Do you struggle to network during virtual events?

Many professionals engage in virtual networking activities through Facebook livestreams, Zoom webinars, and Skype meetings today. When you are attending a webinar, listening to the speaker is not the only thing that you must do. Catching up with the other attendees and getting to know them better during online events will benefit you professionally.

However, this can be a hard thing for many professionals. So, if you are one of the millions of professionals struggling to network during virtual events, this article will be quite helpful for you.

Prepare your info in advance

Once the event starts, you will likely be very much interested in what is being shared by the presenter and will not have much time to pen down a lengthy introduction of yourself. You may not even have much time to type a message asking for other professionals to connect with you. Preparing your introduction message before the event for a quick copy and paste will help you there. Something simple like, “I enjoyed discussing your views in the topic and talking about the ideas you shared today. If you would like to connect with me, here’s my LinkedIn profile link:…” would do.

Comment with style

If you have participated in a webinar, you would have noticed many professionals sharing their ideas and thoughts on the group chat. Most of the time, you will be seeing hundreds of “I agree,” or “Good point,” comments shared by others. Such superficial comments are not the way to go when you want to network. Instead, try to set up authority and give people some background information about you when you comment. Simply saying “I agree,” does not sound as impressive as, “As a healthcare professional for the past five years, I have seen this happening multiple times. I agree with you because…”

Use the features of the app

Whatever app that you are using to participate in the virtual event will have several features that facilitate networking among attendees. So, you should do your research on the virtual networking platform that is being used. Familiarize yourself with the features offered by the app before the event. Some virtual meeting platforms facilitate private meetups, breakout rooms, private video calls, private messaging, etc.

Check what the organizers are doing

Most virtual event organizers use social media to market their events. This allows the event organizers to help the event attendees connect with each other through social media. Some virtual events have special social media groups that are exclusive to the participants of the webinar/livestream. These groups will allow you to discover like-minded professionals attending the same event and connect with them through chat.

Participate in the fun activities

Some organizers use fun activities as a way of breaking up the monotony of the virtual event. These fun activities can double as networking opportunities when you participate in them. For example, if the event organizer has created a virtual happy hour session for you, use that chance to chat with the other attendees in a laid-back setting.