Attending events is a great way to meet new people and build connections that can be mutually beneficial both personally and professionally. These events can be company functions, industry events like conferences or workshops or a charity event in your community. The opportunity for you to come across people you normally wouldn’t in your day to day is a great opportunity to connect. For many people this is a difficult task as this can be intimidating especially the larger the event is. However, if you are looking to make connections there are three tips on how to make the most of these events.
Attend alone Attending an event alone forces you out of your comfort zone to engage with others. For others looking to engage with you, this is also less intimidating and increases your chances of people approaching you as well. It’s well known that larger groups are intimidating to approach and therefore when you are alone, people tend to feel more comfortable.
Ask meaningful questions There are some obvious questions people ask especially when meeting in professional settings like your name and what do you do. However, I love to ask deeper questions that allow for more compelling conversations and lead to opportunities for you to learn more. A great starter is where are you from and if they aren’t from the immediate area, what brought you here and do you have a family.
Offer assistance Once you’ve engaged in more meaningful conversations, there is always an opportunity to offer advice, an introduction or resources. I’ve found that many times that when you are attending company or industry events, the opportunity to learn more from each other always arises and therefore it’s a great time to offer to provide more information in a follow up meeting.
There are two important things to keep in mind that will make it easier to build and motivate you to make connections. We are all connected in some way and there is always an opportunity to learn something new from everyone. If you have a question or are interested in learning more, connect with me.