We all have that one friend who knows how to work a room. My
one such friend could walk into a room of strangers and by the end of the night
be buddy-buddy with majority of the room. Because of this strength (talent?
gift?), my friend had a vast network. To prove this, one time we played a game
in the Wilkinson Center to see who knew the most people in the building. My
friend won by almost double my score. Some people are just natural networkers.
I, on the other hand, am not a natural networker. The thought
of attending networking events fills me with dread. Introducing myself to
strangers is a chore.
I am not alone. There’s a good chance you are reading this
because you too find networking hard (or you are just stalking my blog to which
I say, stalk away!)
But networking doesn’t have to be hard. It just requires
taking control and networking on your own terms. Here are 3 strategies to make
networking a little less scary and a whole lot more rewarding.
1 Seek out the wallflowers
Being in a room full of strangers can be overwhelming. And
it’s probably overwhelming to other people too. I like to look around to see if
there are other people on the edge—kind of alone, trying to get the courage to
get out there. And then I go other there and introduce myself. They will be
grateful you approached.
2 Tag team with a networking master
You know those natural networker friends? Use them to your
advantage. Have them do the hard part of breaking the ice with people. Then you
just have to smile and continue the conversation from there.
So when I would be with said friend from the introduction,
lots of people would come and say hi to him. And then he would introduce me to
them and then we could talk. That broke the ice and then I could carry my own
from there.
3 One-on-one networking
I do a lot better in small groups or one on ones. Recently,
I read a great article about networking and how millennials should do more one
on ones over coffee (or hot chocolate, lunch, etc.) Read more about it here.
Networking doesn’t have to be that bad. Do you have any tips
that help you with networking?
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