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A sticker that shows if they are a cat person or a dog person or a button that shares something they are really good at are easy and fun ways to inject sharing into an event.
We live increasingly digital lives, and much of our communication is now done through typing. Whether it’s texting with friends and family, on Zoom, Teams, or Slack at work, or chatting with AI tools, we spend a lot of our time “talking” without even opening our mouths. This scares me a little because it is so easy to interact digitally that it makes it harder for us to connect when we are in-person. With typing, we’re able to edit and improve upon our words and add gifs and emojis to make our chats more interesting and engaging.
On top of that, research, including a Forbes Health survey polling 2,000 people, reveals that after the COVID lockdowns, we got out of practice with — and worse at — in-person interaction and getting over the conversation-starting hump.
Fortunately, there are solid strategies for designing for introverts that we can use to lower these barriers, making it easy for people with all kinds of personalities to network. Here are five easy-to-implement suggestions.
Reflect-Before-You-Connect — We’re all familiar with the Know-Before-You-Go email with the logistical details, but we could also prime our audiences to be more prepared for meaningful dialogue when they arrive. A few questions about identifying what someone wants to get out the event, or reflecting on solutions they are seeking can get our participants into the right frame of mind as they are traveling to the event.
Instant Connectors — A sticker that shows if they are a cat person or a dog person, a button that shares something they are really good at, or a question to get the ball rolling are all easy and fun ways to inject easy sharing to an event. I recently had an experience where we selected icebreaker JabberYak question buttons when we checked in at registration. We had choices like “What is your favorite place to travel?” and “What’s the best gift you’ve ever been given?” These instantly led to easy conversations at the networking breakfast — plus the fun chatter was a great morning energy boost.
“Small Talk Proof” Your Event — Take a step back and journey map all the small talk pain points at your event and insert something to spark discussions. For example, being seated next to strangers at lunch is often awkward — a conversation menu is a great way to make people more comfortable. Print a menu of table topics with the suggestion that people talk through them as the meal goes on. A mix of personal and professional questions will create a good amount of buzz.
Question of the Day — This is a super simple strategy that will go a long way to easier interactions. Start each day with a pop-up notification on the event app that shares the day’s question, so people can reflect while they are getting ready. You can also announce it from the main stage, or list it at the top of the day’s agenda. Creating a focus to set people up for idea-sharing is immensely helpful in the breakfast line or on the shuttle bus. The question should create space for discussion, such as “What’s the best thing you’ve learned so far?” or “What has surprised you about this event?”
Conversation Advocates — We can put our extroverted people to work by enlisting them to help create more conversations at our events. This could be a great role for early-career professionals looking to build their networks. The advocates should be on the lookout for people standing alone at breaks and receptions, and make a point of introducing them to others when they sit down in sessions. They also should be on the alert for anyone wearing a first-timer ribbon and make an extra effort to welcome them.
Developing social capital is going to continue to be a huge part of the in-person value proposition, and the events that make that easy will be ones that offer standout experiences.
Beth Surmont, CMP-Fellow, FASAE, CAE, is vice president of event strategy and design for marketing, strategy, and experience agency 360 Live Media.