How to be a perfect mingler
Linkedin, Facebook, MSN and Gmail are all perfect tools for the urban businessman or woman to keep track of and stay up-to-date with contacts. "But in the end, networking is about meeting and talking to people face-to-face," says mingling expert Mia Forsgren.
She is one of two owners of Begriplig, a Swedish PR and communications company. Since 1991, she and co-owner Tina Fors have consulted for companies in the communication and information fields. In 2002, a customer requested guidance on mingling and networking, and they now offer courses and consulting for companies wanting to improve their skills.
–At seminars, conferences or fairs, you always mix with people you do not know, and you need a well thought presentation of yourself to be successful, Forsgren says.
Be prepared
Saying the right thing is just one of many ingredients in the recepie for successful mingling. Being well prepared is another.
– You need to do your home work and learn about the speakers at the event you are participating in, and some of the people who will be there. This will give you conversation topics and help you invest your time in a way that suits your purpose. You need to ask yourself: what is my mission here? What do I wish to accomplish?
Stay single
Even when prepared there are some traps. Forsgren is familiar with the common beginners’ mistakes.
– Many of us go to events like fairs and seminars in a group — we play it safe. It is harder to make contact with new people that way.
Splitting up to mingle makes it easier to connect with new people and then you can introduce new contacts to each other. Introducing people to each other might also be a good way to end a conversation.
Another behavior that will not lead to successful networking is starting a conversation with one person and then sticking to him or her.
– It is hard to break up an interesting conversation, but my rule is to stay a maximum of ten minutes in the same company. Usually windding up by saying ‘It was nice talking to you’ and handing over your business card with a few words about future contact is a polite and nice way to end a conversation, Forsgren says.
Practice makes perfect
Keeping the conversation at about five to ten minutes, collecting three business cards and talking to three specifically chosen persons is a good ground rule to achieve something fruitful in a thirty-minute mingle session. According to Forsgren, this is perfectly possible to accomplish, and after all, most people in the room are there to mingle and expect to be contacted. Introducing yourself and starting a conversation should be the most natural thing to do.
– And you can learn to do this. Some of us find it awkward to talk to strangers, others have trouble presenting themselves in an interesting way. But as in most cases, practice pays off, says Forsgren.
