Connection in 15 Seconds: Building Your Networking Introduction

Connection in 15 Seconds: Building Your Networking Introduction

Success depends as much on who you know as on what you know

Johns Hopkins L.A.D. Academy Learning Session

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Who you know can be just as important to success as what you know.

What You Will Learn in This Session

• Why Do I Need a Networking Introduction?
• Core Structure of a Good Networking Introduction
• Quality of a Good Networking Introduction
• Bonus: Examples of Strong and Weak Networking Introductions

How to use this?

Not selling yourself, creating connections—an invitation to start a meaningful conversation.

Why Do I need a Networking Introduction?

• Capitalize on opportunities, especially unplanned encounters

• Reflect on professional identity and goal

• Create openings for collaborations

Inform-Help-Relate

Core Structure of a Good Networking Introduction

example

Who you are professionally

example

What you do

What opportunities are you interested in

example

15-20 seconds

Qualities of a Good Networking Introduction

• Confident, but not arrogant • Must be short • More generic than specific • Must be distinctive • End with an open-ended question or an invitation

More

More

More

Examples of Strong or Weak Introductions

How would you improve the weak examples?

Flip the card to see the analysis

This is a weak example. It is

• too general/no focus
• no direction
• no invitation to genage

How to Improve:

• name a specific field or expertise
• highlight one meaningful focus
• show a current interest or goal

3. I run a lab in the School of Medicine, and we’re working on several grants right now. A lot of my time is spent managing the lab, writing proposals, and dealing with deadlines. It’s a lot to juggle, but that’s just how things are in research.

This is a strong example.

• Clearly states who they are and what they do
• Highlights current focus and direction
• Invites conversation and collaboration

This is a weak example. It doesn't:

• address who he is professionally
• show interest in furthur communications or collaborations

1. Hi, I’m a professor at Johns Hopkins. I’ve been here for a while, and I do research and teaching. My work covers a few different areas, and I’m involved in several projects. Right now, things are pretty busy with classes and ongoing research, so I’m mostly focused on keeping everything moving.

2. I’m a faculty researcher and lab director in the Department of Oncology at Johns Hopkins. My lab focuses on tumor–immune interactions, and I’m currently looking to partner with clinicians and data scientists to move our findings more quickly into patient-centered applications

Practice Makes Perfect

Are You Ready to Get Started?

• Template for you to download

• Tips for practicing:

• Practice with a stopwatch, and edit your language until you get to 15-20 seconds

• Try it on someone familiar with your work—they can tell you if you captured what makes you so great

•Try on someone who’s less familiar with your work—they can tell you if your explanation is too broad or too specific

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Begin by connecting with a clear, general description of who you are. Avoid technical jargon or overly specific details that others may not be familiar with—otherwise, you risk losing their attention right away.

It’s about being relatable and interesting, not about bragging or self-promotion.

• Progress at your own pace, no need to read everything all at once.
• Every time you see a button, tap it: there are extra tricks, examples, and comparisons.
• If there's something you didn't understand, go back to the previous page.

I support investigators by streamlining proposal development and ensuring compliance throughout the grant lifecycle.

My lab studies immune regulation in inflammatory diseases, with a focus on translating basic science findings into therapeutic strategies.

I specialize in thermal modeling and energy-efficient manufacturing.

How did you get into your field? (Encourage further conversation)

I’m interested in applied learning and translation to industry. (Potential future connection)

I’m open to conversations around collaborative grant submissions or mentoring early-career researchers.(Open to new opportunities)

Shift the focus to the other person by asking open-ended questions such as, “How did you get into your field?” “What’s the most interesting project you’re working on?” or “What changes have you seen in the industry?” You can also close the conversation with a warm invitation: “I’d love to hear more—would you like to grab coffee next week?”

I’m a research administrator who partners with faculty on grant strategy and complex awards management..

I’m a faculty researcher and lab director in the Department of Immunology at the School of Medicine.

I’m a professor of mechanical engineering at Johns Hopkins, specializing in thermal processes.