Ways to Master the Art of Networking

Networking is a vital aspect of building your own brand and making vital connections that can aid you in your career. However, there is a serious love/hate relationship with networking, especially for those who are more introverted and find it difficult to converse with strangers!

Whether you want to develop your career or gain new relationships, having offline connections that are personal is critical.

Depending on the size of the event, you can be in a swarm of people in a large conference room for hire or a bar/restaurant. This can make it extremely difficult to be heard and network effectively.

8 Tips for Mastering the Art of Networking

But how do you get your voice heard and be confident at a networking event? Use these ways to master the art of networking to tackle the event head-on and make a good impression. 

1. Be prepared and set goals

Before you attend a networking event, you need to be prepared for it and set goals for yourself by carefully considering what you want out of the event and who you hope to meet.

Certain events can share attendee lists when you register so you have an idea of who will be going. This helps you to think about who is best to socialize with and create a plan of action for the evening, allowing you to seamlessly flow from person to person and cover everybody who is significant to you.

Having this plan will also help you to set your goals so you can prepare effectively and keep focused during the event.

2. Network before the job hunt

If you’re searching for a job, then it’s best to network before you tackle the job hunt. This is because the job search can be a grueling and daunting task, but if you know people who can help and you can reach out to them, it’ll make the world of difference.

If you network before, you will already have contacts you can use to help you land the role you want. Building relationships with people in your industry puts your foot in the door and gives you an insight into what companies are looking for somebody. 

3. Have intriguing and generic conversation starters

Approaching strangers in small or large groups can be intimidating for anyone, even those who are extremely confident. If you have the right approach, you can easily slot into an existing conversation rather than creating an entirely new conversation.

It is best to ease into the event by introducing yourself to somebody who is also alone. After this, when you start to move to groups, have conversation starters at the ready.

To do this successfully, you can read up on industry news and trends in the preparation stage so you can seamlessly spark a conversation with anybody. Use phrases such as:

• “What brought you to this event?”

• “Are you familiar with any of the speakers?”

• “What do you do for work?”

Having a direction for conversations allows you to reduce awkwardness with informed and relevant topics to help it go well. When your first conversation goes well, you will soon get the confidence and courage to network with others.

4. Rotate frequently

Make sure you don’t freeze up during the event and stay stagnant as this can hinder the success of your networking.

You need to keep moving and rotate frequently to ensure you miss nothing on the agenda. It’s tempting to skip parts of networking events that don’t feel relevant or to stay with a group you’ve clicked with, but this goes against the whole point of why you are there.

Instead, try to attend everything on the schedule to meet new people everywhere you go and set yourself a time limit for each conversation. Stick to this time management schedule so you have the best chance of networking with everyone you want to and don’t let anyone hold you hostage!

5. Ask questions

The majority of the time at these events, you can exchange names, what you do, who you work for, and where you grew up in a couple of minutes. After this small talk, the conversation can dwindle, and things get awkward!

It’s best to try and avoid the awkward silence by making the person you’re talking to the center of the conversation.

Show genuine interest in them through intriguing questions to make a solid relationship. Letting someone talk about themselves shows your character rather than you stealing the show and talking about yourself. 

Typically, as you flow through questions, the other person should reciprocate this to allow you to speak and answer the questions or a new one they ask. If they don’t, then let them talk and then speak at the end about yourself for a minute and exit the conversation as they probably aren’t the right connection for you.

6. Be an active listener 

Go from ‘Sorry what did you say’ or ‘Could you repeat that sorry’ to having a flowing conversation by being an active listener.

It is best to practice your active listening skills before you attend a networking event so that you can take on board what each person you network with is saying, having deeper and more meaningful connections. Actively listening shows that you’re interested in what somebody is saying.

A great way to actively listen is to paraphrase the other person’s statement to show you understand them and that you are engaged. You could also ask genuine questions that are related to what they are talking about.

7. Exit a conversation respectfully

You must remember that although you need to be quick and stick to your timings, networking isn’t like speed-dating.

The goal isn’t trying to meet as many people as you can, it’s all about making meaningful and useful connections. Try not to rush through conversations and take a bit of time to determine if the person is a valuable connection. If they aren’t, you need to move on and quickly.

Maybe they won’t let you speak or they’re wasting your time, you need to end the conversation in a respectful and polite manner, as nobody deserves to face rudeness.

If there’s a dip in the conversation, this is the perfect opportunity to say how you would love to be updated on something and then leave. Doing this, allows you to end the conversation quickly while still being engaged so they won’t think you’re rude.

8. Always follow up

Networking is one of the best ways to make genuine connections that are useful, but it only truly works if you follow up after the event.

To make a lasting impression, you need to make time to follow up with the people you met at the event. This can be through a personalized email or LinkedIn message within 24 hours of meeting them. When you do this, you show that person that you enjoyed meeting them and are interested in having a relationship with them. 

After this message, you can plan to meet over a coffee or lunch to connect on a deeper level and then stay in touch with occasional messages, emails, or meet-ups. 

Conclusion

Use these ways to master the art of networking so you have control over your networking skills and make genuine, useful, and meaningful connections. These networking tips can help you grow your career and get valuable insights so you can excel at what you do and progress your skills!