What short contacts are

The people who help us most are often the ones we think of as mere acquaintances. It’s called “the strength of weak ties”. Understanding how to use it is easy. Mastering it takes years of practice.

Become a master of short contacts

A short contact is the skill of giving a couple of minutes to each person you want to talk to. The goal is simple: every conversation should end with an agreement to meet again.

Don’t try to become close friends on the first meeting. But the connection has to be strong enough that the person happily comes back next time.

That takes a bit of earned trust. In those few minutes you need to:

• understand the other person and really listen;
• ask questions that go beyond business;
• share something about yourself so they open up in return.