I was running our storytelling workshop for a group of Microsoft employees this past Tuesday, when I asked about how often they introduce themselves.
Their answer? Frequently.
There is always someone new—whether a client, colleague, or stakeholder.
Astrolab workshops meet JTBD
When we first started running INSPIRA, we focused more on the why of storytelling and on the general steps to build a story.
As we get more and more experience working with real people in real Fortune 500 companies, we’ve been shifting our attention to the concept of Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD)—a framework popularized by the late HBS professor Clayton Christensen that looks at what job a person is hiring a product or tool to do.
In our case, this is the question we’ve asked ourselves about each of the tools covered in INSPIRA:
In what situation would someone reach for this tool, and what progress are they hoping to make?
So, for example, instead of just talking about using stories to call to action, we try to make participants think about specific moments where they need to do this, and think about the nuances of each scenario, such as the following examples from recent attendees:
- Suggesting the business units’ HR directors buy internal change management services instead of recruiting external services (by a change management manager in a huge conglomerate)
- Launching a new automation system to modernize one of the packaging lines (by a manufacturing director)
- Asking the CFO for their approval to remove n number of SKUs of a specific brand (by a brand finance professional)
During the past months, we’ve been experimenting with a new line of communication structures designed to help introduce ourselves in a professional context.
Here are three ways of doing this in a memorable way.
To the Point
How do you talk about yourself when a new boss, a random person at a conference, or your friend’s friend asks you, and time or attention are scarce?
By getting to the point fast. By explaining the most relevant information about you in a way that is easy to understand, follow and remember.
This first tool is very basic and can work wonders if you take the time to learn how to use it:
I asked ChatGPT 4o to help me introduce myself using this structure. Here’s the prompt and the answer:
Introduce Andrés Oliveros from Astrolab in less than 70 words using the structure What, Why, How. “What” should be about my actual role, and just one line long. “Why” about why is my role important, what problem I’m trying to solve, why I do this, etc. “How” should be about the specificities of how I do my role.
ChatGPT said:
What:
Andrés Oliveros is the co-founder and director of Astrolab, where he leads strategy and storytelling efforts.Why:
He helps leaders communicate ideas that drive change—because even the best strategy fails without clarity and conviction behind it.How:
Through workshops, writing, and consulting, he combines storytelling, behavioral science, and communication frameworks to help teams express ideas in simple, brief, and precise ways.
Narrative
The second tool is designed to be used later in that first conversation, or maybe during a second or third conversation.
The idea behind this structure is to help you build trust by talking about a couple of moments in your life that brought you to where you are right now, and maybe even hint where you’re going from here.
That’s what I tried to do in this post I wrote a couple of months ago.
You don’t have to share every inflection point in the same intervention: you could share one, then give the mic back to someone else, and then go back to your story.
Here’s Nubank founder David Velez sharing a version of his origin story:
It always depends how many more people are there, how much time you have, and if you feel that your story is resonating with others.
If no one seems to care, maybe this is not the best audience where to use this type of introduction.
Personal
As I was explaining these two structures at a recent INSPIRA near D.C., someone asked the following question:
I’ve noticed that at least here in D.C., people are tired of professional introductions and seem to be more interested in getting to you as a person, not as a worker.
What could you say in those scenarios?
I loved this comment because it made me remember that yes, we’re professional people, but we’re people first.
How do you talk about you without putting your career front and center?
My suggestion is to do something very similar like the Narrative structure, but focused on your personal decisions, interests and even hobbies.
Again, it all goes back to how much time do you have, what’s the tone of the conversation, and how many drinks everyone is having.
I’m attending a networking event later this afternoon. If I find the opportunity, I plan to say something like:
I’m from Monterrey Mexico, but moved to Philly three years ago to study a masters program in behavioral sciences. I’m married and have two kids that are usually nice: Eva and Gabriel. I’m always looking for new friends, and have a daily blog where I write every single day. I love music, getting to my 750 daily calories, going to the Museum of Art, and drinking coffee and alcohol, but I don’t like being hangover. What about you?
Tell what do you think!