will look more confident if you

Have a firm handshake Look people in the eye

Speak fluently

PRACTICE!

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If you Practice YourIntroductions You Will be

More Fluent!

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Aside about Imposter Syndrome

Some people may persistently disbelieve thatthey deserve to be in a position, level ofeducation, etc. Someone has made a mistake

Everyone else is smarter

All successes are an accident or luck

Women, minority, first generation college

students often fall preyLies in their headsbelieve that they are less

smart than everyone

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Handshakes

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Posture

Important for first impressions!

Always stand up for a handshake andintroduction!

http://www.faqfarm.com/Q/How_does_one_give_a_proper_handshake

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Components of a an WesternHandshake

Eye contact

Grip

Position Shake

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Handshake Overview

Establish eye contact

Cheat on eye contact, to extend yourhand to meet theirs

Meet hand webs and engage grip.

Tiny shakes two or three times, for aduration of ~1-2 sec

Break off smoothly

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Eye Contact

Establish before shake

Smile

May break eye contact to find hand Once your hands have met, make and

maintain eye contact throughout shake

NOTE: May be cultural problems here Chinese- Eye contact- you are interested in

the person

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Grip

One hand

Both hostility or romance or over-sincerity

Whole hand (not the Gwenevere!) Firm, but not crushing

Loose or limp weak or wimpy person

Too strong Challenge, hostility,compensation

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Position

Bodies two forearm distances away

Shaking arm bent with elbow at about 135angle

Forearm is level with the floor Hands straight up-and-down, even with each

other

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The Shake

Should be smooth

Not limp

Not over-enthusiastic

Shake from the elbow, not the wrist or theshoulder

2-3 shakes

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The Introduction Itself

Smile

Initiate Handshake with Hello, Im GailTaylor (Listen to theirs)

End handshake

Proceed into rest of introduction

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Very Short Introduction

Something like. Hello, Im Gail Taylor. Im an undergraduate

Biology student at UT San Antonio. I work inDr. Martha Lundells laboratory on serotoninneuron differentiation in Drosophila.

If at ABRCMS or SACNAS and talking to faculty,

add in that you are in the MARC or RISEProgram

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Longer Introduction of your Work

I have worked for the last year in a half, in Dr.firstname lastnames laboratory on neuronaldevelopment in drosophila. Ive worked onseveral projects. The one that Im presentinghere involvedPut smoothed abstract titlehere. Say something about why yourexperiment was important to the world. Wehypothesized that . We used . (briefly put

methods, techniques used here). We found(results here). We expected/didnt expect thisbecause. Next I will do ___________.

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Follow up

Make sure to ask them aboutthemselves!!!!