You’re a shy networker. How can you make the most of your next industry event?

As someone who has experienced this, I had to come up with my own gameplan. 1. Arrive early-If you are there before everyone else, people will come up to you and start a conversation first. 2. Arrive with a goal in mind-Instead of collecting cards, have a goal to meet 3 interesting people to start a business relationship with. 1 is too little and 5 is too many. You can follow-up with 3 and you're not overwhelmed. 3. Know the Top 3- There are 3 people that you always want to network with-The host/organizer, the person at the registration desk and the speaker. Between the 3 of them, they will know just about everyone in the room. These 3 "rules" will make networking easier on those of us who are shy networkers.

Approach the organiser and tell them you are a little nervous. Ask them to introduce you to someone. Tell them what you do and ask for an intro to someone who has the same kind of target market. Get there early - be the first person to enter the room, then, as other people start drifting in, you can welcome them. Much easier than walking into a sea of people. If you can get a delegates list beforehand, connect up with a few choice people on LinkedIn and say "I see we are both attending X event - shall we meet up there?" That way you have an ice-breaker plan and a way of meeting the RIGHT people. Coincidentally - I have a post scheduled for tomorrow on this very subject.

1. Effectively introduce yourself in a group setting, mark your desired contacts beforehand and research them. 2. Arrive early for ample networking time. 3. Utilize LinkedIn for mutual connections and ice-breakers. 4. Attending panel discussions involving your targets can grab attention; ask a question for added visibility. 5. During conversations, show genuine interest and refrain from rushing to your agenda. Focus on making a memorable impression and hint at your value proposition, reserving service details for follow-up emails. Its a matter of time and practise, one would definitely get better at it.

In my experience, both from building my own network and watching others network, interactions are one-sided. People prepare by considering what outcomes that they want from attending an event or from meeting a specific person or organisation. Spend some time thinking about the goals of the other attendees. Why have they chosen to attend this event? What do you think that they have set as their goal? Plan your discussion from their perspective. What is their role? What issues and opportunities that they face can you help them to address? What would be a positive outcome from your discussion for them? This approach will also need to be improvised as you will not have a pre-prepared response for every networking opportunity

Most people start off in networking as "the wallflower." No one turns up to their first event and confidently works the room. Make sure you choose the type of event that most suits you. For example, if you are a shy networker then a speed networking event may be your worst nightmare! You may instead be better suited to a sit down networking event where you can instead concentrate on building relationships with the table that you are sat on rather than everyone in the room! The important thing to remember is that growth is found outside of your comfort zone and the more events you attend the more confident you are likely to become. Always go back to your WHY for attending. If your why is important enough it will keep you going!

I am introverted myself and can completely relate to this. I also teach networking to young professionals and here are my tips for networking when you are shy. 1. Know why you are attending the event. Is there someone you need to meet? Is the event attended by people you need to know? Don't simply attend events "just because". Know who you want to meet and find them at the event. 2. Take a friend or co-worker with you. You don't have to stay together but having someone you know in the room is comforting. 3. Have an exit strategy. Are you looking for 3 good conversations? Will you stay for an hour? Do you need to meet a specific person? Meet your goal and leave.

Before you go to an unstructured gathering, find out who will be attending. Then send the person a message to share that you look forward to seeing and/or meeting. You will be surprised how well that works! Another strategy: Also, when you arrive at the gathering, approach a person who is standing alone. Then say, “if you have a minute, I’d like to meet you,” followed by extending your hand and introducing yourself. I do the above all the time and it works like a charm!

It is always advisable to go homework/research on whom i want to meet and network with. At times these interactions are overwhelming and we quate quantity to productivity. Which may not be the right way of looking at it. Hence, research goes a long way in setting right goals.

On doing research, might sound a little weird but social media has made it easy for you to do a little recon on folks before an event. Determine who you want to single out, learn a little about them before you attend an event where they will be. Don’t necessarily plan to bring up anything too personal and or what may make you seem like a ‘stalker’ but for sure look for commonality. Did you attend the same school or come from the same hometown? Perhaps you’re both avid fans of the same sports team or have a sorority/ fraternity in common. Rapport building is easy once you have something to talk about. And typically that should be more than what you sell, offer and or want from another person. Makes networking much easier!

Your Research will always boost your confidence to move ahead, plan ahead and it becomes easy for you to maintain the conversation or interaction with people around you

I have social anxiety challenges and being a lead marketer for the d-school Afrika, I have to attend events and conferences but have found that my anxiety issues get in the way of me striking up a conversation. One quick hack is to wear branded apparel so that you are easily identifiable. I recently attended a conference and wore my d-school Afrika T-shirt and was approached by 10 people who were curious about what the d-school Afrika does. 3 of the conversations that I had are now potential business development leads.

Let others do the talking! Most people enjoy talking about themselves. Plan ahead a few key questions you can start from and let the other person take the lead! Then, ask follow-up questions or provide your own insights/stories based on what they said.

Planning you approach is crucial as it prepares you for the first interaction. Once you begin small talk, listen for areas of similar interest. It becomes easier to create the connection when you have similar interests. This has been the easiest way for me make connections and expand my network.

In my opinion, networking is not about planning. It's rather about sincere curiosity to "discover" people around you and readiness to bring value to others (not only get it for your own needs). When you mean it, then your networking becomes a tool for building long term relations that go with you all the way along.

Estoy decidido a aprovechar al máximo mi próximo evento de la industria. Para ello, me comprometo a salir de mi zona de confort y a acercarme a otras personas de manera proactiva, comenzando con conversaciones informales y haciendo preguntas abiertas para mostrar interés genuino en sus experiencias y perspectivas. Además, me prepararé para presentar mi elevator pitch de manera clara y concisa, destacando quién soy, qué hago y qué valor puedo ofrecer. Practicaré mi discurso varias veces para sentirme seguro y seguro al presentarlo a otros participantes del evento. Al adoptar una actitud abierta y receptiva, estoy seguro de que podré establecer conexiones significativas y aprovechar al máximo esta oportunidad de networking.

Everybody is different, nothing wrong with that, but knowing that is the most important thing. Sometimes you have to realize that you can’t always be the messenger, and finding someone to be your messenger may be the right thing to do personally and professionally. That’s the genius of a team, not only complements your weaknesses, but also helps you grow more comfortable in uncomfortable situation…giving you flexibility and efficiency, especially In time constraints. Don’t try to burn energy on networking If you don’t like networking instead find people who love networking and let them get their batteries charged doing what they love…trust me, you’ll assist them in other ways that charge your battery.

I love making my team compete. It's a game to secure 10 business cards and for them to tell me 2-3 things that are unique about each contact they made. Gameification makes it so much fun!

- No one is judging you, except yourself. - Carry a smile. - Feels weird at first, but you have to butt in : “mind if I join the conversation”

Going with a colleague or a friend can help ease the situation for someone who is shy as the friend can take the initiative to approach others and start conversation and include the friend (who is shy) in the conversation. This can help boost confidence and encourage and empower the friend who is shy to try and take initiative to approach others after meeting a few people at an event or after attending a few events.

I always do better at events when I am with colleges I enjoy. I know our enthusiasm is infectious and it makes the time go by much faster.

Wir sind alle irgendwann als Neulinge gestartet und haben uns über Mittel und Wege den Weg erarbeitet. Charaktere sind unterschiedlich, der eine ist extrovertierter als der andere. Jeder sollte sich jedoch seiner eigenen Qualit?ten und F?higkeiten sicher sein, und zwar zu jeder Zeit und auf jedem Level seiner beruflichen Laufbahn. Mit diesem Selbstverst?ndnis darf man auch gerne bei Veranstaltungen auftreten. Ob schüchtern oder offensiv, letzten Endes machen solche Veranstaltungen nur Sinn, wenn man in Kontakt tritt. Hier ist nicht Mut gefragt, sondern Zuversicht. Der n?chste Kontakt kann entscheidend für die gesamte berufliche Karriere sein. Daran sollte man nie vergessen.

This advice is great for NeuroTypical people. It is nearly impossible for people with autism and other issues. Eye contact seems like the easiest thing in the world to most of us. But to someone with autism it can be incredibly difficult. I think this section would be great to highlight ways that neuro-divergent people could come across as the friendly and curious people they are. And ways that neuro-typical people can identify that a person is reaching out to them even if it is not the traditional way.

One of the questions to ask ourselves when networking is "how would this person I'm interacting with remember me?" People will remember those who bring value to them in one form or another. So, don't go into a networking meeting to sell yourself or any thing. Networking should be about building relationships. That requires genuine curiosity about the other person, being truly interested in them, not trying to be interesting. "People will forget what you said or did but they will never forget how you make them feel." (Maya Angelou). Make it an objective to contribute to a few people you interact with in ways that make them feel good or better about themselves without flattery.

When you're actively listening, you're really trying to understand where the speaker is coming from. You're putting yourself in their shoes, feeling what they're feeling, and showing that you get it. It's all about acknowledging their emotions and responding with kindness and empathy. When you're giving feedback as an active listener, you're basically saying, "Hey, I get what you're saying, and I want to hear more." You might do this by summarizing what they've said, asking questions to clarify things, or just offering some encouragement to keep the conversation going. It's all about showing that you're tuned in and interested in what they have to say.

An imperative, you cant be a good networker if you wear a frowning face. Pleasant demeanour and smile will go a long way, in making one a good networker.

This one is HUGE! Networking is the long game. I have people that I met over 20 years ago that I still touch base with. Simple, checking in to say hi. Or, I saw you were promoted, congrats, etc. Networking is less about taking and more about giving. So think about how you might like to receive a follow up from someone you met? Set that intention in your follow up emails. Oh, and always ask if email, LI or texting works best.

There is nothing more personal than a short handwritten follow up note. Timing is of the essence - get it out within 24-48 hours.

Suele pasar que después de un evento social o de networking, dejamos de lado los contactos e información que podríamos haber recabado por dejarnos estar por la rutina y el día a día. Resulta difícil retomar el contacto no personal o iniciar una conversación, pero considero que sirve mucho el armar un “modelo” de correo el cual vamos adaptando a las personas que queremos contactar, y a la vez modificando en base a lo que vamos avanzando.

The key to networking is the follow up. You may meet 10-20 people at any given networkign event. It's easy for people to forget who you are without a follow up. A courtesy message letting them know you enjoyed your convo is a great way to solidify the message. If you promised to connect again to discuss a topic, then make sure you do. Don't let it just be words. Follow up, you never know what it might turn into. The follow up is the difference between attending a networking event and growing your network as a result of a networking event. The follow up is KEY!

Follow up afterwards is the most critical part of getting value from networking events. Later that same day or by the next morning, you need to connect via LinkedIn, and message via email or LI Messaging to set a follow up conversation or in person meeting.

Here are two personal tips that make my networking life easier. 1) Overstaying - Don’t overstay with a new connection. After a while when you have had a great discussion and have established a good contact, it’s time to move on. You don’t want to be the one that sticks to people for too long this could reflect badly upon you. 2) Share and build value - Share contacts in the room. If you are at an event and are familiar with the crowd, someone in the crowd might be a perfect connection for your new acquaintance. Introduce your new contact to others, this is a delicate balance, and it must be valuable and spot-on for your existing contacts otherwise this will reflect badly on you. Care about your connections and always deliver.

If you’re shy, use your magic power. You don’t know what this could be? If you’re too shy to talk, just listen! Be in the here and now. Consciously, attentive, with a curious mind. Don’t think you need to say something special or really smart. If this doesn’t come naturally, then it’s not you. Ig you like to ask a question do it with what journalists call ?open questions“. Like: how do you feel about that? Or: what was the situation you learned most out of it? So questions that allow the other person to share a story and that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. You can prepare a number of these questions at home. They will help you to navigate through a conversation and you’ll see super quick results. ??

Even as a self-confessed extrovert, I confess I find networking events challenging. Here's what I do. 1) Head for the coffee straight away and talk to the person next to you in the queue. Small talk is key here and someone has already mentioned the tip about being more interested in them - ask about their journey, what brings them to the event, do they live/work locally, have they been to the venue / event before? Do this, and your nerves drop instantly - you have met someone new! 2) Ask if they are meeting colleagues. If no - suggest you buddy up to find a group to talk to. If yes - do they mind buddying up with you until they arrive? Introduce yourself and away you go. Do the same at break / lunch if you can.

As someone who’s hosted/attended hundreds of events I have to say that shyness and networking are not very compatible. I’ve escorted many, literally scared, people around a crowded room introducing them to people because I found them standing frozen in a corner. On a positive note, I think going with a buddy is about the best way to conquer your fears. At least knowing one person gives encouragement. Many people who appear shy are just not used to interacting with a lot of strangers; they are most accustomed to having a client escorted to their office for a one on one. And in these situations they are totally comfortable and successful. Practice is the best teacher for venturing out of your comfort zone.

J'arrive quelques minutes en avance pour faire des repérages, s'habituer à l'environnement, recueillir quelques informations et discuter avec les personnes déjà arrivées