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/ 

Feeding the hungry through Farestart, Part II

On May 29, NAAAP-Seattle volunteers made their second appearance this spring at the Farestart kitchen.

Nine volunteers spent much of their Saturday preparing sack lunches and hot meals for food that will get distributed to childcare centers, including Head Start programs, and homeless shelters around the Seattle area.

NAAAP-Seattle member Jenafer Park said she found the work very rewarding, “knowing that we were helping put together meals that would feed about 2000 people.”

In the Farestart kitchen, Jenafer was accompanied by husband, John Park.

“We enjoyed meeting the people that were being trained through the Farestart program,” Jenafer said. “We got to see first-hand that Farestart makes a difference in their lives. It was an enjoyable and amazing experience overall.”

"Volunteering at Farestart was a very well rewarding and heart warming experience," said Nelson Siu, a veteran NAAAP-Seattle volunteer. "Knowing the food you helped prepare will be delivered to some needy person on the street that afternoon brings a sense of satisfaction that is hard to top."

NAAAP-Seattle Community Service Chair David Eam reported that all the volunteers said they “really enjoyed the activity and would return again.”

If you have a few spare hours and want to contribute to your community, consider volunteering in one of NAAAP-Seattle’s numerous community service opportunities. Coming up are opportunities to volunteer at CISC’s 38th Friendship dinner on June 12 and Habitat for Humanity, also on June 12.

Want to lead a community service project? Please contact David Eam at david.eam@naaapseattle.org

Top 10 Entrepreneurial Skills

Paul Bernal of the Human Capital International and the Boeing Company led a powerful discussion to a room full of NAAAP Seattle entrepreneurs in the Idea space of SCIpda on the top 10 Entrepreneurial skills.  Engaging and fun, people left with keys to the kingdom of entrepreneurship to expand on their businesses and even to start their own businesses.

Here are the keys Paul gave to us.

1. Come to work each day willing to be fired 
2. Circumvent any orders aimed at stopping your dream 
3. Do any job needed to make your project work, regardless of your job description 
4. Find people to help you 
5. Follow your intuition about people you choose, and work only with the best 
6. Work underground as long as you can, publicity triggers the corporate immune mechanism 
7. Never bet on a race unless you are running in it 
8. Remember it is easier to ask forgiveness than for permission 
9. Be true to your goals, but be realistic about the ways you achieve them 
10. Honor your sponsors

Source: Gifford Pinchot, Intrapreneuring, Harper & Row, 1985

Paul Bernal's presentation can be found here (http://www.slideshare.net/usmmc/entrepreneur-ideas).