3 min read
Arriving alone
How to walk in without a companion and find your footing in the first few minutes.
Arrive a little early
Rooms are easiest in the first fifteen minutes, before groups have formed. People are still arriving, still looking around, and just as open to a conversation as you are.
Arriving late means walking into circles that have already closed. Early is quieter, and quiet suits you.
Give yourself a first job
Walking in with nothing to do is the hardest part. Give yourself a small, ordinary task so the first minute has a shape.
- Get a drink or a plate of food.
- Find the host and say hello.
- Look at the programme, the name tags or the view.
- Hang up your coat and take your time doing it.
Stand where conversations start
The drinks table, the food, the coffee queue and the edge of the room are natural meeting points. People there are between things, which makes them easy to talk to.
Avoid the middle of the room, where groups are already settled. The edges give you a view and an easy way in.
Lines for the first minute
Simple and honest works best. Most people are relieved when someone else speaks first.
Say: I don't know many people here yet. Mind if I join you for a minute?
Say: Is this your first time at one of these?
Say: How do you know the host?
Say: I've just arrived. Have I missed anything good?