Five tips to achieve feel-good networking
There’s no better feeling than the one that comes from meeting a really nice person at a networking event. You know the type – someone who has a knack for making others smile and letting everyone else just be themselves. And despite the occasional butterflies that can come from networking, business events are a good place to find these hidden gems.
When faced with the mission to mingle, Michael Margolis of GetStoried.com relies on storytelling tactics to ease the nerves of networking.
“Networking is a surefire way to grow your business, assuming you know how to tell your story in a way that genuinely connects with others,” Margolis says. “Because we do business with the people we relate to, identify with, and trust.”
To make networking feel a little more natural, Margolis offers up the following five tips:
1. Ask a (much) better opening question
By asking something along the lines of “What attracted you to this event?” or “What’s giving you energy these days?” lets you avoid asking what Margolis calls the “deadly unoriginal” question of “What do you do?” He laments how charged that question can be, but touts how the alternatives can offer a positive vibe.
2. Set Your Emotional Vibe to “Curious”
When at an event, Margolis describes how contagious emotions can be. He says that by “setting your emotional vibe to ‘curious’ rather than ‘how-soon-can-I-leave’ … can go a long way to make people feel at ease.” He also explained the natural tendencies people have to open up when “you show genuine interest and curiosity.”
3. Focus on Relationship over Transaction
Connecting with a targeted number of people in order to leave is a certain recipe for disaster, Margolis says. “It’s better to find a handful of people you can get to really know, than it is to employ the spray-gun tactic (makes everyone you meet want to wash their hands afterward).”
4. Describe Your Work Like a Story
Believe it or not, most of the people at a networking event have a lot in common. Go figure. So instead of using industry jargon to describe what you do, Margolis suggests to “try a slightly more far-reaching statement (or series of statements) that follow the pattern of Who, What, Who.” He stresses the importance of using human-sounding words as opposed to industry-speak, which can be the difference of alienating a listener or drawing them in.
5. Have a Nice Business Card
Your business card is the last opportunity to make a lasting impressive. Margolis says to avoid the following: (a) not have a business card, or (b) have a cheap looking business card.
So by keeping Margolis’ five tips in your back pocket, your next networking event will no likely be full of stellar connections that can’t wait to help you find even greater business success.