10 Tips to Supercharge Your Networking in "Virtual" Events

In a year full of challenges, we have had to become innovative with our networking. While much of my networking past was in-person, I have been pleasantly surprised how much I enjoy networking “virtually’ (online and by phone). I've been connecting with introverts and extroverts and discovering strategies they appreciate and are finding successful in “virtual” networking.

Some of the benefits of “virtual networking” include the following:

? You have clearer start and stop times. You don’t have to awkwardly excuse yourself to continue networking with others.

? New connections are often facilitated for us (e.g. assigned breakout rooms or conversation topics). This takes away the unease that can happen with in-person events when we’re figuring out who to talk with next or how to enter into a group.

? It’s more efficient because people are more likely to get to the point in online conversations (vs small talk about traffic).

? It's easier to follow up with others because we can usually see the full names of other participants vs searching for a last name that might not be on a nametag.

Here are some tips on how to make the most of networking in new ways when you are in an online event, class or meeting:

1. Show up on video whenever possible. It helps to build connection when we can see each other’s faces, expressions and get a sense of personalities.

2. Have your environment reflect your personal or business brand (your background, what you are wearing and even your lighting can all speak volumes about you before you even introduce yourself).

3. If you will be on video, make sure that your first and last name is set up to be seen by others. There have been times where I have made a great connection at an event and would like to follow up but the person only has their first name and nothing else about them. If you can fit your business name or title, that is also helpful. If your business name is the same as your website, you could even add the .com.?

4. Arrive early or on time as people are setting up. Begin viewing the list of participants to get a sense of who else is there.?

5. Once the event begins, put a note into the Chat that briefly introduces yourself. Keep it short, relevant and supportive to what the event is about or who is hosting the online session. The reason I suggest waiting until the event begins is that people who enter the room right on time may not see notes that were added to the Chat before they arrived.

6. It’s a good idea to have your brief introduction typed out ahead of time so it’s easy to simply copy and paste without typos. Having it pre-written also helps you pay attention to the speaker vs trying to multi-task. I create mine in Notepad and have different versions of introductions available in a Word Doc that I can easily copy and paste.

7. Be present and listen to others as they participate. One of the most important elements of making a great connection is being a great listener so you can be relevant and responsive.

8. Write down the names of people you'd like to stay connected with. Following the event, send a LinkedIn connection request with a brief note explaining why you'd like to connect (this is not a sales pitch, this is relationship building).

Example: “We were both participants in the ______ online event. I appreciated the comments you made and especially resonated with X. It seems we have synergy in how we both Y. I'd like to connect on LinkedIn to learn more about your business.”?

9. At the end of the event, save the Chat so that you can follow up on links that were shared during the event and to reach out to people who seemed of interest.

10. You can use the names of people who participated in the Chat (you may even wish to take a screen shot of participant list) to follow up with the people that most resonated with you. (Do not feel that you need to follow up with everyone. That can feel spammy if you are connecting without giving a clear reason other than being at the same event.)

Here is an example of how I recently networked at an online business retreat:

I set my Zoom name to show as:

Teresa Thomas, WinWinConnects.com??

When the event began, I pasted this into the Chat:

Hello everyone! I'm Teresa Thomas joining today from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

I then added a comment to support why I was at the event:

I’ve been getting great nuggets from _______(host’s name) book and podcast. I am excited for what we will all gain from this online retreat!

When it was relevant (in response to a question posed by the presenter), I posted:

This is perfect timing. I've been revising my strategic plan for Win Win Connects and the programs I offer (including 50 Fun Things and Win/Win Networking). I’m excited for this online retreat to dive further into my planning and to meet the other entrepreneurs who are here.

Toward the end of the event I posted:

There are so many interesting people here. With this large of a group, we didn't get to meet everyone. If anyone would like to stay connected, LinkedIn would be a great way for us to do that.

I also had this note ready to send directly via private messaging to those I met in breakout rooms and wanted to stay connected with:

It was so nice to meet you in our breakout room! My email is [email protected]. I use LinkedIn a lot for connection. I'll look forward to hearing how to stay connected with you, too.?

Which of these tips will you put to use? What other tips are you finding helpful for shining in your online networking?

Teresa Thomas connects people, possibilities and purpose as an award-winning professional speaker, networking expert, facilitator, and author of Win/Win Networking and 50 Fun Things? – Enjoy the Small Things.

In her 25 years as a professional connector, Teresa has facilitated over 500 in-person events (and over 50 online), presented for countless groups, and helped thousands to connect and grow. She has run two networking groups, one of which grew from serving 200 members in-person to over 3000 through its private online LinkedIn group.

In her highly interactive style, she packs her presentations with “how-to”s, humor and inspiration, leaving people excited about creating meaningful connections and accomplishing their personal and professional goals. People leave Teresa’s workshops and seminars with new insights and practical strategies that are ready to put into action.

She was named as a 2019 Business Champion through the Small Business Administration (SBA) of Minnesota and as a 2019 50 Over 50 exemplary leaders by AARP and Pollen.