The other day I offered a few ideas to make holiday parties fruitful.

A few years ago I posted some holiday party ideas to make them more beneficial to you, and to others who can help you, because everyone feels jolly when they make a meaningful connection, either on the receiving or the giving end.

I decided to make it available again since ’tis the season and perhaps, just maybe, this will help someone reading here. From my LinkedIn article (and please feel free to share this).  So here are some more ideas on top of yesterday’s.

“Where did another year go? I recall as a kid that a year took forever. Now it seems each year flies by, supersonically. We’re fast approaching the time for holiday parties and group get-togethers, business or social. Or a combination. Expect to meet new people? Anticipate reacquainting with others? Catching up with old friends? Ten workable ideas for you:

1.    Get a hold of the attendee list and earmark a few you want to meet and greet. Memorize their LinkedIn headshot so you can spot them in a crowd and approach them. Research how they describe themselves and their work on LinkedIn to see where you share alma maters, common threads, or mutual interests. Bringing these mutual factors into the conversation makes you more interesting, as you explore deeper connectivity. It’s not being creepy–it’s smart business conversation.

2.    As part of that conversation, let them know your value proposition, by not overselling, but being proud of what you bring to the proverbial table. Perhaps they need your services. Perhaps they know others who do. Perhaps they don’t realize it yet. Perhaps someone in the room will speak to them a bit later on and that makes you an immediate and available referral. No time like the present!

3.    It’s a process. You have to work it: in your initial contact, is your elevator pitch really honed? Is the listener stimulated enough by your self-introduction to ask a follow-up question? That’s the goal…two-sided conversation. Make it happen even if it seems a bit awkward at first. The ice breaks when you bring in your brand of personal warmth.

4.    Keep working it: when it’s your turn, as you converse, are you asking open questions like “why do you do what you do?” or “what are you really proud you accomplished this year?” and how about a real zinger “what unique aspects of your work makes you someone I can refer?” rather than the dull “what type of work do you do?” Start with those three unique questions and see where it goes. Be prepared to gently nudge out of the other person what you want to know.

5.    Are you probing them in conversation for ways you can solve an issue or work better with them–do you express how you or your connection(s) can help them? Try that.

6.    How are you going to be memorable in other ways based in this short meeting? Chances are there are others in the room whose service or product is similar to yours. Are you “amazing-er” than the competitor? Show how: in gestures and in rich words.

7.    Did you make it easy to find and read about you on LinkedIn, where you tell further in your own words, “why you?” Is your mobile number on your profile for the textaholics among us? Is your email address there too? If you blog, do you provide a link? When (if) it’s appropriate to exchange business cards, does yours show your personalized LinkedIn profile URL for easy access to further information on you?

8.    If you are impressed with the other person, and you sense they are with you, did you offer to arrange another meeting over coffee or lunch to find more enhanced ways to continue a collaborative relationship? Someone has to kick off and do the follow-up.

9.    Later….And at the end of that second face-to-face follow-up meeting when you went deeper and broader into ways to collaborate, and only if you like that other person, respect that other person, think that another person is refer-able to your entourage, did you agree to connect on LinkedIn? No one is forcing you to connect; you have to want to include them in the entourage you surround yourself with and want to be seen associating with great connections.

10. In your LinkedIn connection invitation, did you personalize it, giving context when and when you met, what you discussed, as a memory jog, and a call to action so you both actually connect and nurture the budding relationship? Once connected, did you on-board that new connection with an article or comment they might benefit from to prove you nurture your new relationships? Please continually nurture them as a valued connection to continue the growth of a budding relationship!

This can be enjoyable and a beneficial investment for you in your new colleague(s). It’s an ongoing process, in these ending days of the year that extends well into the new year. Do make it part of your skillset.  Happy Holidays!