Haveo · What to say at a networking event when you don't know anyone

How to introduce two people to each other

Names, then one reason they should care about each other. "Dana, this is Sam — he builds booking systems, and you were just saying yours is held together with tape." Without that second half you have made two strangers stand next to each other.

The shape

Name, name, and a hook for each. Ten seconds.

The hook is the whole job. "This is Sam" hands them the work of finding a subject while you watch.

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Aim the hook at the other person

Pick the thing about Sam that matters to Dana specifically, not the most impressive thing about Sam.

If you know something they share — a city, a former employer, the same problem — lead with that.

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Then get out of the way

Let the next question be theirs. Standing there steering it keeps it a three-way conversation that neither of them owns.

If you want to leave, this is also the cleanest exit you will get all night: you have handed each of them somebody.

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Why it is worth doing

It is the fastest route to being the useful person in a room, and it requires no confidence at all — you are talking about other people.

It is also the single best way to end a conversation you want to leave without anyone feeling dropped.

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Rehearse it before you walk in.

Haveo builds your intro, lets you practice out loud with an AI coach, and keeps your notes one tap away in the room. Free on iPhone and iPad.

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Common questions

What if I have forgotten one of their names?
Introduce the one you know and pause. "Dana, have you met...?" and the other person nearly always fills it in.
What if I get the hook wrong?
They will correct it and that is a conversation too. A slightly wrong hook still works better than none.
Should I introduce people if I barely know them?
Yes. "You two should talk — you are both doing X" is enough, and neither expects you to be an authority on them.
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