If you are new to networking, the “one-on-one” may be a new activity for you.  Basically, the one-on-one is an opportunity to sit down with someone face to face and talk about your business, your products and services and hopefully some personal information about you.

In the beginning of your networking career, these meet and greet encounters may even feel like dates.  You may get a bit nervous wondering how you will come across.  You might not be sure what to talk about or how this personal conference should go.

One goal of any first one-on-one is to get educated on your networking colleagues’ company.  You will also have the opportunity to give an overview of your own company.  I believe that the main goal of networking is to genuinely connect with people.  If you are connected with someone and there is business to be had, business will be had.  Don’t worry about the sales pitch, worry about the connection.

Here are a few topics to assist in connections during your one-on-one.

Geography.  Where did you grow up?  Where have you lived.  Why do you live in your current city?  Where do your parents and siblings live?  Where were you on your last vacation.  Geography is a great subject for linking to each other.

Hobbies.  Do you fish, play golf, or collect stamps?  Why did you choose your hobby?  What types of hobbies have you had in the past?  How does your business intersect with your hobbies.  Many hobbies are very near and dear to our heart.  We like discussing our hobbies and if we find someone else who enjoys our hobbies it can be an instant connection.

Family.  We can all relate to family.  Kids, parents and siblings are usually subjects that we like to converse about.  Family provides built in associations, which connect us to others.

Next meeting.  Talk about when you plan to meet again.  The second one-on-one is much more powerful because you have much of the business out of the way and you can concentrate on more connection points.

Networking.  One safe topic that is easy to discuss with anyone, is networking.  What groups do you like?  What websites do you use?  What tools do you use to help keep track of your network?  How much networking do you attempt?  Finding the right networking styles and patterns will help you become much more effective in this endeavor, so talk about it with others.

Networking gets stale if all you do is sell to one another.  But if you spend your time connecting, the networking trail is full of new friends.