Networking events are like speed dating. In a Business English Speaking Course you can practice how to navigate the phases and phrases of these rapid-fire networking “dates.” These little social encounters mean navigating a brief contact with a stranger and then gracefully moving onto the next. And the next. For most of us, it’s not easy.
In fact, it’s just not a very natural way to interact with people. But as you practice, you will become more fluent, not just in your English, but in this very particular sort of social situation – the dreaded networking event!
And please remember, networking is a “numbers game.” In a room full of strangers, you will “size up” your prey 😉 – the person(s) you want to encounter – navigate the encounter – and then move on – because more encounters means more chances of meaningful business contacts. And you’ll do all this while speaking English and looking cool, calm and confident, right? Right!
1. Know your phrases and your elevator pitch: Practice the functional English for the phrases for networking (see below) as well as your elevator pitch (aka elevator speech). Practice these at home, with a friend or colleague, until you can say them with ease and confidence.
If you don’t have your elevator pitch ready, go to this HubSpot article “23 Elevator Pitch Examples to Inspire Your Own”. It even has elevator pitch templates!
2. Know the culture(s) you are diving into. Cultural orientation is especially important when you will be networking with just one cultural group. Learn the basics of polite but engaging business socialization as defined by that group.
Intercultural tip! When you receive a business card from a Japanese person, take it with both your hands and look at it before you put it away. And never, never put that business card in your back trousers pocket. That is an insult.
3. Read the room (=look around) and identify your prey (your first contact). Then approach with a smile. If you’re nervous, you might want to avoid starting with the person you most want to meet, practicing with some other people first. Hopefully, by the time you get to the high value person you really want to meet, you are all warmed up and feeling comfortable and confident.
4. To shake or not to shake (?) and personal space: Use your emotional intelligence and cultural knowledge to know if you should shake hands, as well as how close to stand to someone. A few years ago, during Covid, we knew to stand back and never shake hands, but now we’re back to relying on our cultural knowledge and social cues.
5. Mind your body language and eye contact: Norms for these meta communication elements vary widely from culture to culture. In most western cultures eye contact can be pretty direct and “talking with your hands” is fine. But eastern cultures may call for a more reserved approach. Just prepare, observe and be more of a follower than a leader. In particular, be aware of any nervous habits you may have. If you are a hair twister or nail biter, try to suppress that during these encounters.
Also be aware that pointing is considered rude in many cultures. If you need to point something out, such as the bar or the exit, use your whole hand (all fingers together) to “point” the way.
6. Project both confidence and a little vulnerability: Almost everyone is a bit anxious in these situations, but it is attractive to project confidence, and it can help put the other person at ease, as long as it is mixed with a little empathy or vulnerability. Be confident but never cocky (=arrogant). Sometimes just admitting that you are a bit uncomfortable meeting new people can be a great icebreaker.
7. Mind your speed and volume: When we are nervous, our heart rates speed up, and with that biological marker going faster than usual, we may also speak more quickly than usual. Combine that with a noisy room where many people are speaking, often with various accents, speed can be a real obstacle to understandability. Plus speed can project nervousness! So slow down. It will be better for your English, plus better for the listener. Also be aware of your volume. The right volume promotes understandability. No whispering, and no shouting. Practise finding the sweet spot and stick to it.
8. Engage on suitable topics with prepared phrases: Once you have broken the ice, you need to have some appropriate topics “on the tip of your tongue” (=very accessible / top of mind). See our suggestions below.
9. Choose a register. Register is a social construct describing levels of formality. We generally think of levels of formality: informal, neutral and formal. In many cases, the middle register will be the right one. Thus, neither “Hey what’s up dude?” OR “Good afternoon, honorable madam” will be as good as the middle, neutral register greeting, “Hi. I’m Eva Suchard. It’s nice to meet you.” Exceptions are, of course, appropriate when meeting rap stars, royals, and other dignitaries.
10. Mind the time: As we said, event networking is a bit of a numbers game. Try to have meaningful but brief encounters so that you can move on to the next target. Resist the temptation to just “hangout” with someone you feel comfortable with, while the time is slipping away. Be like a shark and keep swimming. Use the phrases in the next section to prepare to politely disengage.
11. But before you go, firm up the connection with a business card (do people still have those?) or mobile number and/or email exchange. I like to just open my contacts and hand someone my phone so they can enter their own details. Then I add a keyword after their last name so that I can find it later. For example, if I am at the “Toy Fair” in New York, I add toy2024. Then I can find all those contacts later and organize them however I want. Other people may just follow each other on LinkedIn, but whatever you choose, do it “on the spot.” (=immediately, without delay.)
12. Finally, close with a smile, (card or mobile contact secured), and move on.
13. And as we say in English, “Rinse and repeat.” (= a funny way to say, “do it again.”)
When we socialize in our second language, social anxiety may be high, and anxiety can interfere with your ability to access your second language. That phenomenon is called the “affective filter,” and that’s why preparing some useful social phrases is so important. You will need to practice saying them in order to make them part of your “productive vocabulary” – that’s vocabulary that you can “send,” not just “receive.” In other words, you can spontaneously produce language that is in your productive vocabulary, not just understand it when you hear it. If we see you for a private Business English speaking course, we’ll work on that a lot.
So, as always, practice makes perfect. Let’s go!
Pro tip! Everyone will probably be wearing a name tag that states their name and company name. But introductions are still appropriate and polite.
We hope that you found this mini lesson – Business English Speaking Course – useful. If you would like to know more about a Masterclass English with The English Center, just click through to the course page. All our courses are private (except for in company training) and tailored to your professional goals and your schedule. Let’s talk!
Brenda de Jong-Pauley MA is the director of The English Center. Trained as a teacher and psychologist in the US, she loves combining practical English language with the soft skills that make people great business English speakers.
Since 2009, thousands of learners have trusted our courses
What do our clients think about us? Just click the TrustPilot icon to read some reviews.
