It’s not net-sit. It’s not net-eat. It’s not sit and eat with people you already know.

It’s net-WORK!

You walk into an association monthly meeting…

Or a conference, or a party and everyone is talking to everyone else. And they all look animated while you’re standing there trying not to find the exit.

Recently, one of our blog readers, Val Cronin – an attorney, wrote: “I have always hated ‘meet and greets’ and parties, because I never knew what to say to people.  Having Karen’s formula to follow makes it a lot easier.”

Val is recalling a past video on our YouTube channel. I asked Val, “Can you tell me the formula, from your point of view?”

He replied, “Going to a party used to make me feel like a little kid who was lost in the mall – ‘how do I get out of here?’  Your video gave me a formula that works and I have used it successfully.”

Val said, “Here is your good advice.”

1. Shake hands (firmly & with good eye contact) and if there is an awkward silence….ask “How do you know the host?” or “What brings you to this event?”. It is a simple conversation starter and there is no wrong answer.
2. Ask others about themselves. Intuitively, we think that marketing means talking about ourselves to impress others. But you can make a better impression by asking them about themselves and learning what is important to them.
3. Avoid talking about religion and politics.
4. Think about what you find compelling in a conversation.  How often have you been subjected to someone’s boring list of places they visited while on a trip? Instead, tell a funny story/mishap from that vacation.
5. Give a sincere compliment, even if you don’t do it eloquently.  If you stumble a little bit, people realize you must mean it, because it is not rehearsed.

Finally, Val commented, “I no longer feel the need to escape at the earliest opportunity.”

Thank you, Val, for sharing this formula from your perspective.

PS: Val and I were high school classmates at Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas. When I told Val I was going to use his comments in our blog he replied, “I’m flattered. At TJ I recall you were only familiar with the ‘A’ grade.  I was more broadminded.  I expanded my horizons to include the ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’.”

😎

© 2025 Karen Cortell Reisman, Speak For Yourself® CEO. All rights reserved.