Get out there (aka Networking 101)!

Posted In: Coaching | Me July 25th, 2012 divider No Comments »

People often ask how I build my network of people. I tell them, easy, get out and meet people!

It seems I do meet a lot of interesting folks in unexpected settings. It’s not like I was born with a “networking” gene and others were not. I sometimes feel awkward asking people for their name when I introduce myself. But after 30 seconds, it’s gone. And it’s like riding a bike, it gets easier with practice.

I attended Third Tuesday yesterday, a local social media meet-up that occurs every third Tuesday of the month (catchy, eh). It featured a talk from the lovely and talented Gini Dietrich (@GiniDietrich), co-author of Marketing In the Round. Great value by the way since we also got her book as a gift!

We’re very lucky in the world of social media, there are a lot of opportunities to meet some like minded folks in person. We have TweetUp’s, meet-up’s and the such. It’s a natural setting to get out there. People expect to have strangers come up and introduce themselves. Same with social platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn.

This is a major reason I started the Health & Fitness TweetUp, so like minded folks could have an excuse to come together and connect.

This is basically the same advice I give people who are just starting out with running. If you want to get better at running, get out there and run some more!

One word of wisdom at networking events. Don’t just talk about yourself every time you meet someone. Bad form. If you want to leave a favourable impression, ask questions. People will love you for it. Wouldn’t you?

I basically go into every situation with an open mind. Here’s a quote to help you get out there some more!

“A stranger is just a friend I haven’t met yet.”
-Will Rogers