The route to confident networking

28Nov11

It’s not that I am shy but sometimes when it comes to starting conversation, I can’t but help feeling trapped.

Confident Networking

The phrase networking and social media are often thrown about in abundance, but what does it mean to network and is it really that easy? Apparently it is all about identifying clear personal goals, being prepared and listening properly. Today I attended a ‘Personal Impact and Confident Networking’ workshop, facilitated by Sara Shintom from Shinton Consulting at the University of Dundee. The full presentation can be found here.

What does it mean to network?

Sara highlighted that networking is about “contributing to a conversation and discussing ideas”. When those around the table were questioned it came across that our biggest obstacle was insecurity and fear of how we were being perceived. As Sara highlighted, “most of us have packaged it up as a chore, a herculean task”.

It doesn’t take much to fill up a toolkit apparently all you need is:

The ability to ask questions | The ability to listen | Lots of enthusiasm

So what are the barriers to networking?

General barriers include: Insecurity, lack of preparation and lack of goals.

We took a little time to reflect on what our barriers were, (in my head) mine included:

The act of approaching people, especially if they are in formed groups.
Joining conversations
Leaving conversations
Running out of things to say
Not knowing enough on a specialised subject area
Interacting with those from different cultures…what is the correct process?
Building a rapport and sustaining small talk

So how do you overcome the barriers?

Step 1. Question yourself:

What is stopping me from being effective?
What messages do I want to get across? What do I want to put in peoples heads?
Think in advance about the person you are talking to-what will make a difference to them?
How do you plan to manage your networks? Do you have a strategy?

Step 2. Make some plans:

Preparation: If you are seeking to further your research be knowledgeable about your work. Have a pitch, value what you do and be comfortable when you talk about it.
Constructing stories: What stories do you have to share? What audiences are they for? What are the headlines and follow up story?
What topical/ targeted resources do you have stored to react to the individual?

Final thoughts

When reflecting on the session, there were many things I thought I should know yet so often practice is so different from theory. My main takeaway from todays, never underestimate preparation. As highlighted in this quote: