I usually start with asking about the current position of the person and about the background. If it's not irrelevant to my personal or work interests I usually

I usually start with asking about the current position of the person and about the background. If it's not irrelevant to my personal or work interests I usually go saying few words about me. If we you have common topics to talk about then it's easy. In general straight to the point has been working for me. It goes without saying that you must practice. I had the chance to spend few months in the valley, which in my opinion is the best place to overcome your networking fears. It's just that everybody is welcoming and comes from diverse backgrounds, so it's almost impossible to go wrong or not to find common touch points. After short time you'll see the words flowing just naturally out of your mouth.