Sat through a whole conference panel about networking and nobody mentioned the awkward coffee break problem

I was at a marketing meetup in downtown Portland last Tuesday and this panel spent 45 minutes talking about how to build connections. Not one word about what to do when you're standing alone by the snack table with no idea how to break into a conversation. I counted three people just staring at their phones near the coffee station for a solid 10 minutes. Has anyone else sat through these talks and felt like they skipped the part that actually matters?

2 comments

2 Comments

angela1919d ago

Last Tuesday at that same Portland meetup I was actually one of the ones by the snack table trying to look busy with my phone. I get why people give advice about making eye contact or finding a friendly face, but honestly I think the panel was right to skip the coffee break stuff because it's too personal to teach. You can't give someone a script for that awkward moment, you just have to get through it a few times until you figure out what works for you.

thomasm4110d ago

Wait, you're telling me this panel actually made you change how you think about the coffee break thing? I used to just assume it was common sense to jump in and say hi, but honestly after sitting through enough of those talks I get why people freeze up.