“What’s your favorite question to ask someone when you’re trying to get to know them?”įor connecting with team members during stressful times.“If you were invited to give a TED Talk, what would it be about?”.“When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?”.“What do you do when you’re not working?”.“What exciting projects have you been working on, either at work or in your personal life?”.“Have you tried the ? You might want to before I it all!”.“I’ve been really into podcasts lately.“What’s the best book you’ve read recently?”.This will stretch and strengthen your conversation skills. What not to do: Don’t stick to the same group of work friends you hang out with at the office. Also, your conversations do not have to be about work! What to do: Social events are more relaxed, so being more playful or humorous is perfectly fine. Do you have any recommendations for what I should see?” “If you didn’t have the job you have now, what would you be doing instead?”.“What did you think about ?” Only ask this if you know they attended it, of course!.“What do you think is the biggest misconception about ?”.“If you were in charge of this event next year, what would you change?”.“What’s your biggest takeaway from this conference?”.“Which workshop are you most excited about?”.“What’s been your favorite talk so far?”.“If you were to give a talk at this conference, what would it be about?”.What not to do: Unless you know the person well, you may want to avoid cracking jokes or trespassing into taboo territory (I’m thinking of the time a guy at a work conference asked me how much my company was paying me). The great thing about conferences, workshops, and industry events is that they give you loads of topics to talk about. What to do: Because networking is focused on making connections to further your career, keep it professional and focus on the topic of the event at hand. In real life, nearly every conversation you have with someone new is going to begin with introducing yourself and perhaps exchanging a few pleasantries before you dive into deep questions-and that’s fine! Use your judgment on when it’s appropriate to insert these conversation starters.įor networking at conferences, workshops, and meetings Let’s face it, the following questions may seem odd onscreen. In light of that research, below, I’ll offer some unique conversation starters that you can use in any work setting, including to help you spark connection with your remote team mates (since bonding virtually is easier said than done). According to Harvard Business School research, the more questions you ask, the more your conversation partner will like you-especially if you ask follow-up questions (which prompt the person to elaborate on something they’ve said). In at least one way, “what do you do?” is doing something right: As far as conversation starters go, asking questions is a great way to win someone over. At networking events, for example, it’s crucial to know a person’s job role if you want to talk about future work collaborations. We’ve all used (and heard) this go-to conversation starter plenty of times, and in professional settings, it’s impossible to avoid. Did that question make you cringe? Maybe it takes you back to that awkward dinner party where you couldn’t think of any other way to kick off a friendly chat.
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