I am a people person, but a live room full of strangers is not my cup of tea, so to speak.
I always feel a bit awkward, until I get involved in my first conversation.
Live meetings with a room full of strangers has been out of existence for the last few years as you know, replaced by online meetings.
But they’re back, and I went to one the other night.
It’s been a minute…
This was a networking meeting intentionally designed as a place for strangers to meet and make new business contacts.
There was no real structure which is typical and everyone is on their own to make the most of the experience.
The pattern I like to follow is: smile, say hi, read the nametag out loud, shake hands (in most cases) and ask what do you do.
The responses I get are very interesting.
I was surprised by the number of people who told me their title which is of little value to me. Supply Chain Optimizer for instance causes a glaze across my eyes. 🙂
Others answered the question by telling me where they work. Really, the University of Rochester is a big place.
Only a small number hit it out of the park with an answer describing the outcomes or transformations they create in other lives. “I help people lose inches that never come back,” for instance.
The reality is, people don’t care about your title, where you work, or a long drawn out answer to a simple question.
Everyone listens to the radio station WIIFM, What’s In It For Me.
How clear and succinct is your intro?
It needs to present a clear picture of what you do, all in 5 seconds or less?
Want to test your intro with me and get some feedback?
You have two options:
Reply to this email with your intro in the subject line. It should fit easily.
Remember, you only get results when you take action on your ideas!
