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One comment about my meetup intro changed how I run every event
Last month at a Buckhead meetup, someone said my 10 minute intro was killing the vibe and I should just say 3 lines and open the floor. I tried it at our Midtown mixer Tuesday and the room actually got loud with people talking instead of staring at me. Anyone else get blunt feedback that made their events way better?
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the_john2mo ago
Hang on, is a ten minute intro even an intro at that point? That's basically a keynote speech. I mean, I get that you want to set the tone, but if people are staring at you, that's not a meetup, that's a lecture. I've been to events where the host talks forever and I'm just checking my watch and thinking about the parking meter.
But here's the thing, I think the three line rule is a bit too tight. You lose the chance to give people a real hook, like a specific topic to chew on or a question to hold in their head while they mingle. The real problem might not be the length, it's that your old intro probably didn't give people a reason to talk to each other. A few solid minutes can still work if you set up a clear activity or prompt.
I tried cutting mine down to about 90 seconds once, and I felt like I was rushing and the room felt kinda cold. The loud room is nice, but loud doesn't always mean productive. Sometimes it just means people are yelling over each other about nothing. I'd rather have a slow start that leads to deep conversations than a quick start that leads to a chaotic free for all. You gotta find the middle ground.
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