The stress associated with introducing yourself is common and not without warrant. Everyone's eyes and ears are upon you.  It's easy to mess up. On the other hand, self-introductions are the most direct way to reinforce your desired personal brand. The secret is to use a simple framework: Present, past, and future.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Present:  Start with a present-tense statement to introduce yourself. Of course, what you share will depend on the situation and on the audience. If you are not sure what to share, your name and job title is a great place to start. If there's an opportunity to elaborate, you can also share other details such as a current project, your expertise, or your geographical location.                                                                                                                                 Past:  The second part of your introduction is past tense. This is where you can add two or three points that will provide people with relevant details about your background. It is also your opportunity to establish credibility. Consider your education and other credentials, past projects, employers, and accomplishments.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Future:  The third and last part in this framework is future-oriented. This is your opportunity to demonstrate enthusiasm for what's ahead. If you're in a job interview, you could express interest in the meeting topic. If you're kicking off a project with a new team, you could talk about how excited you are, or share your goals for the project.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             That's it for the self-introduction framework. Present, past, future. Eloquent and effective. By using this approach, you'll not only introduce yourself better, but it also frees you from ruminating on what you'll say when it's your turn to introduce yourself and allows you to listen when others introduce themselves. You will also make it easy for the person who introduces themselves after you since you'll conclude your self introduction with positive enthusiasm.  The next time you're in a meeting and someone says "Let's go around the table and introduce ourselves," you know what to do. Take a slow, deep breath, and think, "Present, Past, Future."  Then smile and listen to everyone else until it's your turn. You got this!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             -by ANDREA WOJNICKI - founder of Talk About Talk - article in Harvard Business Review