How to Start Building a Network: A Short Guide For Professionals
Article by Akashni Weimers
“I’m not one for these fancy functions and mingling with people”, I often hear many say when asked to share their thoughts on what the world of networking is all about. “I don’t really know how to play golf”, others say.
Some spend hours attending networking events, only to end up moving awkwardly around a room full of people they don’t know, giving random guests the occasional nod; or droning on about the state of South Africa… ending off with Cape Town’s erratic weather patterns.
But no matter how much you choose “so what do you do?” as an appropriate conversation starter, this often results in little meaningful conversation and a lot less rapport. Smile. Breath.
Because that’s not what networking is about anyway...
What is networking?
Networking is about aligning what you can give, with what you expect to get from someone in return. There is a transaction happening within the networking situation i.e. a give and a take. The secret is that it has nothing to do with even liking someone in order to do this transaction with them, or even getting them to like you. Much like business I would say.
So if networking is finding alignment, do I still have to attend “networking events”?
Simply put: Yes.Well how else are you going to meet actual people? The skills used in good networking is a lot like those you would use in dating (whether off or online). Networking events are where you meet influencers with whom (with any luck) you can carry out these transactions or exchanges in the future.
Listen to this: it’s not about going to the event that costs you the most effort in this networking game, but how you carry yourself among the people in the room that optimizes your chances of networking success.
How to get this just right you might ask? Try these tips on how to start building a network:
1. Attend a networking event at least once a month: With webinars popping up all over the place, attending an event has never been easier. There is also a level of control in that you can shut off your video if you prefer being heard rather than seen (or vice versa), and change your background colour scheme to give people a little something- something about your character in the session.
Attending a networking session once a month may seem like a lot at first, but if you think about it, it’s really only 1 or 2 hours from your life at max. Yeah, we don’t always have time… but just like dating, if you want it to result in a fruitful relationship, alas, we have to choose to make time. And stick to it!
2. Start with larger online conferences (20+ people) and use tools to execute your networking game: When you start off with building a network, it is pertinent to cast you net as widely as possible to gain access to a variety of personalities before filtering for the ones of most value to you (and of whom you can be most valuable to!). Attending sessions of 20+ people is a good way of meeting more people in quick succession, gauging who in the crowd sparked your interest the most and keeping conversations to a minimum (15 min) whilst you’re still getting to know them. In terms of tools, online is now the new norm and you have the advantage of several webinar platform tools at your fingertips to control your actions during the event. Use tools send private messages to key individuals you want to communicate with.
Start up a group chat with these people and swop LinkedIn or other contact details to stay in touch.
3. Keep start up conversations going by asking questions/ sharing your opinions about what is happening within the networking event itself, as opposed to outside. For example, if an event is about to begin say to the person next to you “I read a lot about Gen Z entrepreneurs starting up innovations in the green economy.
I’m expecting this event to expand more on that” (i.e. interesting & refreshing) instead of “I’m in the Procurement space, what do you do?” (i.e. dull & boring… you can ask that questions later).
Depending on the platform, you might not need to do this altogether, since participants can place their microphones on mute whilst waiting for the event to begin. Try not to lose sight however, that you came here to network, rather than simply listen to an interesting presentation. Engagement is very important, whether during or after the event.
4. Build rapport and give people an introduction to you. The room (off or online) you’re sitting in is massive and holds up to 50+ people that are all drawn to a central point- the presenter. Use this to your advantage.
By raising your hand and asking questions or providing feedback to the presenter you can start to slowly spark interest in the facts that you’re presenting.For example, say “I really resonate with Sarah’s point on how leadership should focus on more work- life balance. I often find that many people are afraid to express their needs to their employers, sometimes to the point of burnout. We could all do with a little more empathy”.
Make sure what you’re saying is bold and grounded in fact. This allows your comments to be more memorable to the crowd, rather than just a statement said for the sake of being heard.
5. Get diverse. So you were told that networking at best, amounts to countless hours playing golf or cycling with the higher ups on a Saturday morning, but if you think that everyone does that, you’d be missing a huge point.
Many men, women, young or older professionals like various things. Bother to find out what key trends of activities people like to do and engage with them on those activities.There are tons of social activities that people are interested in, from hiking, mile swimming, high teas and blogging that you can engage them on. The working place is also significantly more diverse than ever before. There are more women, people of colour/ ethnicities/ nationalities/ LGBTq groups and religious backgrounds for example.
So before assuming that it’s probably safe to deep- dive into a convo with either a male or female colleague about the weekend’s cricket scores, make sure to find out you aren’t eliminating potentially powerful contacts by not engaging with them on things that interest them.
Happy network building. Goodness knows we all need to support each other in this endeavour more often, especially during these trying times!
