Introductions and Greetings in English First impressions are a really important aspect of British culture. Introducing yourself and others in the correct way is fraught with various do's and dont's of etiquette.
Introductions
In social situations, a man is traditionally introduced to a woman. However, in the business world introductions are based on a person's rank or position in an organisation. Whoever is the highest-ranking person is introduced to everyone else in order of their position. If you introduce two people of equal rank to each other, introduce the one you know less well to the one you know best.
Introducing Yourself
There might be occasions where you will have to introduce yourself. For example, if you are meeting a new colleague or an associate, you might start off by extending your hand and saying "Hello! I am .....". If you have been introduced earlier to someone, do not assume that the person would remember you and be prepared to reintroduce yourself should it be necessary. There are some useful tips below.
Greetings The British do shake hands, i.e. when first introduced to new people, but we rarely shake hands when parting.
In an informal situation you may see social kissing (often just a peck on the cheek), this is acceptable between men and women and also between women who know each other very well, but it is rare that you will see two British men kissing, even if it is only on the cheek.
Useful tips Introductions are much simpler if you can memorise a few simple rules.
Introducing others In business a person of lower rank tends to be introduced to a person of higher rank. In other situations you may find that a younger person would be introduced to an older person and a man introduced to a woman.
Introducing yourself When shaking hands people may give you their name without saying "Hello" or anything else. It can come across as a bit unfriendly, but it's not considered to be rude
For example:-
I hold out my hand to you and say, "Lynne Hand."
If you wish to be on first-name terms with someone you can indicate this by stressing your first name:-
For example:-
"Hello, my name is Lynne. Lynne Hand."
Reacting to an introduction The response you give should have the same level of formality as the introduction.
There are some useful English greetings phrases in the basic English section.
How to Greet someone in Britain
The Handshake :
A handshake is the most common form of greeting among the English and British people and is customary when you are introduced to somebody new.
The Kiss :
It is only when you meet friends, whom you haven't seen for a long time, that you would kiss the cheek of the opposite sex. In Britain one kiss is generally enough.
Formal greetings :
The usual formal greeting is a 'How do you do?' and a firm handshake, but with a lighter touch between men and women.
‘How do you do?’ is a greeting not a question and the correct response is to repeat ‘How do you do?' You say this when shaking hands with someone.
A : "How do you do?"
B : " How do you do?"
'How are you?' is a question and the most common and polite response is "I am fine thank you and you?"
A : "How are you?"
B : "I am fine thank you and you?"
Nice to meet you – Nice to meet you too. (Often said whilst shaking hands)
Delighted to meet you– Delighted to meet you too.
Pleased to meet you – Pleased to meet you too. .
Glad to meet you - Glad to meet you too
Good Morning / Good Afternoon / Good Evening
Informal greetings :
Hi - Hi or hello
Morning / Afternoon / Evening ( We drop the word 'Good' in informal situations).
How's you? - Fine thanks. You?
Thank you / thanks / cheers
We sometime say 'cheers' instead of thank you. You may hear 'cheers' said instead of 'good bye', what we are really saying is 'thanks and bye'.
