Starting Conversations at Events

Warm-up: The walk across the room

2 warm-up questions

• Have you ever been at a business event where you didn't know anyone? What did you actually do — and how did it feel?
• First try: we're at a conference coffee break and I'm a stranger standing next to you. Start a conversation — 30 seconds, go.

Reading: What the room is judging

Read a 151-word text about What the room is judging

What the room is judging Nobody at a networking event is judging your grammar. In the first ten seconds, the other person is answering much simpler questions: Is this person friendly? Will this conversation be easy? And — can I leave when I want to? That last one matters more than people think. The most common failure isn't a bad opener — it's no ending. A chat that drags on with no exit makes both people avoid each other for the rest of the event. A clean, warm exit does the opposite: it turns a pleasant chat into a contact. The other classic mistake is opening with a pitch — your job title, your company, your product, all in the first breath. Strong networkers open with the one thing you both already share: the event itself. Today you'll learn three moves — open, build, exit — with ready lines for each.

Vocabulary: Networking Vocabulary

6 items

Framework: Open–Build–Exit

Open–Build–Exit, 3 steps

Open–Build–Exit: Every event conversation has the same three moves: open with the situation you share, build with questions plus a little about you, and exit warmly with a next step. Master these three and no room is intimidating.

Reading: Three model openings

Read a 267-word text about Three model openings

Three model openings The same three moves — open, build, exit — with three different strangers. Notice how every opener uses the shared situation, and every exit names a next step. The coffee queue (conference, morning break) “This queue is moving faster than the wifi, at least. I'm Ana, by the way — is this your first time at this conference? … Oh, three years running — so which sessions are actually worth it? … That's good to know. I'm in logistics, so the supply chain one sounds perfect for me. … It was great meeting you, Tomas — I'll let you get to your session, but let's connect on LinkedIn. I'll send you a request now.” The person standing alone (evening reception) “Mind if I join you? I'm Marco — I don't know a soul here. … How do you know the organisers? … A client, interesting — what kind of work do you do with them? … That's exactly the area my team is moving into. … I should mingle a bit more, but I'd love to continue this — do you have a card?” Joining a group (three people, open circle) “[Stand at the edge, wait for eye contact, smile] Mind if I join you? I heard the word ‘marketing' and couldn't resist — I'm Lena. … What were you saying about the new advertising rules? … That matches what we're seeing too — our clients are nervous about it. … I'm going to do another lap of the room, but this was great — let's all connect. It's Lena Novak, you'll find me.”

Practice: Networking Phrases

Gap-fill exercise, 5 items

• Let me ____ the ice. I'm Sarah, and I work in marketing.
• What ____ you to this event today?
• I'd love to ____ in touch. Here's my card.
• It was great ____ you. I hope we can chat again soon.
• Let me ____ you to my colleague. She works in your field.

Practice: Match Situations to Openers

Matching exercise, 6 items

• You're at a conference alone
• You're near the coffee station
• Someone is wearing a company badge
• You want to leave a conversation
• You want to introduce yourself
• You want to find common ground

Dialogue: Starting a Conversation at an Event

Role-play: You're at a professional networking event. Practice approaching someone and starting a conversation. (9 lines)

• You: Hi there! Is this seat taken? I'm [name], by the way.
• New Contact: Not at all, please sit. I'm Alex. Nice to meet you.
• You: Nice to meet you too, Alex. Is this your first time at this conference?
• New Contact: Actually, I've been coming for three years now. I'm in software development at TechStart.
• You: Oh interesting! What kind of software do you develop? I'm in marketing, so I'm always curious about the tech side.
• New Contact: We build customer service platforms. Actually, marketing and tech overlap a lot these days.
• You: Absolutely! We're actually looking at new tools for customer engagement. I'd love to hear more about what you do.
• New Contact: [Explains their work] Anyway, I should grab some food before the next session.
• You: This has been a great chat. Would you like to exchange business cards? I'd love to continue the conversation sometime.

Discussion: Your mission: the walk across the room

3 discussion questions

• Mission: pick a real event in your calendar (or one your tutor invents). Walk up to a stranger and run all three moves — open, build, exit. Success = an opener about the shared situation, at least two follow-up questions, and an exit with a clear next step, all inside three minutes. (Tutor: play the stranger — friendly, but give short answers at first to make them work.)
• Second take: this time it's a group of three people already talking. Join without interrupting, add one comment, and exit gracefully. What changes?
• Compare with your 30-second attempt from the warm-up. Which exact line are you taking to your next real event?