If you spend enough time in a communications-related space, including journalism or public relations, you will inevitably be required to attend networking events.

For many, being in such gatherings of people can be confronting or overwhelming. Following are some tips on how to best prepare yourself for networking, if the idea of meeting new people scares the hell out of you.

Know who will be at the event ahead of time

If you can access it before the event, check the guest list and find out who will be there. If there are at least a few people you know, that can help calm some of your nerves.

When you arrive at the event, find those people you already know. Strike a conversation with them and then start networking from there. That will at least give you time to warm up and get comfortable with being at the event, rather than going in cold and meeting a new person straight off the bat.

Focus on really knowing one person

By that same token, if you find a room full of people overwhelming, it’s much better to simply focus on one person, and really getting to know them over the course of the event (rather than the more traditional approach of “working the room” and meeting multiple people for a few minutes each).

If you spend significant time with the one person you really want to network with, it provides more of an opportunity to make an impression on that person and potentially build a solid professional relationship. It’s much like the Russian proverb – ‘If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one’.

Say a person’s name twice after meeting them

There’s research that shows that if you say the name of a person you’ve just met at least twice after meeting them, you are more likely to remember them the next time you meet up with them.

Networking is about forming connections with new people. Start by remembering their names. After the event, perhaps even connect with them on LinkedIn to solidify that professional bond.

Prepare a few ‘go-to’ questions

If you’re really concerned about finding common ground with a person you’ve just met, try to have at least three questions prepared in advance when attempting to establish common ground with someone.

Keep the questions open-ended to prevent ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers that can send the conversation towards a roadblock. Some useful questions include:

• What brings you to this event tonight?
• What do you enjoy most about your work?
• What’s keeping you busy in your work?

Be a good listener

If you don’t think of yourself as a good talker, being a good listener is also a useful trait to have at a networking event. In fact, it’s perhaps the most underrated aspect of networking. If you listen and acknowledge what is being said by the person you’re having a conversation with, it goes a long way towards that person having a positive impression of you. It works the other way too. If someone acknowledges and hears what it is that you’ve had to say, you will feel heard and validated.

By following a few of these tips, while you might not end up being the ‘life of the party’ (which is not really the goal of networking), you will come out of the networking event with a positive outcome, which is to meet new people. More importantly, instead of dreading networking events, you will start approaching them like a true professional.