[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/3-ways-break-ice-holiday-networking-events#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/3-ways-break-ice-holiday-networking-events","headline":"3 Ways to Break the Ice at Holiday Networking Events","name":"3 Ways to Break the Ice at Holiday Networking Events","description":"  Holiday season is upon us which means you\u2019ll likely be attending a lot of events. Not just your family events, but events at your job and any associations you may be a part of. While advancing your career may not be the point of these events, they do present the perfect opportunity to get…","datePublished":"2014-12-08","dateModified":"2017-12-01","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/author\/admin#Person","name":"Lisa Rangel","url":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/author\/admin","identifier":1,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d232d4d94c36a87067529574d8bf976cdcbe10988a09d79e9fbc2b75ce6cb95a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d232d4d94c36a87067529574d8bf976cdcbe10988a09d79e9fbc2b75ce6cb95a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Chameleon Resumes, LLC","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chameleon_FullColor-1.png","url":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chameleon_FullColor-1.png","width":1000,"height":442}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/holiday-networking-events-300x300.jpg","url":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/holiday-networking-events-300x300.jpg","height":"300","width":"300"},"url":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/3-ways-break-ice-holiday-networking-events","about":["Blog","Networking & Social Media Branding"],"wordCount":539,"keywords":["Chameleon Resumes blog","conversation starters","holiday networking events","lisa rangel","networking","professional events","relationship building"],"articleBody":" Holiday season is upon us which means you\u2019ll likely be attending a lot of events.Not just your family events, but events at your job and any associations you may be a part of.While advancing your career may not be the point of these events, they do present the perfect opportunity to get a little networking in. Simply put, no one is expecting you to vie for a job at a holiday party like you would at more professional events.Holiday parties also typically aren\u2019t forced social situations which is what can make more professional networking events so uncomfortable.Use our tips below to break the ice at holiday parties so you can get some networking done and grow your list of contacts. 1. Find the person standing alone.A tactic I use is to strike up a conversation with someone else that looks alone at the event. I literally walk up to those people, introduce myself and say, “I hate standing alone at these events, and assume others prefer to not stand alone either, so I figured we can chat!” and then go into some openers.Some examples of openers include:\u2022 What brought them here?\u2022 Do they know anyone? How did they meet?\u2022 What are they working on that maybe they were hoping to find some resourcesat the event to move their project along?They key here is to gently ask good questions that will get them talking. Chances are the other person will appreciate that you\u2019re including them, and as a result be more willing to open up and have a conversation. 2. Come from a place of service.There is nothing more irritating than someone at a networking event who immediately starts pitching themselves upon meeting someone.Rather than going to the networking event thinking about how many people you need to talk to, how many business cards you need to collect or what deal you need to close, consider going with the intention of being helpful to someone else. Even setting out to help just one person can be more effective than handing out business cards.Get in the spirit of the holidays and attend these events with service in mind. It takes the pressure of \u201cnetworking\u201d off of you and can open the doors to building relationships that may very well lead to opportunity later on. 3. Take advantage of the holiday small talk.The holidays present us with a ton of conversation starters that we can\u2019t call upon the rest of the year. According to Debra Fine, author of The Fine Art of Small Talk, you can ask questions like \u201cWhat are some your family holiday traditions?\u201d or \u201cWhat is your favorite thing about the holiday season? Why?\u201dThis opens the door for conversation instead of forcing one to occur. Eventually the conversation will lead to everyone\u2019s favorite small talk question \u201cSo, what do you do?\u201d This is when you can bring up career goals or the fact that you are looking for a job.The point is to use this time of year to let a conversation about your career come up naturally. You can find a list of holiday related conversation starters here."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"3 Ways to Break the Ice at Holiday Networking Events","item":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/3-ways-break-ice-holiday-networking-events#breadcrumbitem"}]}]