It can be hard to join a group of people who are already chatting, however it is not impossible.

Most people who network will invite you into a group if you linger on the outside of the group long enough to show an interest.

Make sure you make eye contact, smile and then shake hands with the people in the group.

If no one informs you about what is being discussed, make sure you listen to the conversation which is in flow and see if you can add any useful insights or positive opinions about the topic.

Note: Being positive paints you in a better light that immediately joining a group and starting the conversation with a negative statement.

When someone else wants to join in the group make sure you turn towards them, open up the circle and make eye contact, smile and shake their hands, introduce yourself and the people in the circle and then just detail in a short sentence what the conversation is all about. You will be seen as a leader and as a useful networker, people will come to you because you are helpful and introduce people into the circle and that way you get more respect than those who just stand there limply agreeing with everything.

Make sure you swap business cards with everyone in the circle (if they are of interest to you)

Don’t worry about interrupting people – they came to a networking event to network not to have private conversations about closed topics.

If you cannot break into the group – just move on, your time is limited and you should not waste it on individuals who do not know how to network.