Carpet Sculpture Training Weblog

By Shari Alexander

Sometimes the hardest part of running a one-on-one meeting is knowing what to say at the beginning. What are the first words out of your mouth? It can be an awkward moment after you shake hands and say hello. You don’t want to jump into the “meat” of the meeting. There should be a nice transition from casual conversation to the reason for the meeting.

Having casual conversation can give you a number of advantages. You gain insight into your client or prospect. You develop rapport by finding things in common, joking around, or, if you’re familiar with any basic NLP, modeling their body language. Since you’re leading the meeting, it’s up to you to get the ball rolling. So, you’re faced with a bit of a dilemma. How do you lead it? What’s a good opening question that’s not too personal? How do you know what might be a sensitive subject for them?

Never fear! Three basic questions are here! It’s nothing fancy, but it works like a charm. Are you ready?….Get ready…..This will save you from that awkward moment…. The three questions you can use to start off any meeting to begin some casual chat are…(drum roll)… “How was your weekend?”, “How is your week going so far?”, and “Any plans for the weekend?”. (Okay, I know that may seem a bit anticlimactic, but go along with me on this one and you’ll see the why and how it works for you so well.)

If the meeting is on Monday or Tuesday, you ask “How was your weekend?” If the meeting is on Wednesday, you ask “How is your week going so far?” If the meeting is on Thursday or Friday, you ask “Any plans for the weekend?”

Why focus on the week and the weekend? Easy. When it comes to the weekend, you’ll learn about how they spend their time when they’re not working, they’re family and friends, and they just shared something personal with you that you can ask follow up questions on and see if you have anything in common….developing rapport.

The second question, “How is your week going so far?”, can also give you insight into their mood at the time. You can adjust your style for running the meeting accordingly.

These questions are a simple way to start a meeting off on the right foot. You can gleam quite a bit of information from each of these questions. Make it easy on yourself. Start simple, develop rapport, and gain insight.

Shari Alexander is the owner of Presenting Matters, a business presentation consulting firm. Recently named the 2007 Magee/Stovall High Impact Emerging Professional Speaker, she works with organizations and individuals to clarify their message and perfect their delivery. She is available for keynotes, seminars, coaching, and consulting. Learn more about her services at PresentingMatters.com

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