Five Ways to Build Your Networking Skills

I have recently been involved in setting up a charity to raise the profile of women and girls in sport in Wales. We are at the point where we are trying to grow our network, through connections and staging events where others can make connections. We always have loads of people come to the events, who disappear quickly at the end. I asked a pal why she was heading off and was told ‘I hate the networking bit – it makes me uncomfortable.’ And actually, me too…..but it is pretty important in growing access to expertise, knowledge and support. We all know we need to do it, but it’s only the lucky few for which it comes naturally.  So, this 5 Things to LWRSD focuses on how networking might become a thing of joy – well, pleasant at least, rather than the obligation it is for so many.

Listen: Networking Nation – BBC Sounds

This is part of a series of programmes made by Julia Hobshaw, a businesswoman who has made networking her personal passion and her professional living. In this programme she looks at some of the resistance to the idea of networking, ways of thinking about networks and whether the benefits outweigh the negatives. It probably won’t help with your skills, but it is pretty interesting…..and short!

Watch: How To Hack Networking (David Burkus, TEDx)

‘Networking makes us feel dirty’ claims David Burkus, who examines the science of how networks work and reveals what the best networkers really do. He starts by suggesting we reach out to people we already know…and take it from there. This sounds like something we can all do!

Read: 10 ways to boost your networking skills Robert Half Talent Solutions

To be honest, there are so many guides/tips/’essentials’ of networking available to you with a quick Google, it’s difficult to identify what will make a real difference to your skills. I liked this one because it emphasised the need to have good emailing skills. So much of our 1st contact with people comes electronically and there’s nothing worse than an email that doesn’t seem to have a point and I’m not going to scroll down to see if there is a message. And it’s always good to be reminded that position doesn’t necessarily equate to influence!

Sign up to: LinkedIn

Described as a business and employment-focused social media platform that works through websites and mobile apps, LinkedIn is arguably to most well used networking tool available to us. It seems to be so much easier to accept a digital invitation to connect than it is to speak to people. Hence the need for this 5 Things in improving our approach to networking!

Do: Work out what you can get from a networking opportunity

Various opportunities bring various networking benefits and I’ve been guilty of attending an event expecting to connect with colleagues, just to find that either the event isn’t overly popular or the way the event is structured, it doesn’t happen. I’ve also gone along to events, hoping to add to my network, but the event hasn’t been appropriate and I’ve spoken to some very nice people, that I know I won’t speak to again. You could argue that any addition to your network is valuable, but I don’t have the time to attend events that aren’t useful. So looking at who the networking opportunity is aimed at, the way it is structured and assessing what it can offer you is important.

Professor Leigh Robinson

Women-Space Associate and Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Roehampton.