The Virtues of Virtual Networking - Build Meaningful Relationships Beyond Your Local Geography

Have you resisted virtual networking because it just isn’t the same as meeting someone face to face? I was one of those people who avoided virtual networking until COVID forced me to re-think my point of view. You see, I was running a couple of in-person events every month and suddenly this was no longer possible. I really wanted to keep these connections alive and realised the best way to do that, was through hosting virtual networking meetings.

After pushing through my discomfort and learning how to host meetings over zoom, I started to see so many benefits for both myself as a host and for the meeting participants.?

Benefits for meeting hosts:

• No need to book and pay for a meeting room
• Cost savings can be passed to participants
• No added travel time around events or parking fees
• No need to create name tags - participants can share their names on zoom
• Can include people who live in other cities or countries who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend an in-person event

Benefits for participants:

In addition to the many benefits of any form of networking, virtual networking provides the following additional benefits:

• The zoom platform chat feature allows participants to reach out to one another if they want to deepen their connection.
• The discomfort of having to approach a group of people you didn’t know in the hope that they will include you in their discussion is eliminated with breakout rooms managed by the host.
• You can discover and participate in groups around the world that interest you.
• Having zoom coffee meetings after a virtual networking event can be just as effective in building relationships as an in-person meeting.
• We all have limited physical capacity to engage in networking events, joining virtually not only saves time, it saves the cost and energy required to travel to in-person events.
• You can gain fresh perspectives and insights by engaging with others around the world and can also notice how much we all have in common, no matter where in the world we live.
• Many conference organizers are now offering a hybrid model with an opportunity to attend virtually at a reduced cost and often have a virtual networking component for online participants.

I must confess, during COVID, I was hooked on virtual networking and started attending 3 or 4 events per week in addition to the virtual events I was already hosting! It allowed me to feel less isolated and I loved the prospect of going to a virtual networking meeting and not knowing who I was going to meet. I always went into each event with an open and curious mind and made some amazing connections. Even better, I was able to help share resources and other networking groups that could be of value to the people I met.

Virtual networking also transformed my business. I found I was making connections with others around the world and no longer focused primarily on serving people in North America. Now I’ve built strong connections with people in Australia, the UK, Spain, France and Germany. I realised that my online courses focused on learning to network and personal priority setting, plus the coaching services I offer, are valuable for people around the world. So many new possibilities have opened up as a result of embracing virtual networking.?

Now I’m often invited to host virtual networking events and I love introducing this practice to others. If you’re curious to know how to have the best possible virtual networking experience, you can find out more in this blog post on my website https://www.suemaitland.com/blog/top-10-tips-for-successful-virtual-networking.

I do still very much enjoy in-person networking at formal networking events, conferences, professional association meetings and social events. It’s just that I’ve now discovered that we can expand our horizons and make interesting new connections with people around the world if we integrate virtual networking into our life.

?If networking is a skill you’d like to develop, you may want to subscribe to my online course and community Networking for Success https://www.suemaitland.com/courses. It’s a step by step easy to follow system to help you begin to build meaningful connections with ease and comes with access to a private community of others where you can practice your networking skills in a safe and supportive virtual environment.

?I encourage you to give virtual networking a try. Who knows what meaningful new connections you’ll make and what doors might open for you.?

Sue Maitland PCC

Global Life & Career Coach, Course Creator, Networking Expert

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