The Portal

I suppose I’ve always dreaded networking events for the same reason I was a lousy blind dater in college. Polite chit chat with strangers comes hard for me. Most of my best dates were with people I already knew. I married my best friend . . . and he still is. If we’d met at a conference, we might both still be single.

This week I’m attending the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC). And a few of my readers from yesterday wisely queried: why was I going there? I hadn’t mentioned it in my post.

I’m going because, as a tech writer, I want to hear the conversations. I want to know, pick up a feel for, what emerging technologies will be the topics my clients may soon look to me to help them document. I want to know the lingo. In a perfect world, I’ll meet a few new prospects, see a few clients and maybe even have a good time.

One more opening point: Tony Stubblebine with CrowdVine has suggested that his and other networking tools would be of great assistance in situations like this — helping attendees meet and greet in advance, so that none of us walks in cold to the event itself. Those are definitely an option and, presuming good advance work (as I attempted to do for SXSW), an invaluable part of the solution. An energy-specific tool in this case is a new networking group (both virtual and actual), Energy People Connect.

Way too much intro, let’s cut to the chase. We’re there to meet them and they’re there to meet us. How hard can it be? Bring lots of business cards — ideally optimized for the venue you’re walking into. Dress comfy, but with some sense of the dress code. Another tip I read this morning was to bring a Sharpie and customize your pre-fab nametag with something personal to set you apart. In my case, for OTC, I might write something like “contract tech writer.” If you’re on Twitter and have a TwitPin, wear both.

1. Go early, get your bearings. You’ve done your homework, per previous post, regarding the exhibitors, keynoters, anyone you hope to meet and anyone you might know already. If you have a map of the venue, plot a circuit whereby you orient yourself and also “drop in” on any easily-approachable friends along the way. Think of your first tour as a “walk-about.” Don’t let too much moss grow under you as you make your rounds. If you meet people you know, greet them enthusiastically (though succinctly). If you identify any prospects or potential synergies, make note and keep moving. Go back to them on your second pass.
2. Are you hungry yet? Some of the best connections you’re likely to make will be over meals and in line for the bottled water. (As in captive audience.) Think through, in advance, three or four ice-breaker introductions and then steer straight for your luncheon table or the snack bar. Whatever/wherever you can exercise your ice-breakers. One a friend of mine suggested is “I haven’t been in a line this long since . . . .” (In my case the 2nd half of the sentence would be “. . . [since] I attempted to buy vodka in Communist East Germany.”) Another good suggestion, after introducing yourself, is “How’s business? What are you doing to meet that challenge?”
3. Approach keynoters first and then orphans. Keynoters can often be found in loosely-patrolled “green room” areas. Swing through and (quickly) introduce yourself. DON’T go in with an agenda, just say hello and tell them why you’ve always admired their work. Look also for those who are standing alone and befriend them. Make an effort to further their cause before your own. In introducing someone and helping them connect, you’ll show yourself as both generous and a team player. That’s never a bad thing.
4. Don’t get “wrapped around the axle.” You don’t get a grade for this. And your future success in business is not at stake. Every good thing that happens is gravy — enjoy it and enjoy your day. Large events are just different — they move at a faster pace, and everyone’s priorities are different. Ask about the people who cross your path. Show an interest in their business and hope they’ll ask also about yours. Ask for a business card and (while walking away) make a note on the back to help you remember something about them that you can follow up on later. Enjoy the serendipity of it all and get a little into the “zen” of it. Be open to whoever floats in front of you — show an interest and look for an opportunity to offer a 10 to 15 second summary of who you are and how you bring value to companies like theirs. Then, if nothing clicks, wish them well and move on.
5. Enjoy it. These are not the enemy. Introvert or not, newbie to the gathering or not, your permanent legacy is not at stake here. Drift, enjoy, pause when you’re tired. Keep your listening ears on and let the conversations come to you. If you get a chance to come back a second day, all the better. Make a few notes from Day 1, plot a strategy for Day 2, then see what new opportunities await. It gets easier with time, and more fun as well.
6. Accept the disappointments. Did you bomb on that clever opening? Shake it off, move on. Did you hope they’d ask for a business card and they didn’t? Ditto. This aspect of business development is an evolving science. Go home and make notes of what you’ve learned. Preserve them for next time. Then treat yourself to a single malt or a milkshake and let it go.

For those of you with your own large gathering on the calendar — an upcoming job fair, networking luncheon or whatever — here are a handful of expert resources to supplement my own stellar advice:

• How to Work a Room — One-page handout prepared for Diane Darling, of EffectiveNetworking.com by graphic arts wizards XPLANE
• Networking: the Introvert’s Survival Guide by Jennifer Warwick on the New Charm School Blog for Recovering Type A Types
• Networking Tip: How to Work a Room, from University of California Berkeley Career Center
  

Later this week, I’ll post an after-action report of my own experience testing these suggestions. Meanwhile, all of us would value and gratefully receive any first-hand success experiences and ideas you have to offer. Let us hear from you and . . . wish me luck!

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