Speed Networking: How It Works, What to Say and How to Run an Event

Speed networking is a series of short, timed one-to-one conversations. A timer starts, you talk to one person for a few minutes, the timer ends, and you move on to someone new. It takes away the hardest part of a normal event, deciding who to approach, and replaces it with structure. This guide is in two halves: what to say and ask if you're attending, and how to run a speed networking event well if you're organising one, including a sample run sheet.

What is a speed networking event?

It borrows the format of speed dating. Guests are paired up, each pair gets a fixed amount of time, and when the round ends everyone rotates to a new partner. Rounds are usually somewhere between three and seven minutes. A session might run anywhere from five to a dozen rounds, often followed by open networking so people can go back to anyone they want to talk to for longer.

It works well for people who find drinks receptions hard, because nobody has to break into a group or find a way out of a conversation. The timer does both jobs for you. If that sounds like you, our guide to networking for introverts has more tactics for quieter people.

How speed networking works on the night

1. Check-in. You arrive, pick up a name badge and often a table number or a starting seat.
2. Briefing. The host explains the timings, how to rotate and what the signal for "time's up" is.
3. Rounds. You talk to your partner until the signal, then move to your next seat or table.
4. Break. Good organisers put a short break in the middle of a long session.
5. Open networking. At the end, people find the partners they want to carry on talking to.

For attendees: what to say in a few minutes

Five minutes goes faster than you'd expect. If you spend three of them on your CV, there's no time left to find out whether you can help each other. A simple shape helps.

• First 30 seconds: who you are and what you're looking for. One line each.
• Next 3 minutes: questions about them, and a follow-up question about each answer.
• Last minute: decide whether there's a reason to talk again, and if so, swap details.

Your 30-second introduction can be as plain as this:

The second sentence matters most. A clear ask gives your partner something to work with. Even if they can't help, they might know someone who can. Then hand the conversation over: "What about you, what are you hoping to get out of tonight?"

Speed networking questions to ask

Pick three or four you like and use them in every round. You don't need variety; each partner only hears them once.

"Who would be useful for you to meet?" is the most valuable question in the set, because the answer tells you exactly how you could help. For more openers, see what to say at a networking event.

Speed networking icebreakers

Organisers can set an icebreaker for each round, which helps when guests are nervous or the room is mixed. Put the prompt on the screen as the round starts.

• One ask, one offer: each person says one thing they need and one thing they can help with.
• The best advice you've had: about your job, your industry or starting out.
• Something you've changed your mind about in your work this year.
• Your next big decision: what is it, and what would help you make it?
• A tool or habit that saves you time every week.

"One ask, one offer" works particularly well as the first round, because it gets people saying what they need straight away.

How to follow up after speed networking

After eight rounds, faces blur together. Use the changeover time to jot down a name and one detail on your phone: "Hannah, needs a second van driver, knows a good accountant." Then follow up within a couple of days with a short message that mentions that detail and suggests one next step, like a 20-minute call.

Our guide on how to follow up after networking has more templates.

For organisers: how to run a speed networking event

The format looks simple, and it is, but small decisions about timing, layout and pairing make the difference between an evening people rave about and one they quietly leave early.

Choose a speed networking format

• Two rows. Two lines of chairs facing each other, or tables with a chair on each side. One side stays put, the other moves one seat along each round. Easy to explain and easy to run.
• Numbered tables. Each guest gets a table number per round on a card or a screen. More flexible, because you can control who meets whom, but you need a way to work out the pairings.
• Small groups. Tables of three to five, rotating every 10 to 15 minutes. Better for very large groups or when you want discussion rather than pure one-to-ones.

Timings and round count

Three minutes is enough for a quick exchange of details; five to seven minutes allows a real conversation. For most professional events, five minutes of talking plus a minute to move is a sensible default. Always allow changeover time. If you don't, every round starts late and the evening slips.

Don't try to get everyone to meet everyone. With an even number of guests, a full rotation where every person meets every other person takes one round fewer than the number of people. Thirty guests would need 29 rounds, which is nearly three hours at six minutes a round. Six to ten rounds is plenty for one session. After that, people tire and conversations get shorter and flatter.

Table and room setup

• Number every table clearly, and make the numbers visible from across the room.
• Leave enough space between pairs so people can hear each other. Noise is the most common complaint at speed networking events.
• Put the timer where everyone can see it. A big screen at the front is better than a bell nobody hears at the back.
• Have water on the tables. People talk a lot.
• Plan for an odd number. Either a host fills in, or one group of three runs for that round.

Sample speed networking run sheet

This is for around 40 guests, five-minute rounds plus a one-minute changeover, eight rounds with a break, and open networking at the end.

The usual weakness: random pairing

Most speed networking events pair people by where they happen to sit. In a room of 60, eight rounds means each guest meets a small fraction of the room, chosen by chance. The person who could actually help them, the investor, the supplier, the hiring manager, may well be across the room the whole night. Guests leave having had eight pleasant conversations and no useful ones.

Some organisers fix this by hand. They ask guests what they want on the sign-up form, then build the pairings in a spreadsheet. It works for 20 people. At 80, with late arrivals and no-shows, it falls apart.

The fix isn't more rounds. It's better pairs.

This is the problem Linktwos is built to solve. Guests join your event from a link, a QR code or a short code, in the app or in their browser, and check in by scanning the venue code, and the people who are here now show first. Every speed networking pairing, every round, is picked by who each person needs to meet, and you run the rounds with a big-screen timer at the front. Each guest also gets a ranked list of their top people in the room, with a reason to meet, for the open networking afterwards. Once the event is over, guests can connect with anyone they met and message their speed networking partners, so the follow-up doesn't depend on swapped business cards. You can read more about how it works on our Linktwos for events page.

Speed networking for large groups

Over about 50 people, the logistics need more thought.

• Use a microphone for briefings and round changes. You will not be heard otherwise.
• Split the room into zones with a helper in each one to sort out lost guests and odd numbers.
• Show pairings on screens or phones rather than relying on people shuffling along a row. With hundreds of guests, a single row rotation is unworkable.
• Consider small groups of four or five instead of pairs, so each round covers more people.
• Build in more buffer. Big rooms take longer to move around. A 90-second changeover is more realistic than 60.
• Handle late arrivals. Decide in advance whether they join at the next round or wait for the break.

Speed networking ideas

• Themed rounds: one round for people hiring and people looking, one for founders and investors, one for anyone.
• Mentor rounds: experienced guests stay seated while newer people rotate to them.
• Ask cards: everyone writes their one ask on a card or their badge, so partners can spot useful matches quickly.
• Industry mixers: deliberately pair people from different sectors who share a problem, such as hiring or cash flow.
• Speed networking at a conference: run a 30-minute session on the first morning so attendees start the day knowing a few faces. Our guide on how to network at a conference covers the rest of the day.

Common mistakes organisers make

• No changeover time, so every round starts late.
• Too many rounds, so the last few are tired and short.
• A room so loud that pairs can't hear each other.
• A timer or bell that half the room can't see or hear.
• No plan for odd numbers, latecomers or no-shows.
• Random pairing for a group with very different needs.
• No way to reconnect afterwards, so good conversations go nowhere.

Choosing a speed networking app

If you're using software rather than paper and a bell, look for a few things. Can it pair people by what they need, rather than at random? Does it show a timer on a big screen? Can guests join without downloading anything? Can guests check in when they arrive? Can guests message their partners afterwards? Linktwos does all of those. Organisers create and run the event on the web; you can sign up as an organiser or email Tom at tom@linktwos.com to talk it through.

Speed networking questions answered

How long should each speed networking round be?

Five minutes of talking plus a minute to move is a good default for professional events. Three minutes suits a quick swap of details; six or seven allows a deeper conversation. Always build in changeover time so rounds start on time.

How many rounds should a speed networking event have?

Six to ten rounds is plenty for one session. Getting everyone to meet everyone takes one round fewer than the number of guests, which is far too many for most groups, so focus on making each pairing count instead.

What should I say at a speed networking event?

Give a one-line introduction and a one-line ask, then spend most of the round asking questions about your partner. Use the last minute to decide whether there's a reason to talk again and, if so, swap details.

How do you pair people at a speed networking event?

The simplest way is a rotation, where one row stays seated and the other moves along each round, but that pairs people at random. Better events pair people by what they need, either by hand from sign-up answers or with a tool like Linktwos, which picks every pairing by who each person needs to meet.

How do you run speed networking for a large group?

Use a microphone and a big-screen timer, split the room into zones with helpers, show pairings on screens or phones instead of relying on rows, allow longer changeovers and plan for latecomers and odd numbers before the night.

Keep reading

• How to host a networking event
• Networking event ideas and icebreakers