Original post – from stepya.com
After attending my first MIT Alumni networking event last week, I found that there were two very distinct groups, the course 6 people (programmers) and the course 15 (management) people. While we all were there to meet and mingle (or find out about future career opportunities by the sponsoring company Microsoft), after a few iterations I noticed there was a basic trend that most of my conversations followed. By understanding a possible conversation flow or thinking a little bit a head of time, programmers and geeks like me could possibly have an easier and more pleasant experience .
- Think about who you are – what you do, what makes you unique, your job and what you feel about it. Usually talking about your work are some of first questions that comes up after you introduce yourself (keep in mind if you have a trickier name, say it a little bit slower to give people a little more of a chance to remember it).
- How would you explain that to people? People in your field? People outside of your field? What makes your company different?
Conversations can also follow several different paths (the branching factor depends on the diversity of the people and their backgrounds at the event). However, before you dive deep into a decision tree of all the possible conversation paths, here are some very high level things to consider.
- Does the conversation get personal ? Think about some hobbies you like to do (but don’t go into specific details about your last 3 relationships and why they ended so poorly ). What dorm did you stay in? What did you think? People will often ask how you liked it etc.
- Does the conversation stay professional? Do you talk about past experiences? Moving around? What was your path to your current job? Internships? Previous jobs? friends? Etc.
Keep in mind conversations are a TWO way flow. Gauge interest in the other person – GENUINE interest.
- If they talk about something that is something you can relate to – talk about your experience with that (even if it’s slightly tangential), BUT without devaluing/degrading the other person.
- If they talk about something that’s completely new to them – ask them a question, show interest, be genuine and try to understand. Think of it as learning by some form of collaborative induction on their part.
I hope these tips help you out in your next event and enjoy yourself. Let me know what other ideas you find useful.
