10 Questions That Spark Vibrant Business Conversation


By Josiah Mackenzie


You've arrived at your local business networking event with a stack of business cards, and can't wait to meet as many people as possible. Already, you've met a new contact, and exchanged names and business cards. Now what do you say?

Asking open-ended questions is a great way to get a lively conversation going. Questions that begin with "Who?" "How?" "Why?" and "Where?" are the best. By using them, you avoid the all-too-common "yes" or "no" answers that cause conversational roadblocks.

To get you started, here are 10 questions that work well in any business setting, but particularly with entrepreneurs.

• How did you get started in your business/industry?

• What has been the "tipping point" in your business/career?

• What has been your most effective marketing tactic?

• What is the latest book you’ve read? What's your assessment of it?

• What are the 3 most influential business/motivational books you've ever read?

• What do you enjoy doing when you're not working?

• What do you have on your plate for this week?

• How do you accomplish your goals? Which productivity tips have you found helpful?

• What trends do you see coming to your industry?

• How do you want your customers to remember/perceive your business?

These questions cover enough material to keep your conversation going for hours, as well as provide gateways to new topics of discussion. Happy networking!


More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Networking Information:

Related Articles

The Six Rs for Changing MInds and Overcoming Resistance
This article borrows from Howard Gardner's book, "Changing Minds" (2004). In order to get people in conflict to cooperate or collaborate sufficiently to settle or resolve their differences, and perhaps achieve reconciliation, it is necessary that they change their minds.


Better Internal Proposals
A colleague of mine has a problem. We belong to the same association and he's been trying for quite some time, without success, to get support for one of his proposals.


The Ultimate Truth in Persuasion
OK, so you want to improve your persuasion power right?Why? What's your intention?As you know your intent directs the flow of energy in yourinteractions with others. So doesn't it just make sense tohave in mind a really clear and strong intent before youengage in your powerful persuasion mission.


Win-Win Power Negotiating
Let's talk about win-win negotiating. Instead of trying to dominate the other person and trick him into doing things he wouldn't normally do, I believe that you should work with the other person to work out your problems and develop a solution with which both of you can win.


Negotiation: A Compromising Position
Negotiating is a hot topic these days for a good reason. It is difficult to imagine a more vital managerial skill than the skill of negotiating.


Negotiating: Forcing vs Compromising
Forcing is a hard-nosed approach that makes heavy demands from the outset. Emotions are displayed frequently, few concessions are made, and the bottom line may be concealed.


Avoiding and Accomodating in Negotiation
The avoiding approach to negotiating is characterized by losing, leaving, and withdrawing. No commitments are made, and behavior is impersonal.


What Are The Four Types Of Negotiating Outcomes?
Negotiating outcomes are the types of results that can happen at the end of a negotiation. All negotiations end up with one out of four possible outcomes: one party wins and the other loses, both parties lose, they get stuck in a stalemate, or both end up winning.


How To Communicate Using Space
What Is Proxemics?The study of the communicative aspects of personal space and territory is called proxemics. Everyone is surrounded by an invisible zone of psychological comfort that follows us everywhere we travel.


Resolve Conflict In 6 Easy Steps - The BEDROL Method
The principles of Negotiation can work for you in any situation, but often people ask me, "Well, its often a fact that conflict happens unexpectedly. What if I don't have time to prepare? Can negotiation skills be used on the spur of the moment?" The answer is YES.


Negotiate Your Way to a Better Salary
1. Be persuasive: It's hard to force your boss to increase your compensation, and trying to do so can potentially damage your working relationship.


Making the Deal: Women as Negotiators
Negotiating is no game. It is not for the weak or the fragile.


How To Deal With A Complainer
How To Deal With A ComplainerA Complainer Is Characterized by:1. Dissatisfaction in their personal life2.


How To Make An Inflexible Bureaucrat See You As A Person
Inflexible Bureaucrats Are Characterized by:1. Cares little about your happiness in life2.


Are You Scaring Away Potential Customers?
When you are trying to make a sale and ask someone to fill out a credit application and new account form, do your potential customers turn around and run to the competition?Author Michelle Dunn, in her new book "Become the Squeaky Wheel," explains how you can avoid scaring customers away and keep them coming back. First, find out what your competition is doing, do they have a credit policy? If they do, what is included? What does their credit application look like? How many forms do new customers have to fill out? Do they have good paying customers? Look online, a lot of business website will have their credit applications available online.