The Best Meeting Place at Networking Events for Better Communication
Networking is very important for getting a job and building a career, but networking can sometimes feel awkward when you don’t know where to stand or who to talk to. One way to make them a little better is to stand in the right place to catch people when they are looking for someone to talk to (like you!).
As described in the video above, you can divide your networking event into three zones: Beginner, Social, and Side. The starting area is where people take off their coats, check in and receive their badges. You don’t want to hang around in this place because people aren’t ready to talk yet. The side area is where the food is and the side of the room near the bathroom. Avoid this place, as you can catch people in an awkward moment (do you want to shake someone’s hand when they leave the bathroom, or introduce yourself after they just took a bite?).
Aim for a social area, usually around the bar, so you can catch people as they settle down and grab a drink to relax. People are now online and ready to find someone to meet. When they leave the bar, there you are! Once you start chatting, you will have a few tricks to keep the conversation flowing and make a good impression: ask questions rather than just small talk, focus on the other person’s hobbies to make things more interesting, or follow the FORD technique . And since network events involve more than one person connecting, prepare the exit line so you can smoothly transition to it in a few minutes.