So you’re at an networking event and don’t know what to say or how to keep a conversation going- what do you do? Whether you’re new at networking or a seasoned networker, we all have times where we don’t know what to say to keep a conversation going and or start a conversation to keep your new contact interested. Let’s start with a good personal introduction to help your conversation move forward. A good way to do that is to have at least two elevator pitches ready, and two or three conversation starters. For example: a conversation starter would be “Do you think the Seahawks will have as good or better season than 2018?”, or “That’s a nice tie where did you get it?”, or “Did you do anything special last weekend?”, or “I have this great app called History Today are you familiar with it?” – just to name a few examples.
Tip: If you forget your new contact’s name it’s OK to ask for their name again, he or she has probably done the same.
Make sure when you use your conversation starters that you and your new contact will have a common ground on the conversation. Try not to use subjects you’re passionate about because you might tend to talk too much and your new contact will leave or think you talk too much. Pick a subject *they* might like or may be passionate about. By doing this you will get a chance to get to know them better which will help you build your new relationship, in turn leading to potential business and the addition of a new person in your network. Throughout the conversation, make sure to ask questions and repeat some of the points from the conversation which demonstrates that you were listening and are interested. Use Our Networking’s rule for conversations:
Tip: Try to spend at least 10-15 minutes with each new contact to build a new relationship. After ten to fifteen minutes use the line: “As much as I’ve enjoyed our conversation, I’ll let you continue with your networking” or “I would love to continue our conversation but we are all here to network, may I have your business card so I we can set up a time to meet for coffee?”
Those are good lines to use for a graceful exit, and yet ensure a future contact for further networking.
Lastly but surely, the most important thing to remember is that we are all here to grow our businesses, network, and to enjoy conversation with our new contacts which in turn will help build a solid foundation. By asking questions, keeping the conversation going and knowing how to make a graceful exit, we can all be successful networkers. We hope you can take something useful from this to help you on your next networking event.
Carpe Diem~