During Mass Communication week at Texas State, the meet up I chose to attend was about the ABC’s of networking. Networking can be looked at as an investment in relationships, so that one day it may serve you. When going to an event it is important that one is prepared. You must know your audience, know what to talk about and understand why you’re there. Some people may naturally be introverts and that’s okay, however, when networking you must change your thinking and understand that strangers are okay. It is important to develop an elevator speech, which is a way of introducing yourself in an efficient manner. An acronym that can help with this is IPAD. I stands for talking about yourself. P stands for personal telling making sure you introduce yourself. A is for action, what have you done that relates to the reason why you’re there. D stands for desire. Telling people what you want. Is you meet new people it’s good to make a lasting impression, but to not overstay your welcome. Exit gracefully and send a follow up email within the next 48 hours to help build that relationship. While making a lot of new contacts is always good, one important personal relationship is better than a handful of business cards. Overall, it was a good workshop to be at and the speaker provided a lot of good insights.
