Networking During In-person Academic Conferences—Pandemic Style

Some conferences have resumed their in-person format and as grad students, networking with others in the field has never been more important. Some hesitancy might be experienced because conferences can be overwhelming and people might have also gotten used to virtual hangouts, making transitions to meeting people in person difficult. Here, we highlight tips from graduate student and first-time SPSP Annual Convention Attendee Kai Krautter on navigating networking at conferences.

Some conferences have resumed their in-person format and as grad students, networking with others in the field has never been more important. Some hesitancy might be experienced because conferences can be overwhelming and people might have also gotten used to virtual hangouts, making transitions to meeting people in person difficult. Kai Krautter, a graduate student and first-time attendee of the SPSP 2022 Annual Convention in-person this year shared some helpful tips for navigating through networking at conferences on his Twitter feed.

Network horizontally

Kai suggests (based on advice given by his mentor) that it’s just as important to network with other students or people at similar stages in their academic career as it is to talk to people more established in the field. Doing this is not only easy and fun but might also lead to friendships or company for current and future conferences. From personal experience, I think that networking with people at similar stages might also present an excellent opportunity to stimulate new ideas for research and form research collaborations and is often underrated.

Approaching someone new

It’s natural to feel shy or nervous about introducing yourself to someone new. As a person who is usually shy in social settings, I found this to be a major challenge. However, I did experience that it gets easier over time and I always felt better (and had fewer regrets) after I took the initiative to talk to someone new. Most people at academic conferences, in my experience, have been friendly and even if things don’t go as planned, you don’t have much to lose!

Go with a buddy or two

In his feed, Kai says “It can be really awkward to enter a room alone without being noticed by anyone. However, with another person, you chat with each other until someone else introduces you to the group or joins your conversation.” If you don’t have a friend to go with or lab mates around, don’t fret. You can always ask someone you’ve noticed who shares similar interests as you if they’d like to go to an event or talk with you.

Prepare an introduction

Most people who talk to you at conferences will ask you similar questions, e.g., your name, affiliation, and research interests. Preparing a succinct answer to these questions can make you feel more confident and help you communicate more directly. If you have a name that is difficult to pronounce, wearing a name tag might be a good idea.

Remembering details about other people

It is all too common for us to be so focused on introducing ourselves that we forget someone’s name right after they introduce themselves. But if you remember a few things about the person like their name, affiliation, and interests (broadly), it can go a long way in striking up a conversation. I’ve also previously done a quick Google search on a professor or other professional in the field before I approached them. Such gestures can show how enthusiastic you are about talking to them and who knows, they might even reciprocate it.

Go to the social events

The SPSP Annual Convention allowed attendees to organize meetups on the Whova app, which I found was a great way to meet new people with similar interests or a shared background (e.g., first-gen students or people who shared similar identities). Kai rightly pointed out that if meeting new people is not incentivizing enough, maybe consider going to these events for free food and drinks?

…But don’t go to all social events

Kai says that especially towards the end of the conference, you might want to spend your time strengthening the connections that you have already made and “Don’t let #FOMO paralyze you and get to know your new besties better.”

Take some time to unwind

Kai shared some excellent advice about resting after the conference by saying that “…conferences can be really (socially) exhausting, especially after a global #pandemic. Take time to #recover afterwards. Your newly fueled #passion for research may make it seem as if you don’t need it, but you do, and your passion will thank you for that.”

I would like to sincerely thank Kai Krautter for taking the time to share his advice on Twitter and for his permission and enthusiasm about sharing his thread and advice.