How can I turn a business meeting into more than a business meeting??

[JerryS]

Ok, I have a question for you, especially the ladies out there. Here is the situation: I have a business meeting tomorrow morning with this woman who is a department head at the company she works for. I'm working for the same organization but in a different area. She is very highly educated (PhD level) and actually used to be a university professor before. I had the chance to meet her only once before, very briefly, and was very impressed with her, being that she is very attractive in addition to other fine qualities. When her administrative assistant set up the meeting, she mentioned in the email that this woman .."is looking forward to getting to know you".

 

So, I'm thinking maybe I'd like to get a little rapport going with her so that maybe we can strike up a friendship. The only thing is, I don't know how to really go about that in the context of a meeting. There will probably be at least one or two other people there which makes it even tougher. Is there anything I can do to let her know I'm interested getting to know her better or at least spark her interest?

[JerryS]

Ok, I am not clear on what you are really asking. You are insinuating that you want to get involved with this person?

 

The "Getting to you know you better". You will hear this a lot in the business world. It's called networking. You seem to have taken it as a sensual pass.

 

I'm not saying I'm actually trying to get romantically involved but I would like to see if I can strike up a friendship somehow without seeming inappropriate..

[jean-luc sisko]

If you wish to strike a friendship, then go ahead. I don't see the issue here lol. If you go so honestly, then I don't see what the problem is.

[spiderowl]

You can show an interest in her by asking her a few questions about herself that aren't too personal as to be intrusive. For example, you could ask her what music she likes or if she can recommend any interesting places to visit. A purely professional meeting would not venture into any other territory so showing an interest in what she likes will give her a hint that you are interested. If you also talk about how it's great to make new friends as well as colleagues, she'll get the idea that you might be open to friendship beyond the workplace.

 

But, you need to tread very carefully because if you go too far, she could feel uncomfortable and confused. An insensitive guy could easily turn this into make her feel it's getting too personal and even threatening, without intending it to.

 

You could mention you are hungry, after the meeting, and does she fancy getting a bite to eat. I think there are little ways you could get the message across that you'd like to spend time with her. Providing you let her take the lead a bit and don't push your luck, she should respond positively if she's interested and you can both take it from there.