Larry Chiang’s two-minute rule is blunt: if you’ve been standing near someone you want to meet for more than two minutes without speaking, you’ve already talked yourself out of it. The rule isn’t really about the other person, it’s about your own head inventing reasons to wait the longer you stall. Two minutes is enough time to do the fast version of PQRST, previewing who they’re with and landing on one real question.
Past that window you’re not preparing anymore, you’re rehearsing an excuse to leave without talking to anyone. The fix is mechanical, not emotional, so set the two-minute cap before you walk in and don’t negotiate with yourself once you’re inside. House money makes the rule easier to follow, since another room exists next week if tonight doesn’t work out.
SuperModel presence helps you use the two minutes well, since a notebook in hand looks like purpose even while you’re still deciding who to approach. Larry’s business model instinct applies here too: force a response, since a short, slightly awkward conversation you actually started beats a smooth one you only imagined.
The two minutes also protects you from over-preparing, since you need any honest opening line, not the perfect one. Most people default to safe and never approach anyone all night, which puts the two-minute rule alone ahead of most of the room.
Once you’ve said the first sentence, the rule has done its job and everything after is just a normal conversation. Larry keeps coming back to this rule on Web12 because it’s the one piece of advice people actually remember to use in the moment.
Details: Watch the two-minute rule
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