I presented at a Business Link networking event recently. There were approximately 70 people there representing small business owners or bankers! Before I started I watched the peoples’ behaviour…it was normal. People who knew no-one found a quiet spot and sat alone. The group from the bank all formed a circle , a bit like the old Wild West where the covered wagons tried to protect themselves from the marauding Indians!
I become very unpopular ( I guess) when I ‘nudged’ the loners to talk to other ‘Billy and Betty no-mates and broke up the big circle.
By the time the presentation was over they had all been sorted and we had a room of enthusiastic networkers.
Nothing ever changes.