Networking is a great way to meet new people and connect with other professionals in your industry. Many companies promote networking through scheduled events or opportunities that allow their employees to connect with each other and with employees at other companies in the same market or field. One way to facilitate networking is through networking games that guide individuals through networking activities and help professionals to converse with each other. In this article, we consider why someone might use networking games and explore a list of seven games that you can use to encourage networking.
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What is networking?
Networking is the process of meeting other professionals in the same industry and sharing ideas and concepts with each other. People can network in many different ways, including methods that take place in formal and informal settings. An example of informal networking might be speaking with a professional who visits your place of employment and exchanging contact information to facilitate communication in the future. In a formal setting, networking might take place at scheduled events designed to connect professionals in an industry with each other through seminars, meetings or sharing meals with each other.
What are networking games?
Networking games are structured activities that promote networking amongst a group of people at the same location or event. A networking game often has a specific purpose, such as introducing professionals to each other or starting communication about a certain idea or concept. Networking games can invite professionals to engage in networking by guiding conversation and encouraging participation from all individuals who might be present.
Many networking games are designed to be played in groups, which can benefit a networking event by providing activities that everyone can take part in together. This can also promote teamwork, which can help professionals find peers that they work well with and might try to collaborate with in the future.
Why use networking games?
Networking games can always benefit a networking event or initiative by providing specific activities that professionals can use to connect with each other. A scheduled networking event might use games to introduce professionals to each other through guided activities that facilitate communication and sharing ideas. Companies can also use networking games when they hire new employees to help them get to know each other as well as existing employees. Because there are many different types of networking games, you can choose the games that you think can best contribute to your networking efforts to maximize their effectiveness.
7 networking games
Here are seven different networking games you can use:
Social Cafe
To play Social Cafe, organize the entire group of players into smaller groups of three or four members. Then, you can assign each group a specific topic to discuss or problem to solve. This might be a concept that relates to your industry, a hypothetical scenario or a question about personal experience. After each group has a topic of conversation, allow 20 minutes for group discussions to take place.
Once the time ends, instruct players to mix up their groups and sit with different people, then repeat the process as many times as you want to allow players to get to know everyone taking part.
Speed Networking
When preparing to play Speed Networking, set up tables that allow players to sit across from one another on either side and instruct everyone participating to take a seat opposite from a player they do not know. Make sure that all players have a writing utensil and something to write on. Once everyone is seated, you can start a timer for five minutes and encourage players to communicate with their partner across the table and share details like names, job titles, experience and more.
When the timer ends, have one side of the table move down a chair to a new seat in front of a new player, and repeat the process with the new pairs until everyone has had a chance to network with every player on the opposite side of the table.
Networking Scavenger Hunt
Networking Scavenger Hunt involves preparing a list of items that players need to find by traveling around the space and communicating with other players. To play Networking Scavenger Hunt, create a list of qualities or characteristics that can apply to your industry. This might include entries like a person who has held a management position, someone with experience in sales or a player with a certain number of years of experience. Then, instruct players to complete the scavenger hunt by looking for the listed qualities and characteristics in their fellow players.
This can facilitate communication and identify similarities between players that can encourage networking.
Business Card Collection Contest
Business Card Collection Contest might be most effective in large group settings or at professional networking events. This is because it involves trying to meet as many people as possible and collecting their contact information through business cards. To start the game, inform players that whoever gathers the most business cards by the end of the day or the event can earn a prize or reward. This can encourage players to speak with more people than they might initially plan to and provide players with a large collection of contacts to add to their network.
Two Truths, One Lie
Two Truths, One Lie is a classic game that can be especially beneficial at networking events where players do not know each other very well. To play Two Truths, One Lie, instruct players to write down three statements about themselves, two of which are true and one of which is a lie. Then, invite players to take turns sharing their statements with the group and allow the remaining players to guess which statement is the lie. Repeat this process until everyone has shared their responses to ensure that all players can participate and get to know each other.
Quick Fire Questions
To play Quick Fire Questions, organize players in a room that has a board you can use to display sample questions. These might be questions like, “what is your job title?”, “what company do you work for?” or “what types of people do you want to network with?” Once there are some questions on the board to reference, allow players to pair up and start a timer for one minute, during which one player can rapidly ask questions to their partner.
After the timer ends, repeat the process to allow the second player of each pair to ask questions to their partner as well. Then, instruct the pairs to mix up and continue the same pattern until everyone has had the chance to ask questions to multiple players.
Switch Sides If…
Switch Sides If… is a great game to identify similarities and differences amongst a group of professionals who are networking with each other. To play Switch Sides If…, organize players into two groups that are separated by a line on the floor and designate one side as the “Yes” side and the other as the “No” side. Once players are standing, ask a list of questions that have an answer of yes or no and instruct players to switch to whichever side best describes them.
For example, if the question is “do you work in sales?” any players who work in a sales position can travel to the “Yes” side, and players who do not can move to the “No” side. Repeat this process with as many questions as you desire.
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