Howdy fellow networkers. Here's a quick roundup of some of the tips we've run on Shanghai Networking News over the past couple of years. Hope they help, and let us know your thoughts in the comments...
Finding someone's name when you've forgotten (or never knew) it
We've all been in that situation -- you meet someone you've met a million times before and for the life of you you can't remember their name. Or maybe you never even knew it to begin with! What to do?
My usual tactic is to ask for their phone number - when you're inputting it into your phone casually ask how they spell their name. Most people will be happy to oblige, and if they kick up a fuss you can always claim you know lots of people with weird spellings of that particular name.
N.B. This might even work for a name like Bob, if you can convince Bob that there are many Bobbs, Bobbbs and Bobbbs out there. Well, perhaps not...
Alternatively just ask for another copy of their business card.
Building rapport with body language
You ever notice that when you're getting on well with someone your body language starts to synchronise? Your legs are crossed, my legs are crossed. Your elbow is resting on the table, my elbow is resting on the table, and so on. This can also work in reverse - start
subtly shifting your body language to match the other person and things can flow more easily.
N.B. Be subtle and only work on a few things, like the arm or leg position. Shifting too quickly to match their exact posture can look a bit odd to say the least.
Remembering to follow up
One of my big problems is remembering to follow up after meeting someone. You've got their card tucked away into your wallet, and by the time you get round to getting in touch you forget why you wanted to follow up in the first place.
To remedy this, I make a small fold on someone's card if I want to follow up, with different folds meaning different things. For example:
- Fold top-right corner: Someone is interested in buying advertising on my site
- Fold in the middle: Someone is interested in networking training
- Fold top-left corner: Someone is pretty cute and I should ask them out later
Well, perhaps not that last one...
N.B. Simple is good. Advanced origami tends to stunt conversation.
Questions in a conversation?
If you're getting lost for words in a conversation, try repeating the keyword with a rising inflection. It usually makes the other person go into more depth and keeps a conversation ticking along. For example:
Alex: I had a great holiday thanks, I visited New Zealand to see my family
Bob: New Zealand?
Alex: Yeah, I was staying in Auckland for a few days and then travelled down to Wellington...
N.B. Use this one sparingly. Too much of this and you can start to look like a parrot
Smelling of roses
Well, not roses per se, but something nicer than the garlic/curry/stinky tofu/onion concoction you may have had for lunch (or perhaps that's just me)
Watsons, the drugstore chain, sell breath spray quite cheaply. Previously I'd only seen it used in movies where the no-hoper guy was trying to win the girl and breath-spray was just one of his methods. It really does work though. Unlike breathmints it won't rattle around in your pocket, and unlike chewing gum you don't have to throw it away.
N.B. Just a couple of sprays should do it. I claim no responsibility for pouring in bottles and bottles of the stuff
What are your best networking tips? Leave a note in the comments and I'll put them in our next roundup, along with your photo, bio and a link to a website of your choosing.
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