Introverts: Build Stronger Bonds, Nothing More, at Major Events
Venture capitalist Hunter Walk is an introvert to extroverted work. To get the most out of big events like conferences and industry parties, he pays less attention to expanding his connections and more to deepening. He learned to change his goal from “meeting everyone at a conference” to “five or ten meaningful conversations.” Both approaches are useful, but as he explains in his post on Medium, the latter suits his personality better.
Specifically, this means spending less time talking aimlessly and more time distracting people with one-on-one conversations that last 20 to 30 minutes. It also means taking breaks, forcing yourself to stay 30 minutes after your first bail request, and allowing yourself to skip activities altogether.
One of Walk’s readers suggests a friend system: bring a guest to an event so it’s not so scary to meet new people. (But don’t make this an excuse to hide with one friend and not date anyone.)