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The Introvert's Guide to Tech Conferences

Jenn on July 19, 2018

Last week I attended devopsdays Minneapolis. It was my first time attending and I had a blast. There were over 900 attendees and I survived. Whe...

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Peter Kim Frank • Jul 19 '18

This is great advice, thanks for sharing.

I had a few insights about networking that really helped me. I'll add them here, if that's okay...

1) Other people want to talk to you. Everyone is there to chat and meet new folks. Approaching someone to talk isn't an imposition, you're doing the other person a favor by initiating conversation. This was the major insight that made me more calm/confident at these sorts of events.

2) It's totally fine to say "I'm going to make the rounds" if conversation has stalled and you want to keep moving. Again, everyone understands the context of the event, and that you're trying to meet multiple people. You're doing them a favor by respecting their time, as well.

3) People love talking about themselves. A sure-fire way to keep the conversation moving is by asking engaging questions. That can help build some momentum if you're not naturally comfortable chatting up a conversation from scratch.

4) Use inviting body language. If you're not feeling confident about walking up to a group, or initiating a new conversation, a simple smile is an invitation for someone to start chatting with you. Maintain a friendly expression and make eye contact as people mill about, and in no time someone will likely feel comfortable walking up to you to start talking.

Tobias • Jul 19 '18

Thanks for sharing your advice. Much appreciated!

It's quite funny but even though people think I'm an extrovert, I often have hard times to get into conversations with people, especially if there are a bunch at once and if I don't know them (like for example at conferences).
However the thing (at least for me is) when I'm warmed up, I really enjoy to talk to multiple people at one place. It's like fitness training. You have to warm up before you put your muscles under extreme stress.

Kamal Mustafa • Jul 29 '18

Wear a conversation piece.

This is spot on. Since I'd usually got t-shirt from conferences other people in company joining, I'd always make sure to wear that shirt. So you went to pycon us ? (I'm from Asia and never set foot in the west) ... Oh no, only got their shirt ... and the conversation going on ;)

And I'll just add another one - always smile to everyone, this is my way to say implicitly that I'm ready to talk to everyone :)

Steven Washington • Jul 19 '18

Thanks for the write-up! This is something I still struggle with. These are good tips, but I just need to practice practice! And getting to tech conferences on a budget is not easy!