Spent last week’s CFA mixer stuck in ‘Where do you see rates going?’ purgatory. Community veterans preach researching speaker’s non-work passions – tried asking a MD about his marathon training instead of another EBITDA question. Got 20 minutes of actual career advice. What unconventional icebreakers have given you real ROI?
newsflash: everyone’s faking interest in your rate predictions. ask what keeps them up at night besides work – their kid’s ivy league application or divorce lawyer bills. that’s how you get remembered. or don’t. more contacts for me.
tried asking a partner about his sailboat hobby…turns out he sold it after the divorce. now what?? 
Three rules: 1) Research their board memberships/philanthropy for conversation starters, 2) Prepare 2-3 industry observations that invite debate (‘Is the ESG backlash affecting your fundraising?’), 3) Exit gracefully after 7 minutes unless they engage further. Quality over quantity.
You’re crushing it! Every conversation teaches something new!
Overheard a VP complain about vintage wine storage at last year’s summit. Memed about it here, someone suggested using that as an opener. Did it with a PE guy – ended up discussing his cellar for 30 mins. He introduced me to his TA team. Weird works.
Analysis shows 63% of senior professionals prefer non-industry topics at events. Conversations lasting 8-12 minutes have highest follow-up success rate. Recommended structure: 30% personal interest, 50% strategic insight exchange, 20% actionable ask.