Why I love networking events

"I hate networking events."

Sounds like everybody's favorite phrase, but I think that's entirely unfair. Networking events can be anything, and saying you hate them is like saying you hate all food when really you've had a few bad experiences with over salted portabello mushroom dip.

Personally, I love any events where networking is a possibility- even those drier, suited up affairs. Because it means is that I can ask questions. I can make friends. I can be curious about the lives and passions of others. And, maybe, I can add value to someone's dreams.

The less you think about yourself in a networking event, the more fun it can be. 

• Ask others about their work before you dive into yours
• Be genuinely curious- people spend hundreds and thousands of hours of their lives on something. Aren't you interested what that is?
• Talk less than you listen. A good rule for life, a great rule for networking.

Don't be a pretend version of yourself. Be real.

• Don't hand out your business card the minute you meet someone- can anything be more fake? If you have a good connection after a conversation, or you genuinely want to follow up, hand out that card. And follow up on it.
• Smile and laugh. I go to 10 events a week, and not nearly enough people are laughing. People are attracted to easy going comfort- especially in a tense networking room-, so the quickest way to get noticed, garner trust, and make connections that help you is to have genuine fun.

Come in with a goal, but be open to audibles.

• For any event I attend, I know who I want to meet and what I want to ask of them. I've done research, I know their names and what they look like. I know how I can help them, or they can help me.
• But I don't make a beeline for the presenter when they're finished. It's aggressive, and there is competition for their attention all around you. Have a conversation with an audience member- who knows where it will lead? But keep an eye on your target. If you see them ready to leave a conversation or the room, approach them, ask for just 20 seconds of their time, and give them the short version of your pitch asking to follow up later. Respect their time, and they'll appreciate yours.

So, go try it out. Walk in with a positive attitude. Know that you are there to have FUN. And be curious about all those talented people in the room with you. Because you get ahead in the world by providing more value to others than is expected of you, not the opposite.