updated July 2021 How do you walk into a room of strangers and make new friends? Or what about staring at your screen at a bunch of smaller windows in a Zoom call. How do you make it less awkward and actually connect with someone when you aren't even together? Those are questions that sneak into into our minds when we join a group of people we don't know. And there's no easy answer in sight. That's why networking events, everything from conference cocktail hours to Chamber of Commerce breakfasts to online networking lunches, fill so many of us with dread. In fact, it's why so many of us skip them altogether. But what if … [Read more...]
5 Simple Ways Digital Natives Boost Their Offline Networking
If you are under 25, what can you do to super-charge your network? Everybody offers networking as a critical component of success early in your career, but what does it actually mean? Plant Seeds In your Network Now One of the biggest advantages you have as a professional at the beginning of your career is time. The contacts you meet know are going to be in your network for your entire career in one way or another. I see so many young professionals squander their opportunities to make new connections. You should be actively investing your time in activities that bring new people into your sphere of influence. Invest 15% of your time … [Read more...]
When You Miss These 5 Rare Skills You Kill Your Conversations
Does technology always help in the sales world? The knee-jerk response from most sales professionals would be a resounding “Yes!”, but we might want to dive a little deeper. It’s great to be able to use the latest AI-driven CRM or social media platform, but is it interfering with the fundamental role of a salesperson? Is it making it harder for us to connect and influence people because we can’t engage with them on a human level? Technology Makes Us Conversationally Absent Sherry Turkle, the author of Reclaiming Conversation, shared the results of a meta-analysis of 72 studies that showed that college students have experienced a 40 … [Read more...]
How to Master the Fundamentals of Good Face-to-Face Communication
Good networking depends on our relationships, and our relationships depend on...well, relating. While it's important to know what to talk about, it's also important to consider how we interact with others. This is especially important when we engage in a face-to-face conversation with someone. In the last century we've moved from only one option to communicate with someone not physically with us (writing a letter) to a long list of options that includes phone calls, emails, social media, texting, video conferencing, and more. These other forms of communication can be useful, but they are still a proxy for talking in … [Read more...]
When It’s Not About the Nail…and When it Is
Breaking news! Women and men tend to have different communication styles! Yeah, I know, it's not new news at all. But it's funny, because we so often persist in talking to each other like we all have the same style. In fact, each of us goes around thinking that everyone has the same style, and wants the same things from a conversation, that we do. The gender difference is one of the more obvious, but it can vary based on a host of other factors, including where someone is from, their age, their cultural background, and, duh, or their personality. https://youtu.be/-4EDhdAHrOg I know I tend to be pretty analytical and solution … [Read more...]