One of the easiest ways to meet and talk with new people is when you have some good questions ready to go.
“I’m new to this business (or industry). I don’t yet know enough to ask good questons.” If you’re totally stuck for questions, you can ask them what their initial questions were on joining the business.
“But what if I’m ‘shy and retiring’?” If you are more introverted, this can be a great way to focus on the process and not worry about …
“I’m nervous around the senior level people. How can I not look like a total fool in front of them?” A set of questions might be around how they manage their life outside of the work environment.
In many ways, it really doesn’t matter what your questions actually are when first meeting people. What is more important is that you are making the effort to focus on them.
Some Example Questions:
– How long have you been in your industry?
– What made you join the company?
– What do you see as your primary 5 year goal?
– Who has been a good mentor for you?
– What is the biggest pain point that you see for your current project?
– What do you like best about your organization’s culture?
– What is your favorite new tech?
– What do you look forward to when heading into the weekend?
Consider This…
- Think back to the last time you met an interesting person and develop 3 good questions that you would have liked to use then.
- For your current working environment, develop 3 questions that might help you better understand your team members.
- For the future, come up with 3 good questions that you might want to use to break the ice with any new connection.
— 1440 —