9 tips to make networking easy and less stressful

Networking can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be painful. In this article, I share nine tips for effective and easy networking.

If you’re like me, networking feels like a daunting task, but a necessary one to advance a career.

Daunting, but not one that I avoid at all costs. Hell! I most often leave networking events energised and positive. I guess I crave social interaction more than I care to admit.

Now, I’m not saying that it does not require a little effort. To help you alleviate that effort, I compiled a list of the best nine tips to network effectively and easily.

Let’s chat, mingle, and meet new friends—networking does not have to be painful. Photo by Antenna on Unsplash

1. Have your business cards ready. It’s always appreciated to share contacts if you had a good conversation with someone and want to meet again. If you want to go paperless, I’m using HiHello.

2. Make a plan. Ask yourself: what do you want to achieve? What do you want people to remember and feel about you? Try to bring it up—with tact—in the conversation.

3. Forget about your plan. Forget about it the second you pass the doors of location your networking event is taking place. The purpose is to be present for the people you are meeting. Don’t try to sell yourself or your product—the plan if more of a guideline, really.

4. If need be, prepare your elevator speech. Have a two-three sentence description of what you do/offer/try to achieve. Bring it up only if you’re asked what you do/offer/propose. Here’s mine:

   I’m the editor of The Beubble, a newsletter on EU public affairs. I aim at offering Brussels’ lobbyists and EU affairs professionals the best advice and tips to excel at their job.

5. Understand who will be the guest of honour—if there’s one. The key speaker of the evening. A commissioner, MEP, etc. Try to have a word with him or her. If she’s an acquaintance, she will expect that you pay her a visit before or after her speech. If you are strangers to each other, introduce yourself and congratulate her.

6. Offer your help. If the person you are talking with mentions a problem that they have, propose your help to solve it. Ask how you could help if you don’t have a solution. Give your business card and ask them to re-contact you.

7. Ask open-ended questions. A conversation is like a table-tennis game, except you want to play easy on your opponent (who’s now a partner). A close question is like a smash. It might not be easy to recover from it. The conversation will be lost. Allow your partner to send you back to the ball with open-ended questions.

8. Joining a group conversation is easy. Get close to the group, listen for a moment, then offer your help or ask a question when you feel an opening.

9. After the event. The next day, reconnect with the people you’ve met and had a good conversation with. Tell them it was a pleasure meeting them and offer to grab a coffee to continue your discussion.

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