Conferences are a great way to network with likeminded people who may
be just as multi-passionate as you. Last year I had the pleasure of
meeting people I knew online for the first time, getting in touch with
people I’d already met, and meeting new people I now consider good
friends. But networking can be difficult and overwhelming, especially if you’re an introvert. So here are some tips for getting the most of your
conference or event experience if networking sounds like hard work to
you.
1. Choose Your Angle
As well as crafting your elevator pitch,
choose which project(s) you want to highlight and share and which
message(s) you want to own. You can switch it up according to the
interests and personalities of the people you meet, you can stick with
being a multipotentialite and telling people what that means to you, or
you can choose to “specialize” by telling people what you do and, most
importantly, how what you do benefits people (think about your values
and your big why).
2. Ground Yourself
Networking events can be overwhelming. Networking is like speed
dating in some ways, so you have to learn to ground yourself to keep
yourself centered and in the moment.
This means not getting too anxious when meeting people and honoring who
you are. Take a deep breath. Connect with where you are now, not where
you want to be, or where you were in the past.
3. Know Your Social Limits
If you’re an introvert, plan out which meet-ups you want to attend.
Remember that you can pick and choose and can go to as many or as few as
you want. You get to choose how to participate. There are huge meet-ups
and there are smaller ones. Which suit you best? Pace yourself. If you
know you get overwhelmed in big crowds, give yourself downtown and take
breaks.
4. Know Your People
Once you know what your angle is, you’ll probably know who your
people are. Who do you want to connect with? Who are the kinds of people
you can help? Which types of people would you genuinely love to be
friends with? The point isn’t to meet as many people as possible; it is
to meet the right kind of people and then to make meaningful connections
with them.
5. Follow up
Following up is an important step which is often forgotten about
(guilty!). Follow up with people to let them know you enjoyed meeting
them and reiterate who you are and how you help people. Use the business
cards you collect as a guide, but there are plenty of other ways to
follow up. Create a Twitter list of the people you’ve connected with.
Add them on Facebook. Invite them to a free thirty-minute “coffee chat”
over Skype (I use SoHelpful to help me do this). A simple hello can go a long way.
Source: http://puttylike.com/how-to-make-the-most-of-your-networking-experience
