subject: Networking: Make Yourself Memorable with a Little Extra Fact [print this page] Networking: Make Yourself Memorable with a Little Extra Fact
Have you ever been to one of those networking events where everybody stands up to introduce themselves? The idea is fine, of course, but they can turn into a disaster because of two opposite responses.TOO LONGApparently, some people don't know how to be brief. Even when they are told they have one minute to speak, they still ramble on for at least twice that amount of time. What they don't realize is that people are annoyed by this, and mentally switch off. They don't really hear what the rambler is saying, which defeats the purpose for everyone.Nobody wants to listen to you ramble on about all aspects of your life or business --- especially if they are patiently waiting to tell everyone about all aspects of their life or business!Be prepared. Decide why you are going to the event, and what you want people to know about your business. What would be the information that would identify you to a prospective client as someone they want to know better?Write down the essential points, and summarize them. Now practise saying the words in an enthusiastic tone. Too long? Pare it down further and practise again. Your message may be shorter than most, but it will contain the information that is important both to you and your audience, so that prospects will self-select.TOO MUCH THE SAMESometimes the host of the meeting will tell people what to say. "Give us your name, business name, and just a sentence about what you do."Sounds good, right? Well, maybe for the first half a dozen, but by the time thirty people have stood up and recited the same script it's not only boring, but almost impossible to distinguish anyone from anyone else!If you find yourself in this situation, add a little fact. At an internal networking event with this sort of format, I heard one woman say, "Hi, I'm Kate Branson. I've been a major account rep in the Mississauga office for three months. I love my work, and my favourite colour is blue." Everyone chuckled.Did anyone care about her favourite colour? Probably not, but by saying it, she made herself just that little bit different from everyone else. In the mix and mingle segment later, people had an opening for conversation with Kate, which then gave her a chance to discuss other subjects.What could you add to your standard introduction? Try for something simple, not too personal, that would make people smile. Use it a couple of times and see how it breaks the ice.
