Open With What You Both Can See
Start with a remark or question about the shared setting, not about yourself and not a compliment on the person.
Practitioner advice that fits the stranger research above, but no study compares opener types head to head.
Why it works
A comment on the place, the talk or the queue is easy to answer and asks nothing personal. It tells them you are friendly without pressure.
How to do it
- Look for something you both are experiencing: the speaker, the food, the crowd, the stall.
- Make it a question or a light remark with room to reply.
- Follow their answer with one question about them.
- Then give your name.
What to say
What did you make of the last speaker?
This queue is longer than the session. Have you been to this one before?
Do you know which hall the cold-chain stalls are in?
Avoid
Opening with your company name and what you sell. It turns a chat into a pitch in the first second.
Example
At the Agri Intex coffee counter, Devendra said, the dosa stall has a longer line than the keynote did. The man laughed, and they talked for twenty minutes about potato storage.
Practise it
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