PSOW’s Pamela Eyring Offers Modern Networking Best Practices in New Business Insider Story
With autumn being the busiest time of the year for networking events, now is the time to jumpstart your preparation to make the most of valuable time spent at meetups, conferences and industry mixers.
In a new Business Insider article, reporter Alyssa Towns Swantkoski sat down with PSOW’s president and owner, Pamela Eyring to discuss how to shine and what mistakes to avoid while networking.
Tip #1: Focus on building connections that can lead to important relationships versus worrying about collecting as many contacts as possible.
As Pamela’s noted in the article, “Although collecting business cards was once seen as important, now it's all about building slow, genuine connections with others.”
Pamela suggested that to do this, it's helpful to find things you have in common, which makes the conversation feel genuine rather than transactional: “For example, connect over being alums from the same college, having both traveled to the conference from the Midwest, or even shared hobbies. These things can make you more memorable later, too.”
Tip #2: Be mindful about “jumping into” conversations that are already taking place between other attendees at an event.
This is especially important to avoid when making a good first impression.
Instead, be aware and look for a group that may be positioned in that moment as a bit more open. Make eye contact with one person which should catch their attention to create space to ask permission to join them.
This comes off much warmer than pushing in.
When it comes to gathering, be sure to also avoid only staying with the group you may have come with, and extend a sense of welcoming approach to others as a way to invite them into your circle at the event.
Tip #3: Don’t avoid the small talk… embrace it!
Many of us may feel awkward or frustrated by how to sound savvy and struggle when trying to make “small talk”... but it’s an important early step to build a new interaction into a meaningful connection. Pamela suggests to overcome this by preparing ahead of time with interesting topics to discuss and drive inclusive conversations.
An easy topic to start could be asking another attendee if it’s their first time at the conference, and share your own experience with the event or ask what to expect if they are a return visitor.
It’s equally important, Pamela also advised, to invite others into the conversation as small talk naturally opens up opportunities to share more about yourself and your work.
From keeping your name tag on until the end of the event to ensuring you have the best setup for a virtual networking event and sending a proper thank you note afterwards, the story offers thoughtful recommendations on how to stand out from the crowd.
Be sure to read the full article in Business Insider to learn all of the tips to make the most of the networking fall season ahead!