Page 237 - Effective Communication Skills Mastery Bible 4 Books in 1 Boxset by Tuhovsky, Ian

Although your business/contact cards are one of the least

important elements of the jigsaw puzzle, if you choose to use

them, they should of course be well prepared. Both the

material on which they’re printed as well as graphic design

should show that you care about the details and the high

quality of what you are doing. It would be best if you hired a
professional graphic designer to come up with a simple and

creative business card design for you. It is worth putting your

photo on the card—this will reinforce the mnemonic trace of

you. Always use the best quality paper for your contact cards.

The devil’s in the details.

4. Be the initiator. Don’t let excuses stop you from acting!

Most people are always open for exchanging a few sentences

or even for a longer chat. As the initiator of the conversations,

you get the frame of a leader. Your conversation partner will
have the impression that they’re talking with a self-confident

person for whom approaching people and building a network

of contacts is a piece of cake. At conferences, I often start

conversations by asking a loose, non-binding question such as,

“Which presentation have you enjoyed most so far?” Notice

how that question directs an interlocutor to enter into a
positive emotional state.

If you are at a conference and would like to speak to one of

the speakers, simply go to them while they’re on a break and

ask them a few questions connected with their occupation.

Here’s how you do it. You approach a person and say, “Hi,

I’m (your name). What brought you here?” It’s one of these

universal questions that can always be asked. Then you wait

for an answer, and reply, for instance: “How do you guys

know each other?” (if there’s more than one person or you