Taking the Fear Out of Networking

Now that the professional social season is in full swing, there are abundant opportunities for networking.  Approach these with confidence – my presentation shows you how.  http://communication-leadership-change.com/thought-leadership.html

Taking the Fear Out of Networking

Networking – building ongoing relationships to exchange information and advice – is scary. Although it is not our #1 fear*, most people say that these things about networking scare them:

• Meeting strangers
• Not saying the right things
• Having to talk about yourself
• Making a fool of yourself
• Getting stuck with the wrong people
• Not being interesting

Fear in this case is a problem, since interpersonal relationships (formed through networking) are still the primary drivers of business, even now, in this era of e-socializing.

Understanding networking is a good first step to alleviating your fears.  Networking is not:

• Asking for a job
• Collecting business cards
• Randomly passing out resumes
• USING PEOPLE
• Self promotion
• Pitching a product or company
• Selling

There will be a time and place place for asking for what you want and receiving from the relationship. The networking occasion is simply the first step and in that step, you are simply forming a connection.  Following up, you will have additional meetings to move forward your agenda.

Networking can occur anywhere, not just at events. Get into a networking mindset, and you will attract opportunities to meet people important to you on the airplane, in coffee shop lines, elevators…

My three-stage plan to networking can help alleviate your fears.

Next post: Step 1 to Networking: Prepare

*The Chapman University Survey of American Fears, Wave 2 (2015) provides an unprecedented look into the fears of average Americans. In April of 2015, a random sample of 1,541 adults from across the United States were asked their level of fear about eighty-eight different fears across a huge variety of topics ranging from crime, the government, disasters, personal anxieties, technology and many others.

 

Boo… not boo-hoo

Halloween means plenty of delicious, fun scary sights and sounds. We like to be scared because it’s exciting and makes us feel alive in the moment. We also know, for the most part, that our Halloween-based frights aren’t real, so our brains don’t let us get too deeply afraid. Real life however, holds plenty of frightening experiences that, if not managed well, can hold us back from making our dreams come true. What to do? Here are some tips to keep your “Boo’s” from turning into “boo-hoo’s.”

1. Get to the bottom of your fear. What are you actually afraid of? What is the worst thing that could happen? How would you handle that? Visualize and plan for the worst possible scenario you can think up – you’ll get calmer.
2. Fear is a feeling, and feelings are fleeting. Wait for the feeling to pass, and be deliberate with happy thoughts and calmness to replace them.
3. Don’t dwell on maybe’s… many things might or might not happen. Remember your power in creating what you want to happen.
4. Forget what happened before – stay in this moment and don’t let past traumas or disappointments color your present experience unduly.