I’m in the middle of a surprisingly good conversation about… commuting.
I know, I know. As a topic it’s on par with the weather.
Except that it was working.
We were swapping stories, comparing routes, and finding common ground.
It was a good conversation.
Then, just as I’m about to suggest a 1:1, a guy strides over with a serious look on his face and asks:
“So, what do you do?”
The connection vanished.
I lost the 1:1.
The conversation hadn’t run out of momentum.
He redirected it.
And it reminded me how often we mistake exchanging information for building relationships.
What’s funny is that the serious strider probably thought he was helping.
After all, we’re supposed to be learning what people do, right?
I didn’t know what commuting guy did.
But I did know I wanted another conversation.
That’s the goal.
Create the next conversation.
Your Turn
Think about your last networking event.
Did you leave knowing what people did…
or who you wanted to talk to again?