Get Interested

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” ~ Dale Carnegie

Figure 1 Christine Chen (Presenter), Bopha Cheng and Dr. Shirley I. Metcalf (Lake Washington Technical College)

Held at the Westin in downtown Seattle in-person and online networking married one another in this Seminar Group presented workshop with Candace BelAir and Christine Chen.

Candace, a media and crisis communication expert, led the one-two punch with tips from the field. “It’s (networking) not all about you. It’s about contributing to others,” she explained. “Get interested in the other person. Ask open-ended questions using the 5 W’s and H. (What, where, when, why, who, and how.)”

She also advised, that when approaching a group of people, try an odd number. The single person or triad will be more welcoming as opposed to interrupting a pair.

In the second session, Christine, a Principal with Chen Communications, covered online networking emphasizing being a thought leader and a resource for your network. “After any event, continue building your relationships online using networking tools, like LinkedIn or AVVO, a legal peer review tool.” Christine also adds, ”while these tools save time, budget your online time just as one would for meeting for coffee”.

For those that could stay and continue networking, we all adjourned to the Westin Lounge and practiced what we were taught.

Thanks to the Seminar group and Ms. BelAir and Ms. Chen.

Figure 2 Post-seminar networking with Christine Chen and Candace BelAir (Presenters)

  

Related links:

• President’s Blog on networking: http://gilgido.blogspot.com/2010/01/networking.html
• Candace BelAir Training: http://www.belairtraining.com/
• Chen Communications: http://chencommunications.com/
• The Seminar Group: http://www.theseminargroup.net/