Nowadays networking starts before the event itself. These warm up activities are tried-and-tested tricks you can use to get conversations flowing as naturally as possible at your event. All of them are nice ways to get your event started on a high note.
Find things in common
This is exactly what it sounds like. All you have to do is put people into pairs and have them find 10 things in common. There are a few variations on it; you can also put people into small groups and find things that each person has in common with 3 other group members.
Find the person who does…
When people sign up for your event, ask them to add a little fact about themselves. Print out this list and cut it into strips with a different fact on each strip. When guests arrive to check in at the event, have them take a strip of paper. Their mission is to find the person who the fact belongs to. This is a great way to get people chatting as it gives them the perfect excuse to open a conversation, as well as what they might want to have the conversation about.
“Three Shining Work Moments”
The idea is to have each person share their three best-ever work moments. They say “it worked so well that I have used it over and over again with different groups.” That will give each person a chance to talk about what really makes them special, as well as the chance for other people to appreciate what their other event attendees can do. This one does take a little longer but can be very valuable. It’s always good to focus on the positives!
Two truths & a lie
Everybody’s played this game, right? Each person has to come up with three facts about themselves, two of which are true and one of which is false. Everybody else has to guess which ones are the truth and which one is the lie. It can be surprisingly difficult! Chances are you’ll learn some surprising things about the people, even if you know them pretty well.
5-word introduction
Professional events can sometimes be a bit stuffy, so this icebreaker is a good way to get people feeling a bit more relaxed. The suggestion is to get your attendees to come up with a five-word description of what they do. If your group doesn’t know each other previously, you could also have them guess what the person does. This is best done in small groups.
Hopefully by now you feel better prepared to get your guests all warmed up before your event actually starts. Whether you choose one of the simpler options like having people find things in common or a planned-out adventure, there are plenty of tried-and-true ideas out there to make your next event really stand out.
