Found a way to break the ice at coworking spaces without being awkward

Honestly I've been working out of a WeWork in Austin for about 6 months and struggled to meet people. Everyone just sits with headphones on and stares at their screen. Last week I tried something simple - I brought a bag of cheap bagels and a sign that said 'free if you introduce yourself.' Put it near the coffee station. Got like 12 people to actually talk to me that morning. One guy even showed me a spreadsheet tool I'd never heard of. The trick was keeping it low pressure so nobody felt forced. Has anyone else tried something like this to get conversations going?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_rose10d ago

Bagels are a solid power move, but I tried donuts once and ended up with a sticky handshake and powdered sugar on my notebook for a week. My approach was to set out a bowl of candy with a sign that said "take one and tell me a joke" - got crickets until someone stole the whole bowl five minutes in. Learned my lesson about leaving unattended snacks near people who clearly haven't had breakfast. At least your bagel idea kept them contained and talking.

kellyallen10d ago

Yeah, that joke thing was just asking for trouble. I tried something similar once with a trivia question and ended up with a sticky note saying "sorry" and an empty bowl. Bagels are safer, you're right.

abby_fisher10d ago

The candy bowl with a joke requirement is a bold move... too bold maybe. @the_rose you're right that bagels keep things contained though, they're basically edible business cards. Could try those mini bags of chips next time, single serve and no sticky aftermath. Or go full chaos and bring a veggie tray with dip, nobody touches that but it looks responsible.