The holidays are the perfect time to shift your focus from studying to networking. Use your newly-found free time to reconnect with contacts and start building new relationships.
But making small talk can be difficult. What do we talk about? How do we start? Natalie Weakly, image consultant at Signature Style, shares her tips on how to get conversations started:
The social whirlwind that is the holiday season is upon us.
Parties with friends, work events, time with family, and a dozen other reasons
to step up your conversationalist game. I LOVE a good party. I love meeting new people, learning new
things, hearing interesting tidbits about people’s lives, discussing what’s
happening in the world, and learning random trivia I am certain I will need to
know sometime. But we don’t get to any of the good stuff unless we start the
conversation.
We’re all guilty of falling into the trap of just talking
with the people we already know at a party. Here are some tips to help you get
the conversation started with someone new. You never know who you’ll meet!
Have a few Go-To Questions in Your Back Pocket
Before you head out think of a few go-to questions you can
use to spark conversation. Maybe what books have you read recently, movies
you’ve seen, recent travels, favorite gift you’ve given/received (tis the
season after all!). Having a few conversation topics in mind can help you be
more relaxed if you get nervous and of course can lead to some interesting
conversation!
Read the Headlines
Even if you don’t have time to read the whole article, check
out a few headlines before you head out for the evening. The headlines give you
just enough information to participate in discussion and give you great content
for asking questions. “I just saw something about XYZ! What do you think about
it? or Do you know more about it?”
A great cheat sheet for current events is
The Skimm. It’s a great, easily digestible
rundown of
current events with a bit of personality thrown in for good measure.
Introductions
A great introduction can really spark conversation between
the parties you are introducing. If you are introducing yourself add how you
met the host or what department you work in for corporate functions or even a
random tidbit about yourself. That extra piece of information is what both
parties can use to get the ball rolling.
The Best Question
“Where are you from originally?” I learned about this
question in a networking class several years ago and it is quite possibly the
best networking advice I’ve ever received. You can learn so much about a person
and have great follow-up questions with their answer to this question.
Use these at your next event to get the conversation
started. Tell me how it goes! Next week, tips on how to keep the conversation
going…
