Networking and conversation starters
There will be a few reading this book who, like me, really got the short straw when it came to being good at small talk. There will also be those who would prefer to skip the small talk altogether and get to some deeper, more relevant discussions. In this section, you will learn a few useful techniques for facilitating a networking event, as well as conversation starters and redirects that can be used when you find yourself at a loss for words or feel it is time for another topic. Let's start with one that can be used to facilitate agenda-less meetings, Lean Coffee.
Lean Coffee
Lean Coffee is a way to structure a meeting/event in a way that allows participants to vote on topics they would like to discuss. I have used this in book club discussions I have hosted as well to make a meeting with an over-stacked agenda much more productive.
The following figure is a visual depiction of the essential items needed to facilitate a Lean Coffee...
