The Hidden ROI of Mingling After Your Speech

Even the most casual or awkward conversation can be turned into speaking gold.

In fact, I’ll take things one step farther…

The best speech improvements don’t actually come from the formal Q&A after your speech.  They actually come from those times when you’re…

… hovering by the coffee cart between sessions,

… riding the elevator up to your hotel room floor,

… or even casually stuffing your face with a morning croissant.

Let’s use today to break down how you can transform those casual conversations into valuable intelligence to make your speech more referable.  And you’re going to do it in ways that don’t make you look like you’re conducting an undercover FBI interview.

The solution? You need to strategically mingle.

Become an actual conference attendee, not a drive-by speaker.

And it all starts with some super practical steps.

Start With the Flight Plan That Sets Up Everything Else

Before you even arrive at the venue you should already be thinking of how to maximize your time.  Book a flight that allows you to attend as much of the event as possible.

Don’t just give yourself enough time to arrive, speak, and then jet out the door.  Don’t retreat to your room like a hermit after your morning session or order room service in the evening when all of the attendees are downstairs enjoying cocktail hour.

Remember… strategically mingle!

Want Better Conversations? Stop Acting Like a Speaker

This shift in your availability at the conference will allow you to sit in on other sessions throughout the day.

When you’re just the speaker, there’s sometimes an aura of the untouchable around you.  But when you’re there listening and learning, just like everyone else, you become more approachable.

Just like the other attendees, eat as many meals at the venue as you can.  I know this can be exhausting, but try to go to lunch and dinner even if you only order a glass of water and sit at a table to mingle. It’s easy and tempting to retreat to your hotel room, but do your best to engage with others during cocktail hour and other social events.  

You never know, the next big question that unlocks huge potential for your speech might just be waiting behind your next friendly handshake.

Every Compliment Is a Chance to Dig Deeper

Now that you’ve managed to embrace the strategic mingling mindset, make an effort to just have natural conversations with people.  Often, these chats will start with the person saying...

“Oh my gosh.  You’re the speaker from this morning.  You were fantastic.”

It’s nice to hear compliments like that—but don’t get swept away. Use it as a jumping-off point to go deeper:

• What are you hoping to learn while you’re here?
• What are you taking back to your team?
• How’s business?
• What are you really struggling with right now?
• What was your favorite other session you’ve attended?
• Did you go to the breakout sessions?
• Which one was the most informative?

These types of questions open up the conversation to make it clear you’re not just looking for more compliments.

Don’t Let Great Insights Slip Away

Some conversations will be brief or not particularly useful.  But others will knock you over with their importance. After each meaningful conversation, find a quiet moment for yourself to reflect.

For example, I try to make sure I’m there for every single break between sessions.  Usually, they are only about fifteen minutes long.  So, sometimes I’ll duck out of a session early to head up to my hotel room for twenty minutes before coming back down for that break.

During those quiet moments in my room, I’ll pull out my phone and make a voice memo for myself.  This is a good time to record something like this:

I just met a marketing director from Phoenix who’s really struggling with how to increase the value of the services they offer.  He really enjoyed the Loyalty Loop speech, but he was wondering how to apply it to a service-based business.

Do your best to include their exact words.  If they told you a story or used an analogy, be sure to include that as well.  It also helps if you can try to gauge their emotional charge surrounding that conversation.

Were they frustrated?  Excited?  Desperate about the future?

Try to capture some context about their specific issue.

Was it a small business?  A massive Fortune 500? Were they an executive or a practitioner?

This voice memo process will allow you to capture not just the conversation, but also your immediate thoughts surrounding the problem.  You can process your ideas while reflecting and perhaps add a few of your own insights to the recording.

It’s Not Always What They Ask—It’s What They’re Struggling to Say

While you’re reflecting on the conversation, think about any unspoken questions that might have been implied.  There are many markers that people have when they are confused or frustrated.  

They might say...

“This is probably a stupid question but…” 

Or, they might reference a specific slide from your presentation by saying...

 “I tried to draw your Cube of Creativity, but I got lost and I couldn’t remember the fourth constraint you added.”

Or, they might say...

“In our industry…”

...and then go into a lengthy breakdown of an objection they see that means your solution won’t work.

Each one of these is a good signal that can help you understand where things may be missing from your speech.  It may be time to address those areas.

Recognize the Types of Questions That Shape Better Speeches

During your casual conversations, you’re likely to encounter different kinds of questions.  Here are a few of my favorites:

The Implementer says...

“I love this idea, but how can I actually start on Monday?”

The Skeptic says...

“This sounds great in theory, but what about the fact that…”

...and then they launch into a bunch of objections.

The Advanced Practitioner says...

“I’ve been in this business for 40 years and I don’t understand how we can change the way we think.”

The C-Suite Translator says...

“This is a great idea, but how do I sell this to my executive team?”

Try to recognize the types of questions you get because it is helpful when you catalog the intelligence for later speech enhancement.

You’ve Got Intel—Now Use It to Improve Your Speech

After you’ve been to a few events, take some time once a week or once a month to review all of your conversation notes.  By now, you’ve had some time to let the ideas stew in your brain.  Group similar questions together and look for emotional patterns.