Training Drills for Standing Out in a Crowd

Imagine you’re in the middle of a conference ballroom packed with professionals, name tags hanging from their lanyards, drinks in hand. This could definitely be a great opportunity to network and make important connections. But how do you best stand out in the crowd?

LinkedIn surveys reveal that 70% of professionals believe a strong personal brand is key to career success, and I couldn’t agree more. How do you build your brand in this conference setting? Here are tips for helping you make strong impressions at your next large-crowd networking event.

1. Entering the Room Princeton University research shows that people can form opinions about others within 1/10th of a second. How you present yourself when entering a room makes an immediate statement. Your posture, your perceived openness, and making eye contact with a demeanor communicating confidence are all critical. I know such bustling settings can bring on anxiety — many professionals have told me they feel everyone is either staring at them or ignoring them. These are exactly the fears we need to overcome!

>TRAINING DRILL: Find a “busy people setting” and literally practice walking laps around the room. At a busy restaurant, take the long way to the bathroom. At an athletic event, find a way to walk in front of the bleachers. At a busy intersection, be the first to cross at the green light. As you do your practice laps, be sure to hold your head high, drop your shoulders back, lift your chest and slow your stride. Don’t just look straight ahead, but take in the setting and those around you.

2. Your 30-Second Intro Nearly all professional settings give you the opportunity to answer the question, “What do you do?” or “Tell me about you?” To stand out, you need to say something both memorable and relevant to the setting and context. In general settings, I often introduce myself as an “academic immigrant,” adding that I arrived in the United States as an undergraduate and never left. In a more specific academic setting, I might say "I’m a professor dedicated to experiential learning” and then share a detail about a class I teach. In casual settings, I may just say, “My name is Tatiana and I’m from Athens, Greece.”

>TRAINING DRILL: Think of three different audiences in which you’re asked to introduce yourself. Write down what matters most to each of them. What makes you stand out? Why should they remember you? Then record your 30-second intro an AI tool that will analyze both your content and delivery analytics. When you’ve run through at least 5 rounds of practice, ask a friend to role-play with you and offer genuine feedback. Be sure to define the context and potential audience you want them to play.

3. Building Rapport Building rapport is a foundational step in forming any meaningful relationship. It requires time, effort, and a genuine interest in the other person. While it can feel more natural when you share common ground such as a workplace, a mutual acquaintance, or a shared experience, rapport can also emerge in unexpected moments when a simple connection is made. Regardless of the context, paying attention to the other person and finding points of connection are key to establishing trust and mutual understanding.

>TRAINING DRILL: Like my example of the conference setting, let’s use that context. Find three people you haven’t met before and try to connect with them. At first, comment on the environment (the keynote speaker, the conference site, or a recent news relating to your industry). Follow up with an open-ended question about them or their work. Practice repeating their names a few times or ask them something about their name. Think of a visual or verbal reminder to help you retain the name. After your conversation, make a note in your contacts so you can follow up with them later.

4. Asking Open-Ended Questions After you’ve made some type of a connection, it’s time to learn more about your audience. The key here is crafting solid open-ended questions. What and how style questions are always safe with people you might not know as well. Remember to showcase attentive listening skills and try to retain the information for a follow-up.

>TRAINING DRILL: You can practice these in any setting but see if you can hold a conversation past the initial two minutes. With someone you’ve just met, think about asking them:

— "What made you decide to move here?"

— "Can you tell me more about your professional journey?"

— "What brings you to (name of city), (name of company)?"

— "Have you attended (name of event) in the past? What suggestions do you have for me?"

5. Entering or Exiting a Group I’ve created a whole course on conversations starters (link) and the bottom line is that to make meaningful connections in new environments, start by observing your surroundings attentively instead of being absorbed in your phone. This awareness helps you read social cues and determine whether someone is open to interaction. Use what you’ve noticed to make context-specific comments that feel natural and respectful, especially when approaching someone notable. Once you've made a connection, follow up with an open-ended question to spark conversation and build rapport.

>TRAINING DRILL: Find a group at the event you’re attending and practice tink) and the bottom line is that to make meaningful connections in new environments, start by observing your surroundings attentively instead of being absorbed in your phone. This awareness helps you read social cues and determine whether someone is open to interaction. Use what you’ve noticed to make context-specific comments that feel natural and respectful, especially when approaching someone notable. Once you've made a connection, follow up with an open-ended question to spark conversation and build rapport.

>TRAINING DRILL: Find a group at the event you’re attending and practice the following lines with confident eye contact and genuine interest:

— After you observe the speaker of the group in action, “Hi, my name is _____. I wanted to say that I found your comments to be so insightful.”

— Enter with a self-introduction: “Hi everyone, my name is _____. This is my first conference. Mind if I join you?”

— Practice breaking away from an individual: “It’s been a pleasure talking with you! I’ll let you get to some other attendees.”

— Practice breaking from the group: “I’ve enjoyed meeting you all, safe travels back home.”

6. Following Up If you stand out in the moment, you may also want to remind your new connections of the initial meeting with a polite and relevant follow-up. An email or simple LinkedIn private message is appropriate. Be sure to mention at least one item that you and your new contact discussed, and make a comment about one activity that is relevant them. You might say, “It was a pleasure meeting you. Your insights on (specify the topic) were very enlightening. Best of luck with (relevant topic). I will be following your activity on LinkedIn with interest.”

>TRAINING DRILL: Develop the habit of using your phone contact notes section and writing down a few relevant facts about a recent connection. Challenge yourself to send three messages similar to my example after your next networking event.

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Standing out in a crowd starts with intentional presence, confident body language, and a memorable introduction tailored to your audience. From walking with purpose to crafting open-ended questions, these practical training drills will help you build rapport and make lasting connections to strengthen your personal brand in any networking setting.

For my next LINKEDIN LIVE, I couldn’t think of a better friend and colleague to chat about all this than Jodi Glickman. She’s a powerhouse of a LinkedIn instructor, leadership expert, and communication coach. Join us this Wednesday, May 28th at 11AM (EST) as we discuss mastering the art of connection with effective communication and rapport-building skills. Sign up here!

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