MOO “Networking For People Who Hate Networking” Tip #3: Spark Conversation

hey there hero it’s David H Lawrence the
17th and I’m just loving this article
that mu put out on how to do better at
networking events we go to networking
events all the time we go to meet and
greets with casting people and with
engineers and it’s studios and there’s
workshops and there’s all kinds of
things where we’re meeting people in our
business sometimes we’re being
interviewed by people and we don’t know
who they are a whole bunch of people at
a junket or at a red carpet so one of
the points that they make in this
article and I’ve given you a link to the
MU stuff below this video is some people
get shy they don’t know what to say they
don’t know how to handle things at a
networking event and I get that I
understand that and there’s that
fallback of so what do you do well the
problem is when you go to an industry
event everybody knows what everybody
does I mean you know perhaps there are
people there who aren’t being forthright
about what they do like they’re casting
directors and they don’t want to have
people like inundating them right that
happens from time to time so rather than
saying what do you do I’ve got a few
suggestions for you in terms of
questions to ask that are not binary
questions they’re not yes-or-no
questions they’re open-ended questions
and that generates a conversation so one
of the first ones is what are you hoping
to get out of this event what are you
doing here what do you want to get out
of this event that really helps people
give you their plans their thoughts and
their goals and maybe you can help solve
those goals you know just know that no
casting director is gonna go I’m here to
meet more actors because that’s not why
they’re there they’re there to get to
know people socially you know just
because you’re at a business networking
event doesn’t mean you have to push the
business really hard right you do want
to stay on point but you don’t have to
sit there and immediately start
hammering away well I’m an actor and I
can help you out you don’t don’t do that
you can also just say so what’s your
story where’d you come from let people
talk about themselves and why they’re
doing what they are doing
I love that question for me it’s a
chance to talk about storytelling its
chance to talk about turning you into a
hero I love love love talking about my
clients and my students and I love
talking about being an actor so you can
imagine that other people would like
that as well so what’s your story kind
of gets that going and another one is
what are you best known for I I
certainly when people talk to me about
my acting talk about heroes and lost and
how I Met Your Mother and the unit and
all the other shows that I’ve been on
the movies that I’ve done the voice work
that I’ve done when they ask what you
want to avoid doing is answering that
question before they’ve asked it you
don’t need to sort of regurgitate your
resume onto somebody get them to talk
about themselves I know it’s like well
how are they ever know what I can do
it’ll come up believe me there’s this
reciprocity thing that happens that when
somebody does talk about themselves
they’re very much pushed to think okay
let’s balance this out I’ve talked
enough about me tell me about you right
and that’s the way those conversations
go there’s also one that they put in the
article that I think is really good it’s
a hey do you know how much a polar bear
weighs enough to break the ice you know
if you’ve got the guts to do that I’m
with them go for it it’s it’s great any
other questions that you like to ask
I mean we’ve given you some others in
other videos that we’ve done in this
series but I’d love to know ones that
work for you I’d love to create like a
little little group of things that I can
share with my clients that help them at
networking events like this because
they’re tough sometimes I know right let
me know in the comments below if you’ve
got anything you’d like to add to this
little group of potential questions that
spark conversation if you want to get on
the list for these videos I’d love to
have you there’s a box below the
comments that says get on the list we’d
love to have you on the list and that’ll
do it I’m David H Lawrence xvii I thank
you so much for watching and I will talk
to you tomorrow.