If you survey a room and ask if they would rather spend the evening with a group of close friends or a group of strangers, you can almost guarantee that they would unequivocally choose to spend time with friends. Your perception of attending a networking event may be wearing a name tag, struggling to start or maintain a conversation, making mindless small talk and receiving business cards from people you may not have the intention of emailing or seeing again. I get it. I have been there myself. That's why I usually just go for the coffee or the drinks!!!
I have learned to use network authentically. I have started asking questions that made the conversation insightful and interesting and left me feeling inspired and motivated to connect. I've met people who have become close friends, mentors, employers and clients. I have come across and learned these best questions to ask at networking events.
The Best Questions to Ask at Networking Events
Where do you recommend I go while I'm here? This question is one that I have learned to ask as someone that just moved to a new area or visiting an area for the first time. You can also ask this in a way so that you can learn more about that area that you live like you were a visitor. I know that I keep on learning about restaurants or venues that had been around for years that I never heard of in the town that I grew up and lived in for years.
How did you hear about this event? It's good to ask people how they heard about the event or know the host. This helps get the conversation started and gives a way to find some common ground and allow the other person to ask a question back. This is a way to find other topics and interests that you might not otherwise find out when you just ask, "Oh, so what do you do?" If the person knows the host or the speaker, you can find out about the connection. If they found out through social media, you can talk to them about social media. If they attended the event for inspiration or knowledge, you can ask about that.
What is on your reading list? Asking people for a book recommendations is a great way to lead the conversation to talk about a new business strategy book or a great novel and provides common ground to chat about something you're passionate about or something that you want to learn or explore.
What is your favorite thing to do? I'm sure you have learn this that we love talking about ourselves. This is more so when get to talk about what lights us up. This can easily go along with the first question on what they recommend doing in the area.
Where are you from? I love this question, mainly because you get to find out who are the natives in the area and get the conversation going on how they have seen the area change. Or you find the ones that have moved to the area and see why they moved there and where they came from.
What did you think about the event? I enjoy attending events with a speaker, panel or educational component. This is a great question to ask someone at the end about their main takeaways from the event.
What is your story? I went to a conference where the theme was "Everyone Has A Story". This question will either make them think or open up in a way that other questions just might not. Everyone has a story and it lets people share whatever they'd like to share, whether that includes their work or not.
How did you decide to do what you do? Asking people how they chose their career path (or why they changed it) usually was a result in pivotal life experience, then it gets them to talk about their passions and talents or describe someone special who inspired them. Asking someone why they do what they do is a wonderful way to learn, share and connect in a meaningful way. Plus, it a great way for you to recommend them to someone that might be going through something that this person had went through.
What are some of your go-to resources for getting guidance in your field of work? By asking this you may end up finding relevant sources to help you on your own work or gain insights to industries you are unfamiliar with.
How can I be helpful to you right now? I came across this when I first started to network and met with people one-on-one. It really caught me off guard. I found that I had better conversations with those that ask me this than those that just wanted to talk "Business". This is more of a personal question and the person asking is truly interested in the person that is right in front of them. Just asking what they do can be a signal that the asker is really only interested in doing "business" and not interested in building a relationship. Instead, making yourself useful to other people will lead to more enjoyable, interesting and authentic networking experiences.
It's a lot better to ask people what they like to do instead of what they do. It uncovers what they care about and what makes them unique and leads to a more insightful and exciting conversation.
Next time you are at a networking event, you'll be equipped to start conversations that will forge genuine relationships.
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