Authored By: Candace Whitman
As a lawyer and business professional, you may often find yourself in a situation where you need to mingle and network. Mingling can be nerve-wracking and awkward at first, but with practice and a positive outlook, anyone can be successful at it.
Bull Garlington provides some helpful networking tips in his article for Attorney at Work.
When you first enter the space where everyone is mingling and you are looking for a conversation to join, look for one person standing alone or groups of two to three people. Garlington suggests you pay attention to the formation people are standing in.
If two people are facing each other or three or more people are standing in a closed-off circle, they may not want to be interrupted. If they are standing in a U or V-shaped cluster, then they may be welcoming of newcomers jumping into the conversation.
Small talk has gotten a bad reputation for being boring and pointless, but sometimes it's necessary. Garlington states, "Small talk leads to big talk." You have to start the conversation somewhere, so don't feel self-conscious using small talk because it could lead to valuable conversations and connections.
To read more great mingling tips, click here to read Harlington's article for Attorney at Work.