I help you to explore personal growth avenues like public speaking, grooming and mindset shifts. These will help build confidence required for personal and professional growth.
After a long pause, I’m starting fresh. For the past year, I did not write. Honestly, I felt stuck. Recently, being benched at work has given me unexpected free time. Instead of letting that time weigh me down, I’ve decided to use it to grow, reflect, and share.
This site — Grow With Wealth — began during my Toastmasters journey. Read the first post here. It reminded me that growth isn’t only about money, but also about communication, resilience, and mindset.
Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing short reflections on:
Lessons from public speaking and leadership
Insights from my engineering career journey
Practical thoughts on personal finance and investing
My goal is simple: to keep learning, to keep growing, and to document the journey. If you’ve ever felt stuck or uncertain, I hope these posts remind you that growth is always possible.
Thanks for reading. Do subscribe and meet you in a while. Let’s begin again.
Giving your Icebreaker Speech or in other words introducing yourself is a daunting task. Be it social setup, formal or informal set up.
Why should we learn How to introduce yourself?
My dear friend if you are the brand, your story is your card. Even in your absence it continues to speak for you.
How will you learn?
I’ll share with you the same steps that shaped my journey as a speaker. They’re simple, they work, and if you practice them, you’ll become someone people remember..
What will you learn?
You’ll learn 3 steps to up your game. Specifically learning:
A simple structure for introduction
Choosing a personal story that connects
Things to avoid as a speaker
Results –
Once you apply these, within next few introductions, you will see the difference. The tell-tell signs will be,
You will be easily remembered.
You will get more smiles at you.
Wondering what makes me such an expert?
I’ve introduced myself across three countries, in every role and team, sometimes formally, sometimes casually, but always with impact. Over time, I’ve learned how to turn nerves into stories and stories into connection.
Do you want to linger like a sweet perfume in their sub-conscious, this post is for you.
Let’s Learn –
Picture this:
You’ve to introduce yourself to a room full of seniors, colleagues, or maybe someone you like. Is this your approach? Hello, I am Julie/Joans/Ashish. I work in XYZ department. I live near ABC area. I am here to explain about ABC / introduce myself.
People react to it unenthusiastically. A few nods and fake smiles. The engagement is not real.
Why does it not work?
I will tell you the secret, no Story = no connection. I remember the following quote –
The goal of communication should be connection, not perfection
Mr Matt Abrahams, the Author of “Think Faster Talk Smarter”
The secret Ingredient
Stories help to build that elusive connection. It must be the heart of any icebreaker or introduce yourself speech.
Well let’s start by helping you to create that one “Hey, this is me,” speech by creating structure.
Introduction part of your how to introduce yourself speech
When learning, how to introduce yourself or how to give icebreaker speech, remember introduction sets the tone. It is a reason to listen, and our chance to build curiosity.
Example : “Hi, I’m Riya. I once tried to impress my boss by fixing the office printer. Long story short—we now have a new printer.”
Note: The tone is playful, working well with a relaxed audience, open to a laugh. Just keep it light and respectful.
Informal Style – Team settings
Example :“I’m Ashish your team lead. We are about to start this new project. In the past project, with help of efficient use of sub-contracting, my team exceeded management’s profit estimates. Subsequently the team won the Star Performer award. Looking forward for to working with you all.”
Formal Style – Senior leadership and clients type of setting
Example : “Good morning. I’m Aarohi, currently leading the Sales for south region. My focus has been on performance optimization. I’m passionate about using AI in estimating thus adding value to the client and our organization.” This tone is respectful, polished, and still gives a glimpse of your personality.
Note – all the above short introductions have Past -Present-Future and a story for connection.
Pro Tip: match your tone to the setting—and to be yourself while doing it. That’s what leaves an indelible impression on your audience.
Body of your How to introduce yourself speech
Further build that momentum by including relatable, enjoyable and informative stories. Subsequently these stories will build the connections.
Body for Informal Settings
In casual or social environments, feel free to share more personal details:
Who’s in your family
Where you live (or have lived)
Colleges or courses you attended
Hobbies is a go-to detail
Some interesting Jobs you’ve worked
Among any one detail, add a story that’s specific and special to you.
Why? Because audiences love stories. They remember stories more than facts.
Example: “I grew up in three different cities. In one, I learned how to ride a bike. In another, I learned how to speak up. And in the third, I learned how to listen.” You can expand on it.
Body for Formal Settings
In professional or formal environments, focus on your career journey:
Colleges and degrees
Association with past Companies or departments
Past and current projects
Any special recognition or awards
Continue with the story you told in Introduction. If time permits and the occasion allows, share a story that made you feel proud. Why? Because the story that makes you proud is the one you’ll tell best. Example: After telling about projects, you can slide into the story by saying “One highlight of my career was creating a central database for codes and drawings. It saved time across many projects and taught me a simple truth—small ideas can create big impact” Body is required to continue the momentum and adding more information about you.
Pro Tip : Do do not have to by-heart your speech. Since it’s your story, you know the part well. Just remember you have to tell a story about one of your Projects.
Conclusion of your how to introduce yourself speech
Do not end the speech abruptly. I’ve heard so many speakers end their speech abruptly—no signal, no summary, just a sudden stop. You loose your audience in that moment. Here’s what myself—and many seasoned speakers—recommend:
Signal the End Clearly
Let your audience know you’re coming to the end. Use phrases like: “To conclude…”, “Let me leave you with this…”, “Now, this brings us to the end of my speech…” This helps your audience mentally prepare to reflect and respond.
Summarize Your Message
With a big smile, remind your audience what you’ve shared:
Who you are
Connect the story with the moral you received from it.
Example: “So that’s a little about me—from the cities I’ve lived / projects I’ve worked on. I look forward to meet you / work with you / learn more about / from each of you.”
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Here are a few things to steer clear of in your first icebreaker speech:
Trying to Impress Instead of Connect
It’s tempting to list achievements or use complex language to sound impressive. But your audience is more interested in who you are than what you’ve done. Keep it real and relatable.
Overloading with Details
Don’t try to tell your entire life story in one speech. Stick to one or two meaningful moments. Too many details can bore your audience.
Ending Abruptly
A sudden stop can leave your audience puzzled. Always signal the end and wrap up with a clear, warm conclusion that reinforces your message.
Watch what Vinh Giang has to say about speaking –
One common mistake – Stepping Back !
With these simple steps and a structure you can master the art of Introducing yourself during that crucial first meeting. If you use this, and see difference, do let me know. I would love a feedback.
Conclusion of our Post!
Here is a brief overview of 3 -steps on what we learnt in “How to introduce yourself speech”.
If these are your questions, look no further. We will explore it in this post.
What makes me such an expert you say?
Hello I am Ashish Gade, a millennial, worked in corporate world and a part of this “better-off” brigade. I have out-grown my comfort zone more than once, and every single time benefitted from it.
By the end of this blog I intend to help you –
Understand , why you must grow with your wealth.
Will provide you with framework of how to achieve growth in your professional and personal life
Let us start by understanding “Career & Growth”.
What is Meaning of Career?
As per Webster dictionary the meaning of career is
a field for or pursuit of consecutive progressive achievement especially in public, professional, or business life
The word Progressive achievement points towards growth. Career is selection, growth is its natural ally.
We consider life as your career, and discuss following types of growth-
Humans are social animals and need to grow socially.
Do you know social growth and mental resilience are directly connected?
This monk explains the modern depression succinctly-
Shaolin Monk on Depression.
Why do we have too much time on our hands? Few instances are-
Want milk, veggies, etc – Get it in 10 mins
Want to buy a stock – Get in 5 mins
Want to write a code – Get it in 2 mins
The other day, my daughter wanting new earphones, preferred a 10 min delivery app. Amazon’s overnight delivery seems slow. I was amazed.
Another instance, she used ChatGPT, to reduce the pixel size of her photo. Me a Millennial, would have used Microsoft’s Paint. She and got what she wanted in less than 1 minute, effectively saving 30 minutes.
This infers to the fact that technology saves our time.
Excess time leading us to spend it on non-growth avenues. Christina Tiplea writes how people are wasting time.
Incidentally, commencing your social growth journey will leave less time to waste, and more towards you will become an emotionally strong and resilient.
Financial Growth
Finally the perennial question that pops in our mind – Will career growth benefit me financially?
It is a valid question. If we are going to invest time and money in learning and growing, will we be rewarded for it.
It has been observed that the one who grows is rewarded. It is said-
Nature favors the one who dares to grow—quietly, persistently, and without permission
Let me tell you an instance where learning something new has helped me. During my PMP certification I invested money and time. It helped me in completing a digitalization project in my company. The project helped the firm. Subsequently I was rewarded with the star performer for the year along with handsome financial gains.
Growth mindset delivers handsome returns
That one decision, to learn a new skill not only changed my career journey but also rewarded me handsomely.
Use or that skill in my personal life has been an added advantage.
Let me put it clearly, career growth often goes hand-in-hand with better pay and benefits. When you show that you’ve got the skills, your company will choose you rather than look outside. And when you’re helping the company save money, there’s a good chance you’ll be rewarded!
Personal Growth
Personal growth is development of skills, knowledge and mindset.
You start by being self aware about yourself. Personal growth often requires stepping out of comfort zones. Every challenge, setback, or failure is an opportunity to learn resilience and adaptability.
By embracing discomfort, you expand your capacity to handle life’s uncertainties with confidence. Growth also involves learning continuously—whether through books, mentors, experiences, or reflection—because new knowledge opens doors to new possibilities.
How to achieve Career Growth?
Until now we have established the necessity of career growth. Next how to achieve career growth?
Achieving career growth is not learning courses. Doing just that will be counter-productive.
Say you a computer engineer, starts learning finance course, would do little to enhance your growth. On the contrary it will lead you further away from your goal.
Following are 7 pointers which can lead to ensure you achieve career growth –
Be aware of your current situation. Learn what will elevate you to the next level.
Embrace Challenges and put your hand out for difficult assignments.
Build relationships – Talk to people more often, attach to social causes.
Surrounding yourself with growth oriented people will help you grow faster.
Journaling helps. Writing your goal and the steps required, give you a perspective of your journey.
Create something new – write, blog, get new hobbies.
Be a Lifelong Student. Curiosity leads to you knowing what is required to be done to grow. See what M/s Indra Nooyi says about being a Lifelong student
What I am doing, I have started blogging and attending workshops like Toastmasters and book clubs. This has provided me confidence to talk to people and mentally resilience towards my physical limitations.
Conclusion
Stagnation, you have to work against this one word. It erodes potential, dims the spark that makes us curious, creative, and courageous.
But the good news? Growth is always within reach. It starts with awareness, is sustained by action, and blossoms through consistency.
We saw-
What is growth
How to achieve it
Why it is necessary
As a person we have to grow
Socially
Personlly
Financially
Growth fuels purpose, builds resilience, and unlocks fulfillment and keeps us respected. Whether it’s learning a new skill, stepping out of your comfort zone, or simply choosing to do things better than yesterday—every act of growth adds weight to your presence in the world.
So ask yourself—not just where you want to go, but who you want to become. Because in the long run, as Benjamin Graham said, it’s not about who gets noticed—it’s about who truly matters.
