Networking: An Essential Communication Skill
by Dana Bristol-Smith

To network, or not to network? I recently saw this question and I wondered who among us can afford not to network? If you think you might be someone who doesn’t need to network, to reach out to others, see how you answer the following questions, true or false:

• I am happy and secure in my employment, I’ll be here forever!
• I only need to network if I’m looking for a job
• Networking is just about collecting business cards I’ll never use
• Networking is only for consultants looking for their next project
• Only extroverts should network

Today, the answers to each of the above questions are FALSE. From the recent mega mergers and continued consolidations of industry after industry, no one is secure in their employment. You’ve heard it over and over but it’s worth repeating --- the only constant is change.Networking really isn’t about any of the above statements. Networking is about connecting with other people who you may be able to help, or may be able to help you when you need it.

Recently I had the opportunity to talk with Julia Hubbel of Principled Networking, a Colorado consulting and training company. Julia has a great approach to networking. She credits it with helping to save her life when she had lost her job and hope for the future. Julia has written 10 Guidelines for Networking, and I’d like to share two of them with you here. At the end of this article I’ll have a link to Julia’s website where she offers a free E-Book with her 10 Guidelines.

#4 Be clear about your intent – Ask yourself these questions

• Why am I attending this event?
• What do I have to offer people I might meet at the event?
• What do I need from people at this event
• What are my ideal outcomes from this event?

#5 Listen with an intent to serve
Look for an opportunity to make a difference in another person’s life.

Networking is a survival tool today, essential for career success. Networking is about building relationships. How do you learn about someone new? You ask them questions, you find out what’s important to them. Kind of like the getting-to-know-you stage of any new relationship. But here is where it is different. You step back and think about who you know that might be helpful for the other person – you listen to their needs, and you try to be of service to them.

I realize as I write this that this is exactly what I do in building relationships with my customers. I look for ways that I can be of service to them – how I can connect and add value to their companies.

I’ve always enjoyed connecting people in my life with others that I thought they would enjoy knowing. I have often felt compelled to do this. I even had the experience where I knew that I had to introduce two friends of mine to each other. One lived in L.A. the other in San Diego – when the meeting was finally arranged, and they met each other, it took them less than five minutes to discover that they had known each other back in high school in Florida – I had introduced long lost high school friends to each other more than 25 years later!

Since networking is a communication skill, think about the message that you want to communicate to others. As you look at the questions above in Guideline 4, articulate your answers out loud, better yet, write them down and then practice them out loud.

Put yourself in new situations where you can talk with and meet new people.You’ll strengthen your personal network, be able to ask for help with challenges, and lend your ideas and support to others. Make an effort to reach out in your professional community and look for ways to be of service to others. You’ll enjoy the camaraderie and benefits that will come your way!

I recommend that you visit Julia Hubbel’s website Principled Networking and sign up for her free Networking Tips Booklet The Art of Principled Networking: When You Schmooze, You Lose!, and free networking tips

About the Author
Dana Bristol-Smith is the founder of Speak for Success, an organization that works with companies that want their people to communicate with confidence and credibility. You can email Dana at:dana@speakforsuccess.net

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