I like to go alone.
Craig Silverman: I love going places where I don't know anybody. I moved three times in the second grade so I had to learn how to make friends. What most people do at networking events is they walk in and approach people and start going on and on about themselves and their business.
What I try to do in a situation in which I don't know anybody is get to know people. So, I'll go in and ask a lot of questions. And I'll listen and if there's a group of people talking about a conference that they went to, I'll ask them how did they like the conference. Who did they see there who was a great speaker. What do they feel they brought home from the conference. Would they go to the conference again. What did they think of the city that it was in. What activities did they do.
I'm genuinely interested. I'm kind of an archeologist at heart. I like to uncover information and learn from it.
Animal: But, Craig, a successful conversation is not a one-way street. That's more like an interrogation.
Craig: Well, obviously, I'm a talker too but I think there's got to be a balance. Conversation is a two-way street. So if you're talking about things I tend to look for common ground. I coach little league sports so if people have kids we have lots of things in common right there. We can talk about schools, fund-raising, events, sports. So you look for common ground. Places that you've been or other things that you might be able to share.
Animal: Okay. Once you get these guys talking to you, how do you break away from people once you've started a conversation with them?
Craig: I'll wait for a lull in the conversation and put my hand out and say, "Hey, it's been very nice to meet you. You know my goal here today is to meet a lot of people so I'm going to shuffle off and meet up with a few more. Here's my card. Drop me an email so we can share contact information. And thanks so much. Nice to meet you."
Source: 24.00 min mark, The Recruiting Animal Show, 07.10.24
