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Found a way to break the ice at networking events without using the weather
I used to hate walking into those entrepreneur meetups and standing around like a statue. Last month at a local mixer in Portland, I started asking people what their worst customer story was. It sounds negative but it actually got everyone laughing and talking for 10 minutes. Tried that at 3 different groups since and it works every time. Has anyone else found a weird opener that actually works better than the standard 'so what do you do'?
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ward.jamie4mo ago
Your mileage may vary of course but negativity shared builds faster bonds than positivity ever will.
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the_simon4mo ago
Yeah, that negativity bonding thing is real. There's something about complaining together that just clicks way faster than trying to be positive all the time. People drop their guard when they're annoyed or frustrated, it feels more honest somehow. Positive vibes can feel forced or fake, but nobody fakes being pissed off about bad service or a terrible commute. That shared "ugh" moment just builds trust way quicker than a fake smile ever could.
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