3 networking skills I learned from the dog beach.
We are dog-sitting the beautiful Max again this week, and it’s been such a joy to have him around.
One of my favourite things to do with Max is take him to the local beach during the dog off-leash time. I love watching him bound around in excitement, talk to the other dogs, and play with such abandon.
I’m starting to get back into attending in-person networking events and conferences, and Max is reminding me of a few things I can do to meet new people.
Despite considering myself to be excellent at networking, it is still not something I love to do, as it often pushes me far out of my comfort zone. I’m far more comfortable on a stage with a microphone speaking to a thousand people than I am walking off the stage into the crowd!
Networking, or mingling with strangers, is a skill, and something that comes naturally to very few people.
3 things Max has taught me about networking.
Don’t just hang around with your friends. Max could easily just hang out with Shaun and I at the beach, but that’s not a lot of fun! He approaches almost every dog he sees – some joyfully, some with more trepidation. If you’re not keen to talk to everyone, then pick one new person to have a conversation with.
Think of a few icebreakers to initiate conversation. Max does this by sniffing the butts of the other dogs. I don’t recommend that.
However, you could do what I do, which is walk up to a group of three or four people and say “Hi, I’m Mel, I don’t know anyone here, can I join in your conversation please”? It also works if you see another person on their lonesome (also likely to be an introvert), in which case I might say “Hi, I’m Mel, I saw you standing by yourself so thought I’d come and chat”.Find out who else you know is going so you have a back-up person to talk to if meeting strangers is too hard on the day. With so many events now registering people online, it’s far easier to see who is going to be there, as often online lists are created. Some fabulous event organisers will even create a hashtag you can follow on social media so you can start the conversation before you meet. While Max doesn’t have a social media account, he definitely recognises some of the dogs he has seen before, and he goes to them and does the woof-woof-butt-sniff that so many dogs seem to love.
What are your thoughts on networking? Do you find it hard? Does the very word fill you with fear? Or make you bounce around with excitement? What do you do to make the most out of networking events?
