Index of

“I started my own garden and aspire to grow peppers like
these.”
“Th is program is well done. Running a conference is tough!”
Or ask questions:
“What do you know about the keynote speaker tomorrow?”
“Do you live far from here?”
“When did you arrive?”
“Do you have any tips about things to do here?”
“How long have you worked in this fi eld?”
“Have you been to this conference before?”
. . . the list goes on. Practice makes inventing new questions easier.
Make comments affi rming, not an opportunity to complain. Critical
remarks get tossed around with astonishing regularity and reveal a
lot about a personality.
■ Th is isn’t a very inspired food selection.
■ Couldn’t they have provided group transportation?
■ Th ese nametags sure don’t stay on well.
■ Seems like they skimped this year.
■ I hate these events.
■ Isn’t the speaker ever going to stop talking?
■ I can’t stand this city.
■ What terrible weather!
■ I’m exhausted.
■ Look at these drink lines.
■ Th is hotel has gone downhill.
Can you tell I’ve att ended many conferences and am a professional
eavesdropper? Th is list fl ows out all too easily and could fi ll a book. Not
a particularly inspiring book, yet lengthy. I have heard all of the above,
and then some, at networking events. Do you want to hang out with the
people who made these comments? Me neither. Don’t be one of them.
128 NETWORKING FOR PEOPLE WHO HATE NETWORKING