Don’t be rude: How to introduce people like a pro

You may not know it, but there’s actually a whole set of protocols for introducing people to each other. In our opinion, the whole thing is awfully stuffy, but it helps to know these things, in case you need to really suck up at some point.

When introducing two people of different ranks within an organisation, you introduce the higher-ranked person to the lower-ranked person. So, “Mr Big Boss, I’d like to introduce Mary Underling from finance.”

With two people of the same rank, you introduce the person you know better to the person you don’t know as well. So, “Susie Friend, this is your counterpart in Sydney, Frank Faraway.”

With people outside the organisation, particularly clients, introduce the client to the other person. So, “Mr Big Client, meet our client services co-ordinator, Mr Company Man.”

In social situations, you introduce the woman to the man (“Cynthia, this is Jake”), and if the two people are of the same gender, you introduce the older person to the younger person (“Mr Elder, I’d like you to meet Tony, who I work with.”)