This blog post is pretty personal for me. I used to believe the line - I’m an introvert, I just CAN’T network well! Well, needless to say, I learned over time that my limiting belief was NOT true. There will be a series of blog posts about networking skills for introverts. Check out this first skill I teach below…
The first skill I teach is when you arrive in a room full of people, take a minute and stand alone off to the side. Take a few deep breaths and scan the room. Here’s what to look for:
How many people are here
How many small groups / cliques are there?
Which ones seem the most active?
Who is the “leader” of each small group / clique?
When you have sorted through those questions, just take a deep breath and start walking around slowly. Choose one of the groups / cliques that seems positive to you and just go stand near them. Don't forget, this is an open networking group for all - so you are NOT doing anything wrong by walking around and listening to people. That is what you are there for!
You are going to gain credibility to others in the room by standing near an active positive group in the room. That’s when the MAGIC starts to happen! Other people will begin to see that you are in a position of influence because of your proximity to an active group in the room. Then they will begin to come up and want to talk to you! This is an introvert’s dream, because we often fear having to go introduce ourselves. So just take advantage of the energy that other people are setting up in the room, and take advantage of it! Networking will never be the same!
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