According to Eric Barker (photo, left), "I’ve posted about the fundamentals of networking, and even how introverts can network but many people have written to me asking about the nitty gritty of conversation skills."

"What do you say when you’re face to face?

"It’s a good question that isn’t often addressed. First impressions matter even more than you think. And once they’re set, they are very hard to resist.

"Let’s break it down:. . ."