🤝 Small Talk, Big Impact: Make your next hello count.
Hot take: after you perfect your elevator pitch, throw it out. Really. Toss it.
Crazy talk? Hear me out. We all keep hearing about the pitch. The elevator speech. The 30-second commercial. The "so, tell me about yourself" answer. I wholeheartedly agree we need one. Come up with it and practice until it just trips off your tongue.
Then let it go.
Sometimes I think we put too much pressure on it. We try to fit too much in or be clever and witty. I'm pretty sure many of us are anxious enough about networking without the added pressure of a rehearsed pitch.
That first hello should start simply. (And this goes for seasoned networkers too. It's easy to add frill the longer we do this.)
All you really need:
A great smile.
Eye contact.
A good, firm handshake.
Your name.
Once the hello is out of the way, everyone can relax, and the pitch happens naturally as the conversation flows. Your practice is still in there. You'll access it when needed, promise.
Flashback to my handshake: in my early twenties, mine was bad. Loose and floppy. Thankfully, Dave Weiler, who turned into one of my best mentors, taught me how to go into introductions with a firm one. I'll never forget the moment in the lobby of the hotel where I worked. He struck up a conversation, shook my hand, and said, "Oh no, no. This is bad. We'll fix this right now."
And he made me practice it over and over.
Thank you, Dave. 🙂
Turns out the simple stuff matters most.
Too radical? Tell me what you think. 👇
#Networking #ChambersMatter