5 Ways to Network Like A Pro at Conferences – Soft Skills for Scientists

It’s conference season. Whether you are working on plant development or study resistance to malaria in mosquitoes. Conferences are THE occasion to leverage and expand your scientific network. With these 5 tips, you will get the most of conferences:

1) Know what you want.

Take a few minutes to think about why you are attending this conference. What do you want to get out of it? Are you looking for a new job? For a collaboration? Do you want to share your exiting findings with others? Are you curious what your competitors are doing?

Once you know what you want, it’s easy to identify the persons you need to talk to.

2) Research speakers and attendees ahead of time – and reach out.

Many conferences publish their programs and/or abstract books online before the conference. One week before the conference, sit down and study the conference program. Make a list of the people you’d most like to meet. Research them online using LinkedIn, lab websites, Pubmed or ResearchGate.

Next, reach out via Email, Twitter or LinkedIn. You don’t want to leave it to fate to accidentally run into the persons that you want to talk to. Invite them to your poster and presentation or propose a short meeting.

3) Practice your elevator pitch.

If you do accidentally run into that person you really wanted to talk to, be prepared. Have your elevator pitch ready.

An elevator pitch is a brief summary of who you are, what you work on and what you want from the other person. It should not take longer than an average elevator ride, so 20-30 seconds. Start with a friendly greeting. If you have met the person before, remind them of the occasion. Say where you work and what you work on. If your supervisor is well-known, include his/her name in your elevator pitch. Finish your elevator pitch with a question.

Rehearse your elevator pitch a few times to sound naturally.

4) Get out of your comfort zone.

Forget what your parents taught you: Talk to strangers at conferences. If you want to meet new people, you will have to get out of your comfort zone.

Remember that everyone is here for a similar reason and most people will be grateful if you take the initiative and talk to them. A good icebreaker is to ask someone what they are working on or what they thought of a particular speaker. Have your elevator pitch ready when you are asked what you are doing.

Don’t go into details. If your conversation partner is interested, he/she will ask. If not, ask them about their research instead.

5) Stay connected.

Collect business cards and do connect with people you meet on social networks like LinkedIn or ResearchGate. Always include a personal message when connecting to remind the other person where you have met and what you have talked about.

Tip: If you don’t have business cards, you can make DINA4 printouts of your poster with your email address clearly stated on it. 

Conferences DO’s and DON’Ts:

DO present a poster or give talk. It’s a great way to draw attention to your research.

DO ask lots of questions. If you are not confident enough to stand up and ask a question in front of a large audience, approach the speaker after their talk. Or compliment them on Twitter and ask your question via a Tweet or DM. Also, ask questions to anyone you meet. You want to learn about what is going on in your field, don’t you?

DO skip a session and hang out in the common area. These can be the perfect, quiet occasions to get a hold of that big shot in your field.

DO participate in social events. It’s easier to talk to others in the informal atmosphere of a field trip or conference party.

DON’T avoid other people and hide in your room with your computer.

DON’T stay too close to your boss/supervisor. Your boss might be able to introduce you to other researchers in your field, but you also want to be recognized as a capable individual not just a shadow of your boss.

Now it's your turn. Have you used any these tips before? What are your tips for better networking at conferences? Which of these tips have you found to be most helpful? Let me know in the Comments section below, and be sure to share these tips with your network.

Dr. Sarah Schmidt is managing a research project on bananas at The Sainsbury Laboratory. She is a proactive networker and keen on communication. To read more from Sarah on LinkedIn, please click the FOLLOW button above or below.