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Were you ever afraid to speak in front of the class in high school or College? I can remember my senior capstone (thesis) in College. Part of my thesis was a written paper, while the other half was a presentation of my topic in front of invited guests, faculty, and fellow peers. Just the thought of it still makes my stomach queasy. Standing in front of a room of one hundred or more people is enough to give anyone that boost of adrenaline.

I was nervous and excited at the same time. As I watched my classmates approach the podium, I searched for signs of anxiety such as sweat, stuttering, or anxious movements. Most of them just read their speeches and decided not to face the crowd. Then I looked at the crowd, some were gazing into everlasting space, some were nodding off to sleep, some even had their eye pasted on the delicious fruit platter across the room. This crowd needed a jolt of excitement. But how can I make a historical topic about the 60’s movement a jolting experience? Suddenly, it was my turn.

I marched to the front determined and scared. I put my notes on the floor and opened with the following statement: “My topic is about Movements in the 60’s and by the looks of the crowd, I can see that most of you were living in that period.” There was a silence… and then all of a sudden a burst of laughter came from the entire crowd… I completed my speech off the top of my head and received rave reviews from the audience. Thanks to my offensive yet effective ICE BREAKER.

Fast-forward 10+ years, the New Jersey Young Professional Organization is having its annual Networking Party at a trendy lounge in New Brunswick. Having forgotten all about my lesson from the past, a co-worker and I decided to attend the event for networking purposes. When we arrived, there were hundreds of people with tags showing their name and occupation. Our next thought is: What do we do now?

We stood there and contemplated on ways to Break the Ice and introduce ourselves to groups of people who were already engaged in conversation. I could feel the anxiety start to draw as various questions came to mind: What’s the best way to approach groups? What if they are in the middle of deep conversations? What if I look or sound really awkward? etc… Suddenly, a young gentlemen strolled by and immediately my co-worker Jaclyn noticed his name tag which read: “Janet, Ms. Jackson if your nasty.” We immediately started talking to him without any worries because somehow this humorous approach made us more relaxed. Although awkward and hilarious, his name tag attracted us to him; it made us feel comfortable enough to put our guards down and approach him. What a brilliant idea, if you lack the ability to approach others, to think of a clever way to have others approach you.

Lesson learned for standing out in crowded situations: Make yourself known, stand out, be clever, be energetic, and most of all be Yourself. The worst that can happen is rejection, and guess what? You will survive, there will always be tomorrow. So when networking remember to put all your inhibitions aside, relax and project your best qualities, you’ll find the positive responses will outweigh the negative.

Remember sometimes humor serves as the perfect ice breaker that can give warmth to otherwise cold situations.