185 Networking: The New Conversation
great way to build rapport. You are putting people at their ease;
you are offering gifts (always a great way to get people interested
in you); you are able to introduce people to each other.
Playing
host also helps you: it gives you a certain authority (or at least
something to do), and it gives you control. You can judge when to
stay with someone and when to move on.
Closing the conversation
Whether the conversation has gone well, or not gone anywhere in
particular, take care to close it well.
The final impression we
make is almost as important as the first one.
Never leave someone abruptly. A simple way to exit from a
conversation is to connect the person to someone else in the
room.
Make the introduction; make sure that it has stuck (are
they actually exchanging more than one remark with each
other?); and walk away. Alternatively,
use a plausible reason for
leaving. Maybe you are expecting a colleague to arrive; maybe
there is someone you need to speak to before they leave.
These are simple strategies for closing a conversation. But
think a bit more deeply before you use them.
In Chapter 3, we looked
at the WASP structure of
conversation:
w
elcome,
a
cquire,
s
upply,
p
art. Make sure that the
Pick someone who is alone!
One way to deal with the problem of breaking into groups
is to start your own. Look out for someone who is on their
own and looking uncomfortable.
Approach them kindly and
gently; share your own vulnerability. Use the occasion to
exercise all your conversation skills. Draw in other people;
introduce your new contact to someone you already know.
Before you know it, you’ll be the
centre of a brilliant group
conversation.
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