Thursday, October 19, 2006
Networking : My biggest pet peeve
OK, networking can be fun. It's pleasant to have lunch or dinner with friendly people who have interesting stories to tell. But how do you decide which groups to join? Some organizations now limit the number of meetings you can attend before you join. You can't just show up for lunch or a meeting. You have just 2 meetings to test the group to see if they'll be helpful for you. Then you pay an annual fee. Not enough. For example, when I think "Toastmasters," I think of people who are afraid to speak. They mumble and stare at the floor. They're terrified. Since I've spoken professionally, and I'm a natural ham, why would I join? But I did - after attending half a dozen meetings of a local chapter. As I got to know the members, I realized they were not the stereotypical Toastmasters. Most were not afraid of speaking. In fact, my chapter attracts professional speakers, trainers, teachers and business people. Those who begin fearfully make fast progress because they have strong role models who are not afraid to give tough feedback. I even stretched my skills by entering a humor contest. I got tips from a chapter member who had performe in comedy clubs professionally (i.e., she got paid!). My talk: "Fashion Challenged in Seattle." So far I won the first round. Two meetings would not have been enough. And if you're networking wouldn't you want to meet more people...even drop-ins? I stopped by one BNI group for just 2 meetings and would probably hire at least one person from the group, although I'm not sure I would want to join. Bad rule. Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D. offers strategic copywriting and communications consulting for small biz owners and solo professionals who want to sell themselves without sounding sales-y. Ask about her three-step Strategy-->Message-->Copy system. Begin with a visit to the Copy-Cat website. |
# posted by Cathy Goodwin @ 9:29 AM 
