17 icebreakers to use at uncomfortable networking events

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If your go-to conversation topics revolve around work and weather, then you probably don't enjoy going to networking events. 

But talking to new people doesn't have to be such a drag.

There are ways to get the conversation going without resorting to irritating clichés.

Check out these 17 icebreakers that will help ease you into an engaging conversation with people you've never met before.

'Hello.'

A smile, a name, and a confident handshake can sometimes go a long way, says Ariella Coombs, content manager for Careerealism.com. 

"Sometimes, the easiest way to meet someone is to offer a handshake and say, 'Hi, I'm Peter.'"

'Are you originally from [wherever the event is], or did your business bring you here?'

This question will help you jumpstart an engaging conversation with ease because "it doesn't feel like you are asking for a stiff elevator speech," Diane Gottsman, national etiquette expert and owner of The Protocol School of Texas, tells U.S. News & World Report. 

The conversation will allow both parties to talk about themselves, which is the ultimate goal of career-savvy people attending a networking event, Gottsman says.  

'What kind of volunteer work do you do?'

Asking people about their volunteer work will open up "a world of wonderful conversation," writes strategy consultant Alice Korngold on Fast Company. 

Korngold says she especially enjoys meeting people who work on nonprofit boards because she gets to learn about how an organization was founded, how the person got involved with it, and about the "fascinating group dynamics of boards."