Go to the bottom of your SMS and text people regularly something like: Hi Joe, It’s Roc here, we haven’t spoken in ages!! I hope you’re fine. What’s the latest with you? No rush on the reply Don’t skip people The same for emails. But search for random letters and see what the autocomplete in the “to” field shows. Look at Linkedin (and other social media) and prise people through a private channel for something they did recently. No likes or comments on the post. Don’t get discouraged if people take a while to reply or don’t reply at all. For conferences prepare dossiers about the people you wanna meet so you know their professional side but also the personal one. If you talk hobbies it feels less boring and people may be more engaging and happy to interact. Always keep a good posture. A trick is to straighten your back every time you go through a doorway. Ask for help. Ask for introductions for your projects. People can’t read your mind but don’t be pushy. Tornado technique is an elevator pitch where you say what you can do for others/them. Instead of using the proper definition say what is the goal. I do protein synthesis. It makes no sense for most. Say you create proteins as medicine. The reverse tornado technique asks what they do for others. Ask for facts, then emotion and then why as a way to build conversations with people. If something is obvious maybe ask for some specifics. Last but not least reduce noise. Look at your calendar the people you met and think if they are high quality or not. And if not limit your interaction.