Makin' Rain

I'm a member of a Rainmakers, networking group here in Indianapolis and last night I was the featured speaker at the monthly event. As a part of my talk on Being a More Creative Networker, I talked about the concept of being more Them focused when networking - trying to help the other person, rather than trying to pass out as many business cards as you can.

I mentioned that many people get nervous when they go to a networking event - that they find it hard to make the conversation they think they "should" make. My advice to the group last night, and to you now is to focus on being interested rather than being interesting. When we move the focus to learning about others instead of wondering what to say about ourselves or our business, we will be less nervous and far more successful too.

So the next time you are invited to a networking event (or even a social gathering where you don't know many people), relish the chance to try your new focus - interested rather than interesting.

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