Tool 28 · Networking & Follow-up
Coffee Chat Talking Points
Build a 30-minute agenda for an informational chat. Includes what NOT to ask — the one networking mistake that ends more relationships than it builds.
Tell me about the chat
What NOT to ask
Closing well
- "Is there anyone else you'd suggest I talk to?"
- "Would it be okay if I followed up with one more question by email?"
- Send a thank-you within 24 hours. Reference something specific.
- Stay in touch quarterly with a useful link or update.
The networking mistake nobody warns you about
Asking for a job in a coffee chat is the #1 way to end a useful relationship. People who give their time for an "informational" chat are usually happy to share context — but they bristle at being used as a hiring pipeline. The chat is for learning, not asking. The ask (referral, intro) comes later, by email, with a clear context.
Frequently asked questions
How do I use Coffee Chat Talking Points step by step without mistakes?
Follow the order given in the usage section: A 30-minute agenda builder with what NOT to ask (the common networking mistake). The step-by-step part matters less than the unit check that sits inside it. Confirm every unit matches the thing you are actually trying to measure before you press calculate - that single check catches more wrong answers than any other habit, and it costs about ten seconds.
What are the common mistakes when using Coffee Chat Talking Points?
Most common mistakes come down to four habits: entering 20 when the field expects 0.2 because the field is a percentage; leaving a field blank and accepting the default without checking what it stands for; changing one input and reading a result that was calculated before the change; and quoting the output as an exact figure when the page describes it as a reference estimate. Press calculate again after any edit, and treat the number as a reference point rather than a final answer.
Where does Coffee Chat Talking Points stop being useful?
A 30-minute agenda builder with what NOT to ask (the common networking mistake). Put another way, this page answers one narrow question: given the numbers you typed, what does a quick estimate look like. It is not for looking up authoritative data, checking official documents, reviewing a contract line by line, or making a professional judgement call. If a decision depends on money, a signature, or a commitment to somebody else, go back to the source material and confirm the numbers there first.
How do I read the result from Coffee Chat Talking Points?
Read the final figure first, then come back to this section for the conditions behind it: A 30-minute agenda builder with what NOT to ask (the common networking mistake). Keep two things apart: the number itself, which comes from the values you typed, and the assumptions it depends on, which decide whether that number is meaningful. The page sets out what a higher or lower result means for your case, so check that direction as well as the magnitude.
Can I act on the Coffee Chat Talking Points result directly?
Treat it as one reference sheet before you decide, rather than as the answer itself: A 30-minute agenda builder with what NOT to ask (the common networking mistake). The output describes a magnitude under the conditions you entered. It does not include what it actually costs to act, what might change while you act, or how the other side behaves. Before you commit, compare the result against reality and note which assumptions do not hold where you are.
What inputs does Coffee Chat Talking Points need?
Coffee Chat Talking Points takes 2 inputs: Their role / company、Your goal for the chat. They are listed in the order they feed the calculation, so an earlier value can change a later one. Do not skip a field you do not recognise - work out what it means first, because a silently guessed value produces a number that looks reasonable and is not. Before typing anything, make sure every figure uses the same unit and the same time period.
What should I check before I run Coffee Chat Talking Points?
Three checks pay for themselves. First, confirm the question you need answered is really inside the scope of this tool rather than a neighbouring one. Second, confirm that the figures you have are drawn from the same source and the same period - mixing monthly and annual numbers, or two different definitions of the same quantity, quietly distorts the result. Third, keep the key inputs written down, so that later you can tell which set of numbers produced a figure you are about to quote.