My first in a probable series of “What my Sorority taught me about: [fill in the blank].”
Today, NETWORKING.
The concept of meeting new people, is a frightening one to me. I become increasingly awkward, horrible at small talk and shy when in situations where I don’t know anyone. One of my many professional goals for 2010 is to attend more, and become more comfortable at, networking events.
Being Greek, there are numerous opportunities that require you to mingle with unknown individuals. Through those instances, I have learned many skills that I can translate to professional networking events.
- Align yourself with leaders in the room. A lot can be learned by observing and interacting with leaders, whether individuals or entire organizations. These influential individuals can help introduce you to new contacts, and provide great feedback and tips.
- Come prepared. During sorority recruitment, I always had a list of fall-back questions should the conversation start to fade. Once the natural conversation became more difficult, I could resort to my prepared topics to avoid the awkward silences that so often accompany small talk.
- Listen. Many people at professional networking events are simply there to talk about themselves. To be an effective networker, it is necessary to listen, actually listen, to others. Try and find shared interests, goals and experiences to help drive the conversation.
- Sell yourself. At social and recruiting events, I often had to sell my sorority experience to others. Explaining what we were about, what made us different and why the other person should care. I have come to realize that this easily translates to networking events. Whether you are looking for a new career or not, practice your “elevator speech” about yourself (and your company) prior to events.
- Practice your loser face. Throughout my collegiate experience, it was evident that my sorority (and Greek life in general) wasn’t for everyone. Rejection, in some form or another, was inevitable. The same applies in networking events, people are going to move on to new conversations and people. You can’t take it personally, instead, maintain a positive attitude and a healthy sense of humor.
Any other thoughts on networking? As I mentioned, it is a goal of mine to be more comfortable in new situations – so I will gladly accept any ideas and tips. More importantly, if you see someone looking awkward and nervous at the next event you attend, it’s probably me, so please come by and say hello!
#1 by Kasey Skala on January 25, 2010 - 1:03 pm
Kristin, this is a great post because it’s something that a lot of folks (young & seasoned) struggle with. I was in the same position a few years ago and felt intimidated. Like anything, it takes practice. There are times where I’m still a little more quiet and reserve, and that’s something I continue to work on.
For me, the biggest hurdle is #2. Once you give your elevator pitch and the other person does, how do you transition into a conversation without the “so…..”
As a fellow Greek, I look forward to this series.
#2 by Blois Olson on January 27, 2010 - 8:22 am
Kristin,
Great thinking, and hook. I have often said that WMFTMA (what my Fraternity taught me about) was HR management. As president of a house with 100 men, some of whom didn’t exactly share the love as “brothers”. Managing egos, conflict, and drama was something that I have tried to remind myself of throughout my career.
If I could do it with 20-something, often times inebriated males, then a professional environment should be nothin’.
Oh, and there may have been some applicable rules of crisis management too.
So, no matter how many books you read, it’s the experiences that likely teach you the most.
Blois
#3 by Jeff Nolan on February 8, 2010 - 1:00 pm
Kristin, great idea for a post, especially with your whole sorority teaching experiences theme.
I used to have a really hard time going to an event on my own, mostly because I was worried who I would talk to at an event. One of the best things I did for myself was to start my own networking group, I know not everyone can do this but it forced me to open up.
I am not shy, nor have I ever been, but the awkwardness of business networking can be a tough hurdle to overcome. What do you say? How do you approach someone? Do I listen or talk about myself? These are all questions that run through your head in these situations.
I’m glad to see that you have made it a goal to attend more events and get better at it. It is better to throw yourself into more of those situations, than to avoid them.
That being said, you should probably make it to a TCTHH event soon, what better opportunity to practice? (shameless plug, it’s very easy to meet people at these events)
-Jeff