Small talk is not wasted conversation. Used well, it lowers pressure, finds common ground and creates a natural route into more meaningful business discussion.
You do not need an ingenious opening line. The venue, event, journey, speaker or reason for attending all provide easy, low-pressure ways to begin.
Questions beginning with what, how or tell me about usually create better conversation than questions that can be answered with one word.
Good conversationalists do not rush to the next question. They notice a detail in the answer and explore it. That is how a routine introduction turns into a memorable conversation.
Networking events are designed for people to move around. A polite close is not rude. Thank the person, exchange details if useful and explain that you are going to meet a few more people before the event finishes.
Networking improves through repetition. Choose one or two ideas from this guide, use them at your next event, and review what worked afterwards.
If you want to practise these ideas with a friendly group of local business owners, take a look at the next Elevating Business networking events.