{"id":3976,"date":"2012-04-11T06:59:41","date_gmt":"2012-04-11T05:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/?p=3976"},"modified":"2012-04-10T21:01:21","modified_gmt":"2012-04-10T20:01:21","slug":"working-the-room-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/achieve\/working-the-room-and-beyond\/","title":{"rendered":"Working the room and beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"

Networking as a way of life<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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You men know the drill, when we think of networking, most people hyperventilate and get a bit agitated. That\u2019s because they think about walking into a room full of strangers, telling people who they are and what they do, and handing out a few business cards before making a break for freedom. That\u2019s all very well if something good comes of it \u2013 but with that concept of networking, probably very little will! So they\u2019ll have traumatised themselves for nothing. Elysium Magazine caught up with Tara Daynes, HR Consultant and Trainer, to get some advice on working the room:<\/p>\n

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To make networking work, firstly we need to think about it differently. It\u2019s not just about working the room \u2013 something most of us are less than comfortable with. It\u2019s about actively making professional relationships, developing and maintaining these relationships, and maximising them for the benefit of all parties. Bit difficult to do all that over a couple of hours and a few units of alcohol!<\/p>\n

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So networking should be something we do on an ongoing basis \u2013 before, during and especially after the room event! As with anything, preparation is key. So before you start, plan your \u2018elevator pitch\u2019 \u2013 how you tell someone what they need to know about you, and why they need to know it, in just enough lines to stop their attention wandering to the buffet. The important thing here is make it memorable and relevant to them. For example, instead of just telling people I\u2019m an HR and employment law consultant, I tell them that I help organisations improve their business performance through how they lead, manage and develop their staff, thereby getting a better return on their employee investment. Be aware of your own \u2018brand\u2019, and think about what you want to be known and recognised for.<\/p>\n

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The next step is to be aware of your own personal impact and how you come across to people when they first meet you. Are you a man with a firm handshake, a bone-crushing grip or a clammy palm? What does your body language say \u2013 approachable and confident, overbearing and annoying, or nervous and uncomfortable?\u00a0 If you find it hard to maintain eye contact when talking with people, it can make you look a bit shifty (a good tip is to instead focus just between their eyes instead of eyeball to eyeball \u2013 far less intimidating for both of you!)<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Once you\u2019re there, working the room can also be intimidating \u2013 but it doesn\u2019t need to be! Have a few phrases ready for breaking into conversations, and look for \u2018open\u2019 groups where there is a gap between people and they don\u2019t seem to be in intense conversation. To start or interrupt a conversation, \u201cMind if I join you?\u201d usually works, particularly if you precede it with \u201cYou look like a nice friendly person\/group!\u201d And remember to vary who you speak to \u2013 I frequently go to networking events and see men talking only to other men (in fact clones of themselves, it usually seems!) It may be tempting to only talk to people who you relate to \u2013 guys of the same age group or dressed in a similar style \u2013 but don\u2019t restrict yourself to that comfort zone or you could be missing out on a lot of opportunities.<\/p>\n

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Also have a few phrases for breaking away, otherwise you could end up joined at the hip to one person all evening. Try \u201cNice talking to you \u2013 I need to do some more circulating\u201d or similar. A nice touch is \u201cDo you have anyone you particularly want to speak to , so that if I see them I can point them in your direction?\u201d But avoid saying you\u2019re going to the buffet\/bar\/loo \u2013 they may follow you!<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Exchange business cards, or use your phone to store someone\u2019s details. Don\u2019t just shove your cards at everyone in sight like a Vegas croupier! Simply ask \u201cAre you happy to exchange contact details?\u201d or \u201cCan I give you my\/take your card?\u201d It can help to write on the back of people\u2019s business cards useful notes, such as what you talked about or what they\u2019re interested in.<\/p>\n

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This is where the big difference between successful and unsuccessful networking comes in \u2013 the follow-up! Women tend to be more naturally affiliative than men, so will often form social bonds and suggest a catch-up after an event. Men though tend to struggle a bit more with this, and are more likely to follow up only if there is an immediate business reason.\u00a0 But there\u2019s no point in having a drawer full of unused contact details, so get in touch with people soon afterwards! Email is the best way as it\u2019s less intrusive. Give them a reminder of who you are, add in some pleasantries, and if you think it\u2019s worth continuing your conversation to see if there are any mutually beneficial opportunities, suggest a coffee at some point. But it may take a while before people are ready to do business with you, so in the meantime, maintain contact and start to add value to the relationship through PIFing \u2013 that\u2019s Pass It Forward! Send on bits of relevant and useful information that people may appreciate \u2013 news items, websites, introductions to other people etc.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>With modern technology, we can be networking and PIFing all the time \u2013 reconnecting with people through email newsletters, Twitter feeds, Facebook pages and other social media etc. It\u2019s also worth using networking organisations and websites such as LinkedIn to build and maintain connections and referrals, get recommendations (a bit like references), pass on information, and use groups to expand your\u00a0 areas of knowledge and expertise. It means you can keep in touch without people thinking you\u2019re stalking them, but just enough that you stay in their mind!<\/p>\n

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Finally, remember to regularly revise and review your networks and how you use them.\u00a0 What are your contacts for \u2013 professional advice, opportunities and expertise, sources of new business, collaboration for new ideas or joint ventures, or social\/personal support? How valuable are your contacts, and are you making the most of them? Is there synergy \u2013 i.e. do you benefit them just as much? Keep on top of your networks and make them work for you.<\/p>\n

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So change the way you approach networking and it could change how successful you are \u2013 it\u2019s not just working the room, it\u2019s a way of life!<\/p>\n

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What do you think of the article? Let us know on Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/div>\n
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About the author<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Tara Daynes is a\u00a0fully qualified HR and training professional with 17 years\u2019 post-graduate experience, including 10 with the Non-Profit sector. To find out more about Tara visit her website www.taradayneshr.com<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0or contact her on Twitter<\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When we think of networking, most people hyperventilate and get a bit agitated. That\u2019s because they think about walking into a room full of strangers, telling people who they are and what they do, and handing out a few business cards before making a break for freedom. Read on to find how to make it worthwhile. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3986,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[274,277],"tags":[326,306,625,624,626,623],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/david-cameron.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3976"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}