Posted by admin on 3-18-15 in Networking | Comments Off on A Minute-By-Minute Breakdown Of How I Navigate Networking Conversations
Sometimes I find myself in a conversation that just seems to go on and on ... and on ... and on. Then 45 minutes later, I realize I've been zoning out the whole time and the event I'm attending is nearly over.
This results in an evening spent accomplishing, well, nothing. But when I take the time to connect with new people, I want to ensure I meet those who I can leverage the most - and those who can leverage me the most - during the few hours we have.
That's why I've learned to keep a mental note of the time I spend on each conversation.
Here's how I break it up:
10-60 Seconds:
Start with a normal, more formal introduction. This is typically where we exchange names and banter about something related to the event.
Mental Note: By the end of this first minute, we just need to have the conversation started. Oftentimes this is actually the hardest part, so hard that I wrote a separate post on how I approach strangers without being a creep here.
1-2 Minutes:
Now we exchange a pitch about what we do for living or what we're working on. Some people argue that directly asking someone what they do isn't the best approach, but I personally think it's important to ask for this fundamental knowledge to figure out where a conversation might lead.
Questions to help navigate:
2-5 Minutes:
Based on what path we find ourselves on, we're doing one of two things:
1. Diving deeper into the conversation and learning more about they do.
2. Finding a way to pleasantly exit the conversation. We'll be posting on how to do handle this gracefully later this week.
Read the full article via A Minute-By-Minute Breakdown Of How I Navigate Networking Conversations.
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Posted by admin on 3-12-15 in Networking | Comments Off on 22 Conversation Starters for Business Networking
Are you from Australia? Because you meet all my koalifications.
Conversation starters like the one above give me joy daily. I follow Tinder Nightmares, an Instagram account surfacing real stories from real users. But deep behind the comedy of these sometimes desperate attempts to trigger a relationship is a real issue ...
Starting conversations is difficult. And awkward. And just all around uncomfortable.
While I may not be a Tinder user, I can relate to the struggle of starting a conversation at conferences, social events, and even internal company parties. Even when I'm speaking at conferences, I often hide in a corner avoiding the pre-presentation cocktail hour until it's my time to get up and speak.
To help poor souls like myself, I reached out to some of the most well-connected folks I know. In the presentation below, you'll find 22 unique conversation starters - which means If you're looking for the generic, "so what brings you to this conference?" you've come to the wrong place.
1. "Have you found a place to put your coats / bags, or are we just holding on to them?"
2. "Are you Italian?"
People always want to know why you think they’re Italian. This anonymous contribution comes from someone who says the line “does wonders on Tinder.” That must mean it works at conferences, too, right?
3. "After this, I'm thinking of flying to France, Hong Kong, or Rio. Which should I go to? Why?"
Contributed by: Mark Roberge, Chief Revenue Officer
4. "Are any of you experiencing issues connecting to the Wi-Fi?"
I mean, the answer is almost always ... "YES."
5. One time I introduced myself to someone & we wound up helping each other a ton. Let's make it round two?
Contributed by: Matt Bilotti, Student Investor
6. "Mind if I squeeze in and share this cocktail table?"
While this yields a one-word response, it serves as a staring point for approaching someone.
7. "That's a sweet startup tee. I think I've heard of that company ..."
Contributed by: Harvey Simmons, Marketer & Product Evangelist
8. "Is your phone dying too? There's got to be somewhere to charge this."
Lingering around a charging station is also a great way to meet others doing the same.
9. "I like your bag. Where is it from?"
Contributed by: Sasha Hoffman, Entrepreneur & Biz Dev
10. "Know anywhere I can get some good food or drinks around here?"
Even when the answer is “no,” we may find a new pal to go on a drink-finding journey with.
11. I'll be honest, the only person I know here is the bartender, and I just met him. Mind if I introduce myself?
12. Looks like I'm not the only crazy chick who showed up in heels. How are you holding up all day?
13. Gotta love bathroom wait lines, am I right?
No. No one loves these lines, but might as well chit chat while we wait.
14. I'm tired of chatting with my colleagues - I see ‘em all the time. What are you all talking about?
Credit: Pete Holmes
15. I'm not sure I knew what to expect when I came here. Have you been before?
Contributed by: Meghan Anderson, Product Marketing Director
16. "How are you guys getting to the next event? Want to share a cab?"
Oftentimes, people don’t have a plan yet. Offer a ride-share and secure yourself a set time to connect with them.
17. "Have you downloaded the mobile app? Which sessions have you selected through it?"
Contributed by: Rachel Sprung, Product Marketing Manager
18. "If there’s one question you don’t want me to ask because you’re sick of answering it, what would that be?
Credit: Conversation Arts
19. "You guys look like you're having the most fun here, mind if I join this conversation?"
Contributed by: Corey Eridon, Managing Editor
20. "Is it quieter on this side of the room? I can hardly hear over there."
Credit: The Muse
21. "Have you checked out [XYZ] app? What did you think?"
Contributed by: Brian Balfour, VP of Growth
Simply replace [XYZ] with the hottest app of that year - Twitter, Whatsapp, Snapchat, etc.
22. Man, I hate networking.
Might as well start with the one thing just about every attendee has in common. ;)
This article appears courtesy of Beyond Tinder: 22 Conversation Starters For All Our Networking Needs.
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Posted by admin on 3-10-15 in Business, Networking | Comments Off on How I Identify The Right People For My Professional Network
We’re living in an interesting paradox – despite the advancement of technology and tools built to help save us time … our time is actually becoming more scarce.
We have more responsibilities to uphold, decisions to make, and goals to meet. And for those of us who value networking, we must find some way to allocate the remainder of our precious time to building that network.
Question is – how?
For me, it comes down to thinking objectively.
Whether I’m at a networking event, searching LinkedIn, or reading a referral email, I always follow the Rule of 3.
Rule of 3:
The Rule of 3 requires us to define three strong purposes, benefits, or reasons for pursuing a connection.
The Rule of 3 allows me to build connections worth investing in.
Let’s say I go to a party hosted by my company, The Good Ones, in hopes of adding new people to my network. I have a brief conversation with the following three individuals.
Read the full story via How I Identify The Right People For My Professional Network.
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Posted by admin on 11-25-14 in Networking | Comments Off on Bring a friend when networking
When attending a networking event on your own you can subconsciously go into your shell or try and find one or two people to speak to and stay with them for the evening. This defeats the purpose of a networking event as you want to try and speak to as many people and make as many contacts as possible.
Who to bring
Ideally you should bring somebody who will enjoy the event and that will get value from attending. If you bring somebody who has no interest in being there they are most likely not going to make an effort to speak to new people and therefore unable to introduce you to new people.
The person you bring should also be very chatty and comfortable approaching people they do not know and striking up a conversation. Once they have made new acquaintances they can then introduce you and help build your network.
Strategy for networking
The whole point of bringing somebody to a networking event is that you can speak to them when you are unable to speak to anybody else and that they can make introductions to people who may be able to benefit you.
When you enter a networking event get a drink with your friend and study the crowd, try and identify who you would like to speak to or who you think may be able to help you. Once you have done this split up from your friend and agree to meet back at a certain point, in say 30 minutes.
After your thirty minutes discuss who you have both met and identify if it would be in your interest to meet anybody your friend has met. If it is the case where you would like to speak to somebody, get your friend to make the introduction and discuss what it is exactly you do.
Original article courtesy of Bring a friend when networking | career advice | skillda.com.
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