As a professional, you know how valuable networking can be for your career. But walking into a room of strangers and easily striking up a conversation (without sounding forced or fake), isn’t always the easiest.
Even if you’re a natural people person who easily makes new friends, you can still experience those awkward occasions when you’re unsure what to say to break the ice.
The art of networking is definitely a lot easier when you have a few icebreakers up your sleeve. Interesting little anecdotes, like these ones we found here on Muse, will help you get the conversation started without the uneasy factor.
The Simple Intro
Nothing is more sincere than keeping things simple. Try these classic conversation starters anytime, anywhere.
1. “So, what do you do?” Prompts them to talk about themselves first, so you have time to gather your thoughts.
2. “So, what brought you here today?”
3. “Hi there! I’m Melissa. Is this your first time here?”
Approach The Loner
A room full of strangers, can feel like self-torture for an introvert. A great way to overcome any shyness (or help out a fellow introvert) is to approach someone who is keeping to themselves, with one of these lines:
4. “Gee, these networking events can be a bit overwhelming. Mind if I join you here where it’s a little quieter?”
5. “Seeing we’re both escaping over here (near the bar, in the corner, by the exit ), I feel I should introduce myself. I’m [name] from [company].”
6. “I’m never quite comfortable at these type of things. What about you?”
In-Common Chit Chat
At every event, there is always a few things everyone is experiencing in common. The surrounds, guest speakers, parking facilities - even the food and drinks. Use them as a nice neutral way to start the conversation:
7. “What a fantastic venue. Have you been here before?”
8. “How did you hear about this event?”
9. “What did you think about that speaker? Did they offer something of value for you?”
10. “I love these pork sliders. Have you tried them?”
What’s Making News
Most people are usually up-to-date with world news, breaking headlines and major sports events. Whilst, you don’t want to get too political, they can be an easy way to break the silence:
11. “Wow, I can’t believe what happened today. Crazy right!?”
12. “Any chance you caught the news today? I missed it, and I’m dying to know what’s happening with [insert news topic here]?”
13. “Did you catch the final last night?”
Start With Humour
Using humour to diffuse that awkward silence can work wonders. Keep it tasteful and light-hearted and you’ll immediately put people at ease:
14. “I’ll be honest, the only person I know here is the bartender, and I just met him two minutes ago. Mind if I introduce myself?”
15. “I can’t believe how under-dressed/over-dressed I am for this event.”
16. “I just came for these awesome cookies.”“How’d you hear about this event?”
Now you have 16 interesting ice-breakers to help you effortlessly strike up a conversation at your next networking event.
Enjoy experimenting with them and making them your own to get the conversation flowing.