Why Activity-Based Networking Beats Mingling
A one-to-one meeting, perhaps at lunch, offers enough time
and focus to be effective, but it requires an investment in time. Because of
this even the most determined networkers can only do so many lunches each
month. I try to schedule one per week, but don’t always succeed -- one a month
would be a good average.
But there is another approach to networking that is more
effective than a conventional mingle yet more scaleable that a lunch –
activity-based networking.
Activity-based networking is the name I give to all of the
activities where networking is a useful side effect but not the primary goal.
In this approach you find some opportunities to work with other people so that
they can see how you work, gauge your dependability, observe your character and
learn what you do well.
What makes activity-based networking so appealing is that
the networking is a side effect, so people uncomfortable with mingles feel more
at home. It’s also effective because people are not forced to judge you based
on an elevator pitch – they can see what you do and how well you do it. And it
scales well because you can be simultaneously getting to know many people at
once – and they are getting to know you.
What kind of activity should it be? It shouldn't be paintball, karting or Elk hunting. These might be good for making friends but they don't let other people see you in some sort of work related context where they can observe how you work. So the ideal activity is one where you are doing something with other people that showcases work skills and keeps you in contact long enough to get to know the other people.
You can do this by volunteering in a professional organization, in some sort of project team or in some special cases where projects are created regularly. One very effective framework is the Startup Weekend program,
where people meet for 54 hours to brainstorm, and develop ideas for startups.
There are startup weekend groups all over the planet and all follow the same
scheme. People meet on Friday evening and present ideas for startups. They then
form teams and each team spends the weekend developing their idea. Finally on
Sunday evening each team makes their pitch and the winners are chosen.
Some
people do this because they want to create a startup and they sometimes
succeed. Other people participate more because it is fun, some as a
learning experience and some because it is an ideal way to grow connections in
the startup community. Everyone who attends makes useful new connections and
builds a visible reputation in the community. Someone who has been a useful
team member at Startup Weekend is more likely to be chosen by a founder than
someone who has just sent in a CV. People who have impressed their team mates are
also more likely to be recommended for jobs.
But in all networking opportunities every situation is
different and you need to try different activities in your area to see which is
most effective. What works in Paris might not work so well in Oslo and vice
versa. Ask around in your area to see which activities might be the most interesting. Try a few yourself, too, because an activity that looks very interesting could turn out to be a dead end and vice-versa.
2017 Edition of Payforward Networking. There's more about this and other networking techniques in the 2017 edition of Payforward Networking, available in both paperback and Kindle editions. You can get it from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Payforward-Networking-Andrew-Hennigan/dp/1542919770
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If you would like to have Andrew Hennigan do lectures or workshops about professional networking for your organization get in touch on 0046 730 894 475 or email speaker@andrewhennigan.com
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