Cloudy Handshake

Introductions, icebreakers & name badges

Email introduction writer

Introduce two people the considerate way. Fill in who they are and why they should meet, and you get the short "would you like to meet?" note to send first, then the introduction itself once they say yes.

Whose idea is it?
Tone
The person who asked

Finishes the sentence “Maya …”, for example “runs a small bakery”.

The person they'd like to meet

Finishes “Sam …”.

Finishes “You two should talk because …”.

Finishes “Maya would love to …”.

Your emails, in order

Send step 1, wait for a yes, then send step 2. Text in [brackets] still needs filling in.

Step 1

Ask Sam whether they'd like to meet Maya

To
sam@example.org
Subject
Would you be open to meeting Maya Okafor?
Hi Sam, I hope you're keeping well! Maya, who runs a small bakery and wants to start teaching weekend classes, asked if I could put the two of you in touch. I think you'd have plenty to talk about: you have both turned a craft into classes people book again and again. Maya would love to hear how you priced your first workshops. Would you be happy for me to introduce you? If the timing isn't right, just say so. There's no pressure at all, and I'll pass that on kindly. Warmly, Jordan
Open in email app
Step 2

After Sam says yes, introduce them

To
maya@example.com, sam@example.org
Subject
Introducing Maya Okafor and Sam Lindqvist
Hi Maya and Sam, Thank you both for saying yes. It's a real pleasure to introduce you! Maya, meet Sam, who has been running pottery workshops for five years. Sam, meet Maya, who runs a small bakery and wants to start teaching weekend classes. I think you'll have plenty to talk about: you have both turned a craft into classes people book again and again. Maya would love to hear how you priced your first workshops. I'll leave you two to find a time. Maya, would you like to take it from here? Warmly, Jordan
Open in email app

How a double opt-in introduction works

Instead of copying two people into an email out of the blue, you ask first. The person being asked gets a short note saying who wants to meet them and why, with an easy way to say no. Only when they say yes do you send the introduction to both. Nobody is put on the spot, and a polite "not right now" costs no one any face.

When someone asked you for the introduction, the writer prepares one opt-in note, to the person they want to meet. When the idea is yours, choose Mine: ask both first and it writes a note to each of them.

Getting good results

Write the descriptions as the end of a sentence: "runs a small bakery", not "Maya runs a small bakery". Be specific about why they should talk; one concrete shared interest makes a stranger far more likely to say yes. The tone changes the greeting, the phrasing and the sign-off. Copy email copies the subject and text, and Open in email app starts a draft in your own mail program, with the addresses filled in if you added them.

Sources

More tools for meeting people

Each tool has its own page. Your drafts and lists are saved in this browser only, so you can come back to them.

Questions

Why not just introduce them straight away?

A cold group email asks a busy person to reply in front of others. Asking privately first lets them decline quietly, and when they do say yes they arrive at the introduction already interested.

Does this site send the emails?

No. You copy the text or open it in your own email app and send it yourself. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

What should I do if the answer is no?

Thank them, then let the person who asked know kindly, without passing on any reasons you were given in confidence. A short "the timing isn't right for them" is usually enough.