Tried speed networking events vs casual coffee meetups and the difference was night and day

I went to a speed networking thing at the Detroit Chamber last month. 20 people, 5 minutes each, bells ringing. It felt like a job interview on fast forward. Nobody remembered my name after the 3rd person. Then last week I did a casual coffee meetup at the Roasting Plant downtown. Just 8 of us, no timer, no pressure. I got 3 solid leads and a referral to a contractor I'd been trying to find for months. The structured events just don't let you actually listen. Has anyone else found the same thing, or do you prefer the high-speed approach?

2 comments

2 Comments

james_ramirez21d ago

Read a study once that said our brains can only really focus on like 2-3 new people at a time before names and faces blur together. Speed networking totally ignores that. The coffee meetup sounds way better, low key conversations let you actually dig into what someone does. I've had the same experience with bigger mixers vs small group things, the smaller ones always win for real connections.

averysullivan21d ago

My buddy actually runs one of those coffee meetups now and he started it because he went to a speed thing where a guy literally forgot his own wife's name when someone asked. He had to look down at his ring and then just kind of mumbled it. It was brutal. That's when he realized nobody's actually listening in those things, they're all just waiting for their turn to talk about themselves. The coffee group he does now just has a topic like "weirdest client story" and lets people naturally jump in.