When is the last time you went to a networking event and someone asked you about the weather? I find this to be a very common question. In fact, I was on a conference call earlier today and someone asked what the weather was like in Los Angeles. I find it fascinating that this is the default question or topic people turn to. I guess I understand itā€™s relatable to everyone, but at the same time, I scratch my head because we all have the internet and know about weather.com.

10 Questions to Ask Instead of “How’s the Weather?” for Effective Networking Results

Effective Networking Begins With Building Rapport

Moreover, the answer almost rarely tells you about the other person. Networking is all about building rapport and rapport is basically built on trust, respectability, and likability. A great way to meet these three principles is by finding commonality or similar interests with the other person.

So, the next time you go to a networking event or are talking about to a stranger, I want you to ask some of these non-weather related questions:

RELATED: 3 Practical Mindset Shifts to Start Networking Confidently

10 Non-Weather Related Questions to Ask

1. What brings you to this event?
2. Whatā€™s new since the last time I saw/talked to you?
3. What did you do over the weekend?
4. What do you have planned for the upcoming week?
5. Have you heard of this speaker/organization before?
6. What are you most excited about at todayā€™s event?
7. Who would you like to meet at this event?
8. Whatā€™s the last podcast, TV show, movie, or book you read?
9. What was your college major and are you doing anything with it?
10. What do you do for fun?

Why These Questions are Effective Networking Conversation Starters

If you go through the list, youā€™ll notice some commonalities across the questions:

  1. They are all open-ended questions. What this means is, they start with who, how, what, when, why, and often cannot be answered with just a yes or a no. While ā€œHowā€™s the weather?ā€ is also an open-ended question, this leads me into the second commonality:
  2. All of these questions have the word ā€œyouā€ in it. They all aim at asking about the other person. Conversations are started by being curious and inquisitive.

Effective Networking Scripts in Action

Hereā€™s how this might play out at an event:

Me: Hi! Nice to meet you, Iā€™m Emily.

Ann: Hi, Iā€™m Ann. How are you?

Me: Great. Iā€™m curious what brings you to this event?

Ann: I had to come for work – our company is hosting the event.

Me: Oh wow. Thatā€™s awesome. Thanks for hosting! Which company?

As you can see, the first question gets straight to the point and the conversation might steer more into what she does at her company, how she likes it, etc. There really isnā€™t a hard script but if you lead with being curious, inquiring about the other person, youā€™re going to build rapport by showing youā€™re trustworthy, likable, and respectable!
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Try not to Lead with Work

Generally, I try to avoid leading with questions about work. A lot of times when I go to networking events, Iā€™m asked, ā€œWhat do you do?ā€ Thatā€™s fair. But I think weā€™re often more than just our titles at whatever company. Itā€™s much more fun talking about interests and building rapport off of commonalities – and then once weā€™ve built a jive – we can talk about the work.Ā 

Hereā€™s another example of how this can be applied:
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Me: Hi, Nice to meet you. Iā€™m Emily.Ā 
Ann: Hi, Iā€™m Ann. How are you?
Me: Iā€™m great. Thanks for asking. I actually really love exploring new restaurants and venues since I just moved here about 3 months ago from Arizona. This is a pretty neat spot. Have you been here before?
Ann: Nope, actually itā€™s my first time.
Me: Oh, I guess that makes two of us. How did you hear about this event?

You’ll notice Iā€™m weaving in personal anecdotes in the case thereā€™s any room for Ann to get excited or curious about probing further into anything that is of common interests. Eventually, I may ask Ann what she does or what brought her here but I want to ask once Iā€™ve developed a level of enthusiasm in our conversations. This can be easily achieved by asking about fun, enjoyable topics such as hobbies, interests, weekend activities, etc.

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Brainstorm Topics to Talk About

If you want to elevate the art of conversation to the next level, you can also consider reading the news before an event. Find out whatā€™s happening in the local news, business news, or celebrity news, so you have a list of topics to speak about in the case you find yourself stumped.Ā 

For example, you might say, ā€œDid you hear about the 6 year-old boy who is raking in $11 million a year for testing toys on Youtube?ā€ People might be like, ā€œWhaaat? Thatā€™s crazy.ā€ and you can tell them all of the details you read. Or they might be like, ā€œYeah! Itā€™s time to start a Youtube channelā€ and get their energy shifting into one where they can show more of their personality.Ā 

Youā€™ll just want to make sure you avoid any politics, religion, or inappropriate topics.

Finally, remember that at the end of the day weā€™re all human. Just because itā€™s a business event or corporate event does not mean you canā€™t show your personality. Channel whoever you feel most comfortable speaking with and pretend as if that person youā€™re meeting is them. How would you converse with that person you’re thinking of?Ā 

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10 Questions to Ask Instead of "How's the Weather?" for Effective Networking Results

 

 

 

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