Tips to Avoid the Awkward Hello
After four days at the Worldwide ERC Conference in Las Vegas with over 1400 attendees from 40 countries, a couple of things became abundantly clear. The first is that we are all really happy to see each other in person. There were clients that I have worked with for two years who I have never met in person--only via Zoom. There is nothing like getting to spend time with people face to face to pick up on the nuances of their body language and personality behavioral traits. That stuff speaks volumes about a person.
The second moment of clarity was that because we haven’t seen each other in a while, some attendees couldn’t quite put names with faces. Completely understandable since it has been a while.
When the badges fail you
As a person who has long been an observer of human behavior, it was fascinating to watch people greet one another. But it was painful to watch some people struggle for names with no cues from the other person. I found myself also struggling to pull some names from the back of my brain. This is why I recommend always adding your photo to the conference app, it can’t hurt. And any opportunity to speak or participate on a committee gives you extra visibility which is so important at a big event. Offering a small fun giveaway that is representative of your market area is also a nice touch.
Back in the day when everyone wore their badge clipped to their shoulder, it was easy to cut our eyes over to get a glimpse of a first name which may trigger who the person is. But now with the lanyards that hang our names and company information just above the waist, it is obvious when we try to read them. And without my glasses on, I can’t see it at all, so there is no point in even trying.
Many of us have a habit at these conferences of thinking that if we know who someone is, they should also know who we are. So being polite human beings, when someone approaches us with a big hello as if we are old chums, we tend to respond back with a joyful greeting, even if we can’t quite place the person’s name or company or anything about them except a slightly familiar face. We don’t want to insult the other person by confessing our ignorance about how they are an unknown entity to us.
Don’t assume anything
More than once last week I witnessed a Relocation Director approach an RMC or corporate representative with an excited greeting and often a hug (yes, we are hugging again). Or worse, we went in for a hug and they stick out their hand. I recommend we all start with a handshake and let the other party determine if they are cool with a hug. High-level small talk ensued for a moment and then when the Relocation Director walked away, the RMC/corporate representative leaned over to me and asked me to remind them who that was. That is a lost opportunity for the Relocation Director.
It is so important for us to not only imprint our face and name in their head but also our company name and city/state. Knowing our name is fine, but will they think of us when they have a referral or a group move in our market if we don’t connect the two for them? So don’t assume anyone knows who we are unless we are super close to them and communicate regularly. Assume everyone perceives us as a stranger, even when greeting other brokerage and supplier representatives.
Give them what they need to remember you
I like to stick my hand out and say “It is great to see you. I’m Teresa Howe, remember me?” That leads me into reminding them that I am now a consultant, because they may remember me from my Relocation Director days.
If I was still with a broker I would say “It is great to see you. Teresa Howe, with company name in city/state, remember me?” Even if they don’t, now you have equipped them with the information they need to draw from their memory and we have done our part to imprint on them. They typically respond “Of course!”. It doesn’t matter if they do or not, we have given them all of the information they need to remember us and carry on meaningful small talk. Before moving on, hand them your card and I recommend Relocation Directors say, “If there is anything I can ever do for you in city/state, I hope you will let me know.” If they don’t have a card, take a quick pic of their badge or scan their QR code.
Since WERC is meeting once a year now, it makes sense that the fewer times we see each other in person, the harder it might be to place people. By the time we get together again in Boston in 2023, I hope we will all have our greetings perfected to imprint on the people that matter to avoid the awkward hello.
“Don’t tell your friends about your indigestion. ‘How are you’ is a greeting, not a question.” ~ Arthur Guiterman, an American author known for his humorous poems
