5 strategies to master small talk
![](https://assets.weforum.org/article/image/large_mKLuF9R_ddR7LefDErONSRl_n8A2HSS1U4F_ZQOG2e8.jpg)
![A hand holding a looking glass by a lake](/uplink.jpg)
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
Stay up to date:
Future of Work
When Dorie Clark was a graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, she volunteered on political campaigns in Massachusetts. She was required to attend fundraisers, where she didn’t know anyone, to network.
She told herself a successful evening meant talking to at least three people.
“It was nerve-wracking,” said Clark, now a branding expert and adjunct professor in Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. “I would essentially need to force myself to talk to people, because otherwise, if you’re a little bit introverted, the impulse might be to hide in a corner.”
Clark, named one of “25 Professional Networking Experts to Watch in 2015” by Forbes, travels the world presenting to companies and universities on how to be
a stand-out networker.
Here are five ways to become a dynamite networker:
Find the introvert
When Ingrid Byerly’s 6-year-old son attended summer camp, he sought out children who looked alone and started talking to them. By the end of camp, he had multiple new friends.
The same practice can be applied to a professional networking event, said Byerly, a Duke senior lecturing fellow who teaches public speaking.
“You go up to someone who looks the most nervous and you ask them about themselves,” she said.
Practice makes perfect
Join a public speaking group, such as a Toastmasters chapter at Duke, to learn how to speak effectively.
Duke associate professor Zbigniew Kabala, vice president of education for Pratt School of Engineering’s PRATTically Speaking Toastmasters, said practicing with others can reveal physical tics and vocal projection and eye contact problems.
“We evaluate every aspect of the meeting in a friendly way, and we will give you constructive criticism,” Kabala said.
Start small
The most efficient way to network is not by attending large events, said Clark. If large events make you uncomfortable, don’t dedicate a lot of time to big conferences or expos.
“Create your own events or go to small events,” Clark said. “That will be more satisfying.”
You don’t have to talk all the time
Byerly, the Duke public speaking instructor, said spending some time alone at an event isn’t a sign of weakness.
“You don’t have to be running your mouth all the time to try and impress people,” she said.
It’s a two-way conversation
Being a good conversationalist aligns with being a good citizen: Be engaged, be humble and don’t be obnoxious, said Kabala of PRATTically Speaking Toastmasters.
“Don’t be an egoist,” he said. “Be excited about your stuff but be interested in what the other person is doing.”
This article is published in collaboration with Duke Today. Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.
To keep up with the Agenda subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Author: April Dudash is a writer at Duke Today.
Image: People talk in an office. REUTERS/Thomas Peter.
Don't miss any update on this topic
Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.
License and Republishing
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
Related topics:
The Agenda Weekly
A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.
More on LeadershipSee all
Natalie Pierce and Maria Sol Adaime Gabris
July 11, 2024
Andre Hoffmann, Nolita Thina Mvunelo and Felix Rüdiger
July 10, 2024
Natalie Pierce
July 10, 2024
Ionica Berevoescu, Julie Ballington and Lana Ačkar
June 24, 2024
Gareth Francis
June 21, 2024
Pim Valdre and Nicolas Salomon
June 19, 2024