alk into any corporate event, and you’ll find ‘em. Those lost, forlorn souls who shuffle into the room, snatch the closest cocktail or hors d’oeuvre, and slink off into a dark corner to hunker down until they spot a hidden exit. Even if you can work a room better than Hillary Clinton, some of your company’s employees could probably use a refresher course in savvy socializing. Sandy Bland, the marketing manager for Dice.com, a job board for information-technology professionals, realized her staffers needed a little help in the networking department. “I needed to ease their pain,” Bland says. “It was important that people didn’t huddle up and ignore guests. They needed tips on how to mingle in order to become more confident and effective.” Bland used How to Work A Room®, a book and seminar by Susan RoAne, to create a staff-training program specific to corporate events. “RoAne’s work has been a roadmap to successful networking for my company,” Bland says. “With her information and my staff-training session, I no longer worry about buffet grazers, over drinkers, or wallflowers at our events. Everyone seems to be networking more effectively.” EXHIBITOR teamed up with Susan RoAne to provide a guide to effective networking. RoAne, The Mingling Maven®, is a keynote speaker and best-selling author of books such as “How to Work a Room,” “The Secrets of Savvy Networking,” and “What Do I Say Next?” Her books and seminars have helped corporate marketers train their staff in the art of effective corporate schmoozing. Whether you use RoAne’s advice yourself or incorporate it into your staff training, it can transform just about anyone into a natural networker. Plan for Success The best way to motivate yourself to make the most of every event is to identify personal and professional goals. Before your next event, ask yourself the following questions: What is the purpose of the event? What does your company hope to gain from the event, and what role are you expected to play in achieving that goal? Your answers will give you a clear understanding of your professional objectives. Events have personal payoffs as well. Ask yourself: What can you gain from the event over and above company goals? What personal skills can you polish? What personal and professional contacts can you make and foster? Write down at least three personal and professional objectives you want to accomplish, and bring the list to the event. For example, the professional goals of a pharmaceutical sales rep working an event for your company might look something like this:  Talk to each of my existing accounts.  Meet four COOs to establish rapport with industry players.  Exchange business cards with 10 potential customers. When your motivation wanes, pull out your list and remind yourself why you’re there. After the event, look back at what you accomplished — and didn’t accomplish — to create your next plan of attack.
Move your mouse over the dialogue balloons to make the "schmoozers" talk...
Sharpen Your Conversation Skills Walking into a room full of strangers is like taking a pop quiz. If you’re unprepared, you can feel panicked, foolish, and downright scared — and you can easily score a big fat F in corporate socializing. But if you do your homework and arm yourself with background information and potential conversation topics, you’ll be confident and at ease — and it will show. Opening lines. There’s no one perfect opener – there’s a million of ‘em. It’s far better to say something, than to wait for the perfect clever remark to jump out of the far recesses of your brain. Arm yourself with a few conversation starters and then just start talking. Good topics include:  The host, organizer, or sponsor. “So are you a customer or partner with XYZ Corp.?”  The venue. “Who’d have thought this old warehouse could look so cool?”  The food or entertainment. “Did you see the ice sculpture at the door?” “That guy’s a dead ringer for Bono.” Self-introductions. “Hi, I’m Joe,” doesn’t cut it at a corporate event. A good self-introduction includes your name and a tagline that identifies what you do and perhaps something you have in common with other attendees. Often, it’s more effective to offer an explanation of what you do, rather than a job title. It should be seven to nine seconds long and possibly include something interesting or revealing to prompt conversation. Try something like, “Hi. I’m David Haba. I’m the grammar Gestapo for Toyota’s marketing department.” “Grammar Gestapo” is much more interesting than “communications editor,” and the alliteration makes it memorable. Small talk. Big business starts with small talk. Typical topics, such as sports, the weather, current events, and books, open the lines of communication. Read. Keep up with the times. And have a few go-to topics for emergencies. Conversation. Memorable conversation is a mix of what RoAne calls using your OAR: Observing, Asking questions, and Revealing. Observe. Look around the room and observe everything as a possible topic. What’s happening? Maybe you can comment on the entertainment or the sound and light show. What’s the crowd like, and what do you have in common with them? Maybe you’re all financial types or have just had a long day on the trade show floor. What’s going on outside of the party? Perhaps the traffic or the weather is miserable. Examine what’s around you and start your conversations with upbeat, unusual observations. Ask a question. People love to talk about themselves. You just have to ask the right questions to get them started. Again, observe the room and the attendees and pose an open-ended question such as:  “How did you become involved with this organization (group, company, industry, etc.)?”  “How long have you been selling widgets? How did you get started in the industry?”  “What’s the last event you’ve been to like this? How does this one compare?” Reveal. Any time you disclose something about yourself, it’s like peeling away a layer of vulnerability and approachability. Just don’t get too personal. Try openers such as:  “I don’t believe it took me 45 minutes to get here, and I was only 10 miles away!”  “It never fails. I always manage to get marinara sauce on my tie.”  “Thank goodness I didn’t have time for lunch. This food is delicious.” Exits. Most people think ending a conversation is as tricky as starting one. But it’s really quite simple. People are expected to circulate at parties. So when it comes time to end the conversation, simply say something like:  “I really enjoyed talking to you. Perhaps we will bump into each other again.”  “Excuse me, but I think I see someone I better say ‘Hi’ to over there.”  “Excuse me. It was nice meeting you, but I shouldn’t monopolize your time.” Enter, Mingle, and Work It After you’ve planned your event objectives and practiced your conversation skills, it’s time for action. The following strategies can help you work a room with the best of ‘em. Make an entrance. The physical act of walking into the event may be the hardest part, especially if you don’t know a soul. So take a deep breath, stand tall, and walk into the center of the room, rather than stopping just inside the door to clog traffic or bee-lining for a dark corner. Once you near the center, give the room a quick once-over. Where’s the food? Where are people congregating? Do you know anyone? Does anyone look like they’re in your predicament? If you spot an opportunity, smile, look the person in the eye, and stroll over with an opening line cocked and ready for delivery. If nothing or nobody grabs your attention, position yourself between the entrance and the buffet table or beverage station. At one point or another most everyone will pass you on their way to the goodies, which will increase your chances of running into a familiar face — or creating one. Use the tag-team method. If you’re lucky enough to have someone to accompany you, use the tag-team system. Walk in the door with your buddy and get comfortable for a few minutes, but then break free of each other to meet new people. Once one of you hooks into a conversation, bring your new friends to meet your buddy. This kind of tag teaming also allows you to develop a “rescue” signal — a head nod to the left, a tug on an earring — to help you both escape uncomfortable situations or regroup and restrategize the rest of the evening. Act like a host. “One of RoAne’s best tips is to adopt a host rather than a guest attitude,” Bland says. “When you’re a host, you see to the comfort of others by doing simple things such as showing people where things are, greeting them near the door, welcoming them, introducing them to someone else at the party, etc. By doing these simple things, you’re not only giving yourself a goal for the event (and taking your mind off your discomfort), you’re also easing someone else’s discomfort of walking into a room full of strangers.” Break in politely. There’s a fine line between including yourself in a conversation and intruding upon it. The key is to watch people’s body language and listen to the tone of their conversation for clues. Avoid two people who look as though they’re having an intense conversation. Rather, approach groups of three or more who look like they’re having fun. Position yourself near the group and give facial feedback until they verbally acknowledge you or physically make room for you to enter the group. Then offer a brief introduction and join in with the ongoing topic. If the group seems closed off in its verbal or physical clues, keep moving.
Shake hands properly. A firm handshake is the appropriate U.S. business greeting, which should be practiced to perfection in order to avoid the following:  The jellyfish. Nobody wants to touch a limp hand that turns to mush when you squeeze it.  The finger squeeze. People shake hands, not fingers.  The knuckle buster. Your handshake should be firm, not a Mafia-style vice grip. Gather and distribute business cards. Rather than forcing your business card on someone, ask for one first and then reciprocate. Also, devise a system for carrying your cards and collecting others, such as using a baseball card to divide yours from those you’ve collected. And always bring more than enough business cards. “Sorry, but I just gave out my last card,” smacks of poor planning and makes a miserable first impression. Also, to help trigger your memory after the event, look at people’s cards carefully before putting them away. Practice, planning, and a few simple socializing suggestions are all you need to turn wallflowers into social butterflies.
Susan RoAne is a best-selling author and keynote speaker whose presentations set the tone for conventions and meetings. She is available at: The RoAne Group, San Francisco, 415-239-2224, www.susanroane.com Linda Armstrong senior editor