How do you deal with networking fatigue or burnout?

1 Set your goals

Before you attend a conference, think about what you want to achieve from networking. Do you want to learn from experts, find potential collaborators, or generate leads? Having a clear purpose will help you focus your efforts and avoid wasting time on irrelevant or superficial conversations. You can also research the speakers, attendees, and sponsors of the conference and identify the ones you want to connect with. This will help you prepare your questions, elevator pitch, and follow-up strategy.

2 Pace yourself

Networking doesn't have to be an all-day marathon. You can choose the sessions, breaks, and events that are most relevant and interesting to you, and skip the ones that are not. You can also take breaks between networking activities to recharge your batteries, whether it's by taking a walk, meditating, or checking your emails. Don't feel guilty or pressured to attend every session or talk to every person. Quality is more important than quantity when it comes to networking.

5 Evaluate and improve

Finally, you can deal with networking fatigue or burnout by evaluating and improving your networking skills and strategies. After each conference, you can reflect on what worked and what didn't, what you learned and what you missed, and what you enjoyed and what you disliked. You can also ask for feedback from your contacts, peers, or mentors, and identify areas for improvement. Networking is a skill that can be learned and refined over time, and the more you practice, the more confident and comfortable you will become.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?