Networking 101: Starting Conversations

By Wendy Terwelp, CPBS, CCMC, JCTC

"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years trying to get people interested in you."  —Dale Carnegie

Great advice Carnegie – and a great start for networking. One of the best ways to begin a conversation — and become interested in others — is by asking open-ended questions.

What’s an open-ended question? One that cannot be answered by either “yes,” “no” or another one-word response.

Question: “Is this your first time at this event?” Answer: “Yes.” Gee how exciting. Makes you really warm up to that person, eh?

Instead, how about asking, “So, what brought you to this meeting?” or "What interested you most about tonight's speaker?" Now that can start a conversation.

Here are a dozen other conversation starters to help you get a warm response, rather than a weird look next time you’re working a room:

1. Who would you most like to meet during this event? Let’s go together and introduce ourselves.
2. What one or two things would you like to take away from this event?
3. What is your area of expertise? Sometimes known as, “So, what do you do?”
4. What’s the coolest thing that’s happened to you all week?
5. What is your biggest business or networking challenge and how can I help you?
6. What’s one of the craziest career situations you’ve dealt with in your business or profession?
7. What is your favorite business or career industry publication and why?
8. How did you land your latest position?
9. What was the most important thing you learned when looking for a new position?
10. If you had to do it all over again, what would you have done differently in your career and why?
11. Which contemporary person do you most admire and why?
12. What is one thing no one knows about you?

Pick your favorites and test them with friends, family, and coworkers. You’ll get fun responses, which will make the live gig a lot easier.

Remember, networking is all about building relationships - not making a sale - and these questions help break the ice. Let me know how your next networking event turns out.

Wendy Terwelp, President of Opportunity Knocks™ has helped thousands of job seekers land gigs they love while getting paid what they’re worth. She holds five career industry certifications, including career coaching and personal branding. Wendy has been quoted in The Chicago Tribune, Fast Company, The Business Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The News Graphic, Careerbuilder.com, Monster.com, as well as several radio shows. She has written countless articles for numerous career websites, blogs, and publications.  She’s also a professional speaker, speaking at Barnes & Noble, Women's Life Expo, professional organizations, career forums, universities, and more. Visit her web site at www.knocks.com to learn more. As the founder of the Rock Your Network® 3-step system, she helps execs network without begging – and she is only two degrees from Kevin Bacon. © 2007 by Wendy Terwelp. All rights reserved.