[zhte415]

Worst: Smalltalk/networking. I'm pretty social (perhaps now), but it took a lot (attending conferences, 2 years+, once per month) to feel comfortable approaching and talking to strangers - and the crazy thing was I was in a buy-side position, not sell-side, so I was waiting for others to strike a conversation. Now, 10 years later after getting over the hump, it is much easier. The biggest thing for me was getting comfortable talking to a couple of really genuine sales people. And genuine meant getting to know them very gradually over these 2+ years.

1. If a conference organiser, it's really useful to not just put people in a room with canapes and drinks for a 'networking session' but to actually plan something that can connect people. An event where people can create meaningful conversation, not have flippant conversation.

2. If a participant, read-up by listening to some excellent podcasts by manager-tools.com - they cover tips in a far better way than I could do in a quick HN post (it's free, with a vast range of content, not just for managers).

[dwgetjg]

So you'd say that conferences could be great if people have numerous meaningful conversations, but that doesn't happen as often as you'd like?