Three Ways to be More Confident at Networking Events

Even in the age of online networking you can't beat face-to-face meetings for meeting and building relationships with strangers. But for many people a networking event can be an intimidating experience: One of the most common questions I hear in networking workshops is how you deal with this problem.

Like other skills, face-to-face networking is a learnable skill and anyone can do it with practice, but there are a few tips and techniques you can use to make it easier, especially at the beginning while you build up confidence. Here are three of them:

1. ARRIVE EARLY. If you have time to learn only one thing it should be this: if you are not comfortable about face-to-face events always arrive early. If you arrive an hour later the crowd has already coalesced into tightly-bound mingling groups that are difficult to penetrate. If you are the first to arrive then the second person has to talk to you, then the third joins you and so on. If you are lucky some of the early birds are also expert minglers and will move from you to another person by using the technique of introducing you to someone else, which was exactly what you wanted.

2. GET INVOLVED. If you are a member of some professional organization or networking group you will get more results by volunteering to help. That way it is easier to meet other people while you are doing your duty. You will feel more confident having a defined role to play and you will be more visible. It also makes sure that you are known to the organizers, who tend to have the best connections anyway. You don't need to volunteer for life, but take on some role for a year and it will boost the depth and quality of your network.

3. DEFINE REALISTIC GOALS. Don't go to an event expecting to meet hundreds of people. Start with a more modest and realistic goal to meet at least one person, then two and maybe three. Better to have a modest goal and reach it than to rush around shaking many hands but not really getting to know anyone and leave feeling that you failed. Having a goal that you can meet means that you succeed, and this gives you more confidence for the next meeting.

There are many other things you can try: talk to other people who are on their own, talk to speakers, talk to people who ask questions during lectures, talk to the organizers and so on.  But the most important thing is to practice. You can't learn to play piano in one sitting and you can't master the art of networking in one event. Accept that it will take a certain number of hours to achieve competence and just work these hours.


More about professional networking

There's much more about professional networking in the second edition of my book Payforward Networking. Paperback & Kindle editions on Amazon.



Lectures, Workshops, Coaching, Writing

 For lectures, workshops, coaching and writing about networking and other communication topics visit http://andrewhennigan.com, email speaker@andrewhennigan.com or call 0046 730 894 475 in Sweden.

 Related posts about Networking

Why being a connector makes your networking more effective.
Why you should be networking even if you are not looking for a job
How Encouraging Networking Makes Your Workplace More Effective
How to Make Photos for Professional Profiles and CVs
Why Networking is About Building relationships
How to Use Twitter for Professional Networking
LinkedIn: Why Unanswered Messages are Wasted Opportunities
LinkedIn May Be Hacker's Dream Tool But Attacks Easy to Foil
Recruiters Not Only Check Social Media They Use Them to Identify People
How to Separate Work and Private Networking
Linkedin Etiquette: How to Approach People You Don't Know
Professional Networking: Five Sites You Should Be Using for Your Career
Three Keys to Networking
Selling Your Ideas: Influencing Your Way to Success


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dear Best Regards: How to Start and End Your Emails

Image
Last year I wrote that to make your email more effective you should put meaningful content into the subject line, keep your messages short and consider other channels (see Three Timesaving Tips for Email ). I also wrote some guidelines about common culture problems when email crosses borders (see Three Non-Obvious Ways Culture Affects Email ). But there is one other question about international email that comes up regularly in workshops: how should you start and finish? Do I use "Dear", "Hi",or "Hello" to start with? What do I do if I don't know if the person I am writing to is a man or a woman? "What is the difference between "Best regards  and "Warm regards"? This is a question that puzzles many people and a while ago it stressed me, too. But the answers to these questions are perhaps easier than you imagine. DEAR MR/MRS WHATEVER . First of all, at the start of a mail you probably have some sort of salutation. How do you kn
Read more

Reverting to Emails: Confusion and the Indian English Language

Image
In workshops about global email many people focus on their issues communicating with colleagues in India. Partly this is related to some deeper cultural differences that lead to misunderstandings. But many problems are also caused by the different ways in which Indian people use English. There are some "English" words that you will probably only hear in India, like " stepney ", their word for a spare wheel. A hundred years ago this term was coined in the UK and was exported to India where it survived. Back home only a few antique vehicle enthusiasts have any idea what it means. There are also many English expressions that are peculiar to India, like "What is your good name?". But in both cases an English speaker from elsewhere would just see an unfamiliar expression and either ask what it means or google it. Most problems are caused by another kind of difference: where a standard US or UK English word is used but with a different meaning. Recently s
Read more

TED’s Magical Red Carpet

Image
Watch any TED(x) video or, better still, attend a live event, and you will probably notice that speakers stand in the middle of a circular red carpet. This choice is not just a question of aesthetics. That red carpet actually plays a key role in the success of the TED format. Having the speaker stand in the middle of a red carpet has several important consequences, leading the speaker to follow best practices that they might not be aware of. No script or notes . Since there is no table, lectern or other furniture within reach, the speaker cannot easily read from a script. This forces them to deliver their talk from memory, which is much more compelling because few people can read from a script and make it sound natural. And no matter how good you are at reading, the audience can see that your eyes are scanning the text and this breaks the magical connection with their minds. Encouraging people to speak from memory pushes them to make a much better talk than they might ot
Read more