I recently attended a Women in Technology (WIT) Speed Networking event, that began with a presentation on Encouraging Creativity in a Technical Environment.� The speaker was fantastic, but what really grabbed my attention was the concept of speed networking.� I was a little hesitant to throw myself out there in what sounded like a business adaptation of speed dating, but I was pleasantly surprised with the level of comfort that I felt during the networking session.� I know that I was not alone in feeling the relief that came with eliminating the awkward approach that exists in traditional networking sessions.� �

The way that this speed networking session worked was that, similar to speed dating, half of the networkers remained at their initial tables, while the other half rotated tables.� Each networking pair chatted for about five minutes before switching.� This ensured that each attendee would be able to network with at least a dozen different other attendees.� Kudos to the organizers of this event for their creativity in making a usually stressful activity a much more relaxed and pleasant one!� And I strongly encourage organizers of other events to take WIT’s lead – I have been converted to a fan of speed networking!

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