Overcome your Fear of Networking
Tuesday, July 24th, 2007I 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!
