How to find common ground and start the conversation with people?
Useful tips for successful networking:
• Be polite, have a business card ready, ask questions and actually listen to the answers! Do not spend your time just thinking about your next sentence! If you listen a natural question might come up. Ask follow-up questions, instead of jumping into many subjects.
• Less is more. Instead of meeting as many people as possible, focus on building genuine connections instead.
• After the conversation follow up with the message, email, return the phone call and connection on LinkedIn, write on their card a few details that could help you to remember them.
• Look for opportunities to provide value to those in your network before you ask for help. The more you invest in your relationships, the more you’ll learn about your new connections and the easier it will be to offer assistance — and get it in return! The value you provide isn’t limited to the workplace; this could be anything from a hotel recommendation to an introduction to someone in your personal network.
• Networking is about sharing, not only taking. It is about forming trust and helping one another toward goals. Regularly engaging with your contacts and finding opportunities to assist them helps to strengthen the relationship. By doing this, you sow the seeds for reciprocal assistance when you need help to achieve your goals.
