University of Florida

George A. Smathers Libraries

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• It is extremely easy to talk to strangers when you know their background
• Talking to different people really allows me to know the areas they are interested in focusing now and in future. Their knowledge is very inspiring
• Meeting new people, and talking about their career goals. It was quite enlightening
• I learnt how to approach people I don’t know
• Meet strangers and make friends. Not so many chances in real life.
• Speaking with people I did not think had things in common with me. Surprisingly, I always had some sort of connection with the person I was talking to.
• I would like to try this “method” in group I work with.
• The PowerPoint in the beginning had a lot & useful tips to collaborating in a team.
• The poster was a great way to break the ice!
• The most useful part of the workshop was the speed “dating” rounds full of information because you are meeting new people.
• I enjoyed meeting a mixture of faculty and students. We do not get to talk to faculty and grad students often. So it was nice to make that connection

• Issues are many/ Looking through different windows is important to find solution
• Directly connecting with students – getting them out of their comfort zone – thinking outside of the box
• Among all the people we meet you can find a partner to work with or a friend
• I think it helped me find other people who are in the “same boat” as I am
• It gave me the confidence to talk to others
• I found the process of this workshop most useful. This activity should prove useful in the future for networking.

• The card with information is a great idea and helps conversation along
• Great initiative to break disciplinary walls
• The overall impression is excellent. It makes you feel the diversity and synergy of the world
• 3 - Minutes speed meeting & Idea boards help us tap into others resources
• I went to a grant unity workshop with Bess. You are all very capable of organizing. Kudos!
• I am an introvert person, having difficulty talking to strangers. This workshop helped me a lot in dealing with this.

• The most useful part was meeting everyone in class which would have taken much longer without the workshop
• It was useful to be forced to talk to people I might not talk to otherwise. We often learn most from people who are outside of our “norms”.

• This is an eye opening event which allows me to measure my ability and capture the real world outside my own small side.
• The profiles helped start conversations and break the ice.
• The sharing of ideas from different backgrounds is really useful
• Help you overcome the fear of talking to strangers (because you have to move!)
• I met new people and feel better about talking

• Makes me more confident with strangers. Get more information and resource from people in other disciplines.
• It’s a good way to introduce ourselves to other people and know about their area.
• Shocking to meet people in completely different areas and still find something in common.
• I was really shy about this exercise. But providing information about ourselves made it much easier to meet and talk to others. I feel better about meeting my classmates.

• Liked the idea of meeting people, exchanging ideas, to see what connections could be made
• Love the process! A new experience for me- I can see a variety of applications
• It helped me meet people much different than me in discipline, background, helped me to better put into words what I do. Presented an unusual opportunity to quickly meet many new people.
• The randomness of people forced to think of ways to collaborate that I had never considered.
• It has given me with confidence to make it big with my new idea. I got some valuable feedback!
• Increased my confidence to start talk with strangers or people who I barely know.
• Helps to build relationship in the short time, to find out what you are interested in from the strangers
• I got to know people’s perception of me, providing a feedback evaluation of my strengths and weakness. I got an insight into working with different type of people.

• I like the idea and motive behind the workshop
• The bios are short. It introduces you to their field quickly. You are able to ask more specific questions starting out.
• The workshop helped to develop a concise introduction of self and also to develop questions to ask others on the fly.
• Relaxing activity with potential benefits
• Breaking the ICE of meeting new people phobia