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Secrets of Networking and Communication Essentials

Guest post by: Gloria Starr

Article Overview: Everyone wants to connect, but not everyone knows how to connect.

Secrets of Networking and Communication Essentials

Everyone wants to connect, but not everyone knows how to connect.

You've probably heard the phrase "It's not what you know, it's who you know."
In today's society your talents, abilities and experience will not be enough,
if no one knows you exist. To climb the ladder of success, you need more friends.
Knowledge, techniques and strategies for success are important however, adding
more friends will increase your circle of influence.

Connecting with people is all about your ability to engage and interact with others,
your friendliness and your ability to add value to the lives of others.

When you're networking, you're going to have to sift through the people you
don't want to know to get to the people you do want to know. That is an
essential part of networking, but the good news is that with practice, you will
get better at spotting the people worth knowing.

There will always be people who judge others based on image, prestige and titles,
but there are also people who want to build genuine, mutually beneficial relationships.

As you mature and gain greater achievements and success in life, others will be
pleased to assist you. They will take pleasure in helping you because they feel that
you are trustworthy and worthy of their time and assistance.

The more people are attracted to you, the more solid connections you will make.
The quality of your relationships will determine your success in life.

Networking does takes time and effort. Unless you're an extroverted person, it can
be exhausting and stressful. Why bother? One way to think of it is to imagine how
much time and frustration you would save if anything you wanted or needed was
just one or two phone calls away. Ultimately, a network of friends can be an investment
with benefits that outweigh the costs.

Small talk at networking events is about asking open-ended questions or comments
that require more than a yes or no answer. A few examples:
"we haven't met before, tell me a little bit about yourself"
"that is a lovely tie you are wearing"
"I noticed you at the last meeting and wanted to introduce myself to you"
"what brings you to this event"

A good way to create mutually beneficial relationships, is by thinking of ways you can help others.
Be sincere. Compliments are great, but too much flattery may seem insincere.

Follow up. Don't get someone's business card or e-mail address and forget about it. Find a way to
stay in touch. Maintain your network.

When I started my image and etiquette consulting business 25 years ago, I was painfully shy.
Too shy to speak to others. I discovered wearing a hat to events was a wonderful way to gain
attention and have others approach me with a compliment. This always lead to an easy and
comfortable conversation.

I wear a hat whenever I am in the public eye. Hats are eye catching and conversation starters.
A typical day of wearing a lovely hat brings atleast 30 compliments and leads to the perfect
opportunity to begin many conversations.

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Article Tags: communication skills, Gloria Starr, networking



Related Forum Posts
Re: Make Friends...Literally BUILD them! - I agree! Networking is definitely the key word here. What does everyone feel about the different Networking platforms out there? Twitter Facebook LinkedIn what are some others?
Marketing 2012 - I am interested in what works for you in 2012, Social Networking, Search Engine traffic, Blogs, Articles, Forums, what? This is a quote from a 2009 Topic "Twitter, Social Networking, What is your Method? From my experience, social networking traffic (Twitter included) also converts at a far lower rate than search engine traffic. Evan Is this still true, or do you use something that gives us better returns and conversions
Re: Essential Leadership skills - Vision Values Mission Strategic Thinking Decision Making Communication Team Bonding People Development Coaching / Mentoring / Guiding / Grooming Presentation Thanks Robert
Re: How can a social networking site make serious money? - Hi There, It is quite interesting, that some Social Networking do produce an income. I think testimonials are always a benefit to share. See one below: This Social Network has changed my life! Every night is a Friday night and everyday is a Saturday!! Because of it, I have been able to leave the workforce 10 years early.It has given me back my life. Many of us would like to retire early. I am sure there are many more. The point is of focusing with great determination. The ongoing challenge is to stay focussed and not be sidetracked into a newer scheme or so. Also I have read, during this financial turmoil, more people turn to Social Networking for various reasons.
Re: Make Friends...Literally BUILD them! - [quote="burnsrunner":1zobscwk]I agree! Networking is definitely the key word here. What does everyone feel about the different Networking platforms out there? Twitter Facebook LinkedIn what are some others?[/quote:1zobscwk] I am on Twitter and Linkedin, have not joined Facebook yet as my time is fairly limited and one needs a lot of time to devote to all these various networking platforms. Unless you do this full time (the networking I mean). MichelleJ


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