Taking a tip from some great presenters I have seen in my life I am going to publish my ideas for my session at LaidOffCampNYC tomorrow as a blog post.
On the one hand, people who are at my talk can come and see what I said once it is over. But what is even more important for me, is having a discussion with the community about what I plan to say and getting feedback before I go and say it.
So here goes:
I am titling the talk ‘Networking 101‘
One of the first things I always try to do is ask people why they came to the session. What did they want to get out of it, what challenges are they currently facing with networking?
This will help me to understand how to skew the tone of the talk and make sure that people get what they came for (or at least try)
I have steps to getting started with networking. When I first started in this space I knew no one. I went to my first event, I brought a friend with me, I walked around a few times and I didn’t talk to anyone. That was a complete fail.
The next event I went to (a few months later), I went alone. Still a little shy, I introduced myself to a few people while we were all waiting on a line to get in. Then those people introduced me to people that they knew, and before I knew it I was building a little network.
In less than a year a have built a strong network of people in this space, I have more people that consider me an ‘expert’ than I could ever know what to do with, and it all started with these few steps.
Step #1: get out of your house!
I know a lot of people who get great networking done just by working in a coffee shop and talking about what they are doing with people who seem interested around them. People will remember what you do, and call on you when they need something that falls into your area.
Step #2: get online!
Who knows about meetup.com? For those of you that don’t know, meetup.com is a site where people organize meetups based on common interests. What ever your industry I am sure you will be able to find lots of meetups in your area. Sometimes it is just informal networking, sometimes you can learn something. It’s a great site.
We live in NYC, there are always big conferences being held here. If you know there is a big conference in town, or even a large event going on during the day or that week. Don’t just go to the event during the day (even if you don’t go during the day, even if you didn’t think it was worth it to buy the conference pass) Make sure to figure out where the evening events are. Many times they do not require a badge, and you are mingling with all the same people you would be if you were at the conference, but in a more social environment.
Trust me, you will get the full experience of the conference and meet many great people.
Step #4: Always have business cards!!!
Even if you do not have a business! They should have your name, what you do (or would like to do) a phone number, email, and a web address of some kind. Even if it’s just a blog, online portfolio, or your twitter URL. Something where people can see more of you online.
Lastly…
I am leaving time for Q&A because I think a lot of Q&A is important to making sure that your audience leaves happy.
