Business Networking Skills for Conventions and Meetings
By Debra Fine
Do you dread networking events, open houses and other business related social events? Does attending another open house make you want to run inside your own and lock the door? For business professionals, these occasions represent opportunities to develop business friendships and broaden networks. Here are a few techniques business people can use to improve their small talk skills:
- Be the first to say “Hello!” and introduce yourself. Act as if you’re the host and introduce new arrivals to your conversational partner or partners.
- Get somebody to talk about why they’re attending the event and you’re on your way to engaging them in conversation.
- Listen carefully for information that can keep the conversation going.
- Play the conversation “game”. When someone asks, “How’s business?” or “What’s going on?” Answer with more than “Not much”. Tell more about yourself so that others can learn more about you.
- Be careful with business acquaintances. You wouldn't want to open a conversation with: “How’s your job at (fill in the blank)?” What if that person just got fired or laid off? Be careful when you’re asking about an acquaintance’s spouse or special friend: you could regret it.
- Don’t act like you’re an F.B.I. agent. Questions like: “What do you do?” “Are you married?” “Do you have children?” and “Where are you from?” lead to dead end conversations.
- Show an interest in your conversational partner’s opinion, too. You’re not the only person who has opinions about interest rates and Alan Greenspan, imposing sales tax on Internet purchases, wearing white after Labor Day, the merits of the Atkins, South Beach and Weight Watcher’s diets.
- Be prepared with exit lines. You do need to move around and meet others.
- Every encounter involves risk. As long as you keep looking for new people to meet, and you show an interest in other people, you can develop business friendships and enjoy lively conversations.
Turn every conversation into an opportunity for success!
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Covers everything from icebreakers to exit lines. Building business, getting dates, making friends or landing jobs this book is guaranteed to improve conversational skills, mingling ability, and networking techniques.
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Debra's January 2008 follow up book to her bestseller. The Fine Art of Big Talk: How to Win Clients, Deliver Great Presentations, and Solve Conflicts at Work.
Feel more at ease at parties, banquets, receptions, and networking events. Use icebreakers that work every time. Engage anyone in conversation with poise and confidence.
NSA 15 Year Member National Speaker Association
Professional Speaker, Best Selling Author, Conversation Expert, Communication Guru, Nationally Recognized Spokesperson
Conversation Skills • Small Talk Tips • Mingling Skills • Business Networking Skills and Networking Tips
Debra Fine presents programs on conversation skills, business networking skills, and mingling skills for corporations, organizations and associations both across the country and internationally. Debra is a Denver, Colorado motivational speaker and trainer. Search no further for a Denver speaker or Rocky Mountain Keynote Speaker. Her keynote speeches and interactive workshops cover conversation skills, rapport building skills and networking skills and techniques and small talk tips that include icebreakers and conversation starters, listening skills, exit lines, introductions and even remembering names.
Debra Fine is a former enineer who developed her keynote presentation and workshop The Fine Art of Small Talk: How to Start a Conversation, Keep it Going, Build Rapport and Leave a Positive Impression to teach conversation skills, business networking techniques and mingling tips for use at networking events, hospitality suites, trade shows and exhibit halls, membership meetings, conventions and conferences, and with clients, customers and patients during one on one interactions as well as banquets and other business social functions.
Copyright © 2009 Debra Fine, The Fine Art of Small Talk / All rights reserved 303-721-8266
Debra@DebraFine.com
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