How to make networking work

Most people talk about work and geography and whilst they may be a good introduction to start a conversation, they are not the best for maintaining an interesting conversation, Lee recommended more useful topics.
He explained the importance of asking questions about love (friends, family, things that animate a person) money (stability not just cash) leisure (travel, sports, hobbies) and health (not just sickness) but work life balance and vitality.
These are subjects that lift a networking conversation and ensure the person you are speaking to wants to carry on speaking to you. These subjects will also energize you and make you more confident. There will be no awkward silences.
Lee talked about the value of Linked in and how your connections can mean that you are in contact with thousands more people than you think.
He stressed the necessity of follow ups. Its no use simply collecting business cards and not following up after an event. 67% of contacts are never followed up.
Don’t think it’s an easy task. Lee said that a leading neurosurgeon commented “after hours of dealing with people, he thought that brain surgery sometimes seemed easier.”
The first golden rule is that boring questions will ensure you receive boring answers. Think about asking:-
“What do you think about it?”
“How did you manage it?”
What advice would you give?”

Three very useful questions which will result in interesting answers to enable you to engage further.
So how do you start these introductions?
• Join people who are already talking, you can join them or say “hello, I don’t think I’ve met you yet?”
• Look at the groups dynamics and don’t walk in a straight line to the middle of an established group.
• Don’t interrupt if the group is closed and the participants look like they are deep in dialogue.
• Talk to the first person you meet who is standing alone, they are feeling as awkward as you.
• Talk to someone at the end of a group (if the group is large).

Lee talked about ensuring that your Linked In profile is updated and the picture looks like you and is a professional appearance.
Lee also gave tips on how to remember names, by listening and repeating the name during and at the end of the conversation to reinforce your memory.
Lee also talked about how to close a conversation in a nice way and how to avoid tricky questions. He gave us a number of coping strategies and said not to take it personally if someone doesn’t want to speak to you. By using Lee’s four important words – Love, Money, Leisure and Health, and using his techniques, you will be the one having to work on how to successfully close the conversations, as you will be the one that lights up the room with everybody wanting to speak to you.
With 90% of people receiving help and opportunities for employment from their network, can you afford not to network successfully. It is more important than you think.