Conversation Starters
Finding yourself at a loss for words while networking? Here are some ways you can get the conversation flowing instead of standing by silently on the sidelines.
The Basics
- "Hi. I'm John. What brings you to this event today?"
- "I see you work at X company. How is work going?
- "This venue is incredible. Have you been here before?
- "This is my first time at this type of networking event. Have you participated previously?"
- "Have you tried the (food/drink)?"
Engaging Groups
- "Hi. I'm Leslie. How do you all know each other?"
- "Hi. Do you mind if I join your group?"
- "Where did everyone grow up?"
- "Who is from the area?"
One-On-One With a Person of Interest
- "Could you tell me a little more about your role?"
- "What did you think of the conference speaker/presentation?"
- "Any big projects on the horizon?"
- "Where did you go to school?" (If you know they are a Brandeis alum, ask what they miss about campus)
- "I'm looking to get into a field similar to yours. Any advice?"
- "How did you break into your line of work?"
- "I really like your shoes. What brand are they?"
Wrapping It Up
- "It was wonderful meeting you. Is it possible for me to connect with you on LinkedIn?"
- "I see that the food line has dispersed so I am going in. So nice to meet you."
- "I'm going to take a lap around the room. I will be back soon."
- "I would love to continue this conversation at another time. Do you have a card or a way to contact you?"
Email Networking and Outreach
Writing, hitting delete and writing again? Here are some basic email templates to help you reach out to potential contact to help grow your network and career.
Email to someone you don't know:
Hello Michael,
I hope you are well and having a great week. My name is Ryan Howard and I am a junior at Brandeis University majoring in business with a concentration in finance and accounting. I became familiar with your work through a recent article you posted on LinkedIn about the financial impact that virtual work has on the paper industry. I wanted to reach out and let you know I really admired your brevity in taking this subject on and your insight into the work that happens behind the scenes at Dunder Mifflin.
If you're open to it, I'd love to have a phone call with you to connect and learn more about your long-standing career in the paper industry; as that is a field I am looking to explore after graduation.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you.
Ryan Howard
Email to someone that is a mutual contact
Hello Michael,
My name is Ryan Howard, and my good friend Kelly Kapoor passed along your contact information to me in hopes we could connect.
Kelly mentioned that you have extensive business experience working in the paper industry and that you'd be a great resource to add to my network and get to know as I look into this field as a future career. I'd love to learn more about you, your background and your experience working at Dunder Mifflin.
If you're open to it, I'd like to connect on LinkedIn and set up some time to chat over the phone.
Looking forward to connecting!
Ryan Howard
Networking follow-up email
Hello Michael,
I hope you are well and having a great week. It was so nice meeting you at the Scranton Business Leader Networking Event and being able to talk about business trends in the paper industry. Since we both are super passionate about the need for paper-based business cards, I thought I would send you along this article from Business Week indicating that they are here to stay!
Again, I really enjoyed meeting you and hope to stay in touch. If you're open to it, I'd love to set up some time to talk with you over the phone about best business practices as it relates to paper in a virtual world.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you.
Ryan Howard
Email request for an informational interview
Hello Michael,
I hope you are well and having a great week. My name is Ryan Howard and I am a junior at Brandeis University majoring in business with a concentration in finance and accounting. As someone who is looking to have a career in the paper industry, I really admire your long-standing work with Dunder Mifflin. I'm interested in finding out more about what it takes to run a paper company in a digital world and was hoping you would be willing to share some insight from your experience.
If you're open to it, I'd love to set up some time to talk with you over the phone so I ask you some questions and can learn more about you. I understand this is a busy time, so I am happy to send along questions via email if that is an easier way for us to connect.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you.
Ryan Howard