Networking is evolving beyond windowless conference rooms filled with awkward silences and lacklustre finger buffets.
Awkward. That’s the word that springs to mind when thinking about traditional networking events. The term itself, “networking event”, tends to conjure up images of awkward interactions. A room full of people wearing poorly-placed name tags (there’s always one person who has the shame of a handwritten badge), desperately trying to make a great first impression, while hoping no-one has noticed that this is their third trip to the wine table in less than an hour.
Whether you love it or loathe it, networking is a necessity, and the importance of having professional contacts in a connected sector cannot be underestimated. Leveraging the relationships you have, both professionally and personally, can improve business alliances, increase sales and create job opportunities, where they may not have existed previously.
Thankfully, networking is evolving beyond windowless conference rooms filled with awkward silences and lacklustre finger buffets – cheese and pineapple on a cocktail stick anyone? It’s not 1992, guys. Today, networking can be done in a variety of ways, and we’ve outlined four strategies you can use to expand your professional circle, without ever having to wear an adhesive sticker again.
The gym
Whether it’s your comrades in CrossFit, your fellow pedal pushers in a spin class or the people you share a nod and smile with on the gym floor, the place where you work out can sometimes provide a better environment to make connections than the place where you work.
So, yes, you may be more focused on obtaining your PB (personal best) rather than working on a BP (business plan), but that’s not to say you can’t mix a little business with leisure.
Whether it’s grabbing a smoothie after a workout or chatting to your spotter about challenges you face outside of
