5 ways to get the most out of any networking event in 25 minutes or less

When you're looking for people at the event to connect with, but don't see any familiar faces or people making eye contact, find someone nearby to compliment. A compliment is an easy way to make fast connections and a great way to kick off a conversation.

The longer you float around the room without saying hi, the longer you're at the event without fulfilling your goal, which is to meet new people and learn new things.

Making constant conversation with people can feel tricky and exhausting. Come to the event with a list of ten questions you could ask anyone there to help extend the chat and get to know them on a quality level.

You can ask what challenges they are facing in their industry, what part of their job they enjoy the most, or about any hobbies or travel plans they might have. Neutral topics can help the conversation flow easily, with meaning and purpose. You'll notice you say "umm" much less when you have a game plan of questions to ask.

A big time waster at networking events is the struggle to answer a question you'll get asked frequently: "What do you do?" If you don't have a short and polished answer to the question, you'll struggle finding the right words, descriptions, and story to use. Come prepared to answer this question in under 15 seconds, and have a quick summary of your job responsibilities, interesting projects, and perhaps a personal fun fact to make you memorable.

Having a concise answer encourages them to ask questions on what they want to know more about. That way, the connection is built around how they can potentially connect with you in the future — and opportunities they might be able to offer you. When elevator pitches sound like rambling run-on sentences, the person listening might get fatigued by listening and not have much to follow-up with.

Set a limit ahead of time for how long you want conversations to last. That way, you won't find yourself sucked into chatting with just one person for the duration of the entire event. Try to keep conversations under five minutes, with the purpose of learning just enough about a person so that you can follow-up with them in a genuine and powerful way.

Once the conversation climbs to a natural pause, let the other person know it was great meeting them and that you are going to go keep exploring the event (or going to refill your drink, use the restroom, walk around for a bit, etc.), and ask what the best way to contact them would be. After you have their email, phone number, or social profile, jot a quick note in your phone (a sentence or two) about what the conversation to make them remember you in your follow-up email.

Also, have a purpose. If they mentioned in your conversation giving you a tour of the office or sending you future events their company is hosting, mention that in the communication.

Networking events are for making connections. Keep your conversations short but filled with purpose, to help make the relationships into something meaningful, and hopefully, a long-lasting connection.