4 Things You Can Do to Reduce Anxiety Before Any Event

Do you ever feel awkward at business gatherings and feel like you have nothing to say? A few minutes of preparation before an event can help reduce your anxiety. Try these four little tips before attending your next event.

1. Anticipate basic questions - Think about typical questions that people ask you. "What do you do for a living?" "What's new at work?" "What do you enjoy doing in your free time?" Prepare engaging answers for the "typical" questions. Start by thinking about the information that you want to convey about yourself and/or your business. If someone asks, "What do you do for a living?" Don't simply reply, "I'm an accountant." Talk about the type of work that you perform as an accountant and where you work. "I'm a tax accountant with Barnes & Jones and I specialize in assisting mid size businesses with navigating the tax code." This gives the person you are talking to valuable information and makes you much more interesting. Preparing interesting and well thought out answers to frequently asked questions will make you a better conversationalist and will help you overcome the anxiety associated with "small talk."

2. Think about discussion topics and questions - Have you ever started talking to someone and in two minutes time run out of things to say? The silence that follows can be very awkward. You can avoid these pregnant pauses by spending a few minutes before an event thinking about topics of conversation. What is the one topic that everyone likes to talk about? Themselves. Ask general questions that give people the opportunity to talk about themselves. Flatter people by asking for advice - "Where is a good place to shop or eat dinner?" Read a newspaper or magazine to learn more about current events. Having a few "conversation savers" in the back of your mind will enhance your confidence and reduce your anxiety.

3. Plan your wardrobe - Take a minute to think about the location of the event and the people who will be attending. This will help you dress appropriately and relieve the anxiety associated with over dressing or under dressing for an event.

4. Obtain and review the guest list - Do you have difficulty remembering names? If you review a guest list before the event, you will better be able to recall names when you see people that you know. Additionally, you can use the guest list to identify people that you want to meet and arrange for an introduction. Successful rainmakers have a plan before they enter an event.


Developing the habit of preparing before each event will reduce the uneasiness associated with networking and will lead to the creation of stronger business relationships. Additionally, it will allow you to have more fun!

LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter - Why???

Do you have people in your organization who scoff at the idea of using LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter? Recently, I encouraged a babyboomer friend of mine to sign up for LinkedIn. His response, "Why bother?" My response, "Relevancy."

Shortly after singing up for Facebook, I received a friend request from a colleague. Admittedly, I wasn't comfortable in this new world, and I asked my friend, "Why do you do Facebook?" The answer was simple, yet profound, "It makes me feel relevant."

That is perhaps one of the best reasons for people, especially Babyboomers and Matures, to engage in social networking. If you refuse to engage, a significant part of the world will pass you by. You will become irrelevant. The number of Facebook users is over 300,000,000. Soon Facebook users will surpass the total population of the United States. LinkedIn has over 46 million users. If effective communication is a key to success, shouldn't you be familiar with and experience the medium in which millions of people choose to communicate?

Can you imagine having a similar conversation with your grandmother decades ago. "Grandma why don't you watch TV with us?" Grandma replies, "Its just a fad. Television won't replace the radio." Many argue that LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are just fads. These folks are probably correct. In time, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter will fade away in popularity when the next new thing comes along. While this may be true, it is not an excuse for sitting on the sidelines. If you wait for something "permanent" to come along, you will wait forever. Social networking will always continue to change and you can't wait forever to start.

I recently read an article in which octogenarian, Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, discussed Twitter. He described getting on it the first time and looking around. He said, "I just didn't get it." Prompted by his wife, he decided to try it and within a few hours he proclaimed, "I get it!" Jack now has over 824,000 followers. As with many things in life, you can't be a spectator to fully appreciate what is happening. You have to play the game to truly understand it. Social media is a megatrend that can not be ignored. Our younger colleagues at work have adopted social media as a part of their everyday life. If we don't at least explore it and try it, we quickly will become irrelevant. If you need something to motivate you or a friend, watch the video link below. Although I don't agree with all of the stats offered, it does make one think.