Reconnect with your Contacts in the New Year with a Catch up Coffee Meeting

The holiday season and new year can be the perfect excuse to reach out to some of your contacts for a catch-up coffee) and to reconnect. This is an easy way to follow up and check-in with your contacts.

What is a Catch-Up Coffee?

A catch-up coffee is a casual meeting between two or more people, typically over a cup of coffee, where they catch up on each other’s lives and discuss any updates or news. Catch-up coffees are often informal and relaxed, and they provide an opportunity for people to reconnect and spend some quality time together. They can be a great way to reconnect with others and re-spark conversations which may have been laying dormant for a long time. They can also be a great way to keep in touch with people who are important to you, but whom you may not see or speak to as frequently as you’d like.

In addition to providing a chance to catch up, catch-up coffees can also be a great way to relax and de-stress. Taking a break from your daily routine and enjoying a cup of coffee can be a refreshing and enjoyable experience.

Overall, catch-up coffees are a simple but effective way to stay connected with the people you care about and take a break from the demands of everyday life.

Coffee and Conversations

However, it is important to remember that while a catch-up coffee might seem really informal, you should still prepare to make the most of the time you have with the person, particularly if they are a contact, rather than a friend or colleague, Plan in advance and follow up afterwards to get the most of out of the time spent having catch-up coffees and spending time “picking someone’s brain” after all they all add up and someone is always being generous with their time by giving some of their time to you.

Both our Networking Planner and our Coffee & Conversations Pocket Notebook give you the perfect space for planning out your coffee and conversations with your networking contacts.

Start by considering the motivation for your conversation.

• Why are you having coffee?
• Why are you choosing to have coffee with this particular person
• Why might they choose to engage with you?

Make notes about what you might like to talk about and do a little bit of research so you are not wasting your time and the time of your contact. Make notes about the conversation and any opportunities to add value as well as any follow-up.

The Networking Planner

The Networking Planner has plenty of planning space. Use it! If you have asked a contact for a coffee they will expect you to lead the conversation (or at least kick it off).

If it helps you write a list of all the things you want to learn from this person/ want to ask. Think back to your goals and why you are there. Take notes and look for opportunities. The Networking Planner can plan out your schedule and conversations, keep track of your priority contacts and relationships and well as your conversations.

The Coffee & Conversations Pocket Notebook

The Coffee & Conversations pocket notebook is something that you can carry around or keep on your desk for making notes about your Catch-Up Coffees.

Each entry has space for notes about your contact, things of interest and follow-up actions to make it easy for you to keep a record and follow up promptly.

Further Reading:

• Set up a Coffee Date
• Catch up coffee? Plan your conversation
• Internal Networking: Maximising a Coffee Meeting