Professionals feeling nervous about networking: discover a few helpful tips here.
In an article on the PeopleKeys blog, Monica Reynoso shares tips on building rapport with others during a business networking event based on personality strengths.
I've summarised these tips graphically below for your ease of reference.
Dominant 'D' Personalities
Aim to have a softer approach when building relationships by being positive and empathetic if the conversation is steered in that direction.
Smiling and showing interest in others by asking open-ended questions can also help soften your approach.
Influential 'I' Personalities
Practice your listening skills, ask a person to expand on a subject they are speaking about, and most importantly, do not interrupt while someone is still talking.
Steady 'S' Personalities
Try to initiate a conversation by asking about their role or what they find most exciting about working in the field they are in.
Conscientious “C” Personalities
Take baby steps when building rapport with someone. Begin with asking open-ended questions or sharing an interesting statistic.
Here's the link to the full article.
Whatever personality you are, perhaps you could also try the following 10 networking questions by Bob Burg, author of Endless Referrals which I found on BNI's podcast number 183:
1. How did you get started in your business?
2. What do you enjoy most about your profession?
3. What separates you and your company from your competition?
4. What advice would you give someone just starting out in your business?
5. What one thing would you do with your business if you knew you could not fail?
6. What significant changes have you seen take place in your profession through the years?
7. What do you see as the coming trends in your business?
8. What’s the strangest/funniest incident you’ve experienced in your business?
9. What ways have you found to be most effective in promoting your business?
10. What one sentence would you like people to use in describing the way you do your business?