My First Attempt At Networking At The Canadian Association Of Professional Speakers

As I walked towards the registration desk my tummy had butterflies, but then I recognized Adele Alfano the speaker who had invited me to a chapter meeting for CAPS. Adele was so friendly and welcoming and introduced me to mostly everyone at the meeting that evening. I was so grateful  to her for her kindness and, from that minute, I knew I would take a tip from Adele and treat others as she had treated me. I enjoyed my first networking event at CAPS and decided a few months later to join as a professional member as I could see the benefits of membership. Since then I have attended countless  different networking events and not all of them suit my needs. Some networking events are held at lunch time and those are my least favourite. I still  find it hard eating  and talking at the same time. Something has to go, the food or me talking and telling  people about myself!

The other thing I notice about different networking events is whether the committee or people arranging it take the time to speak to you when you arrive and make sure you are comfortable. I never go back  if I feel that I have not been welcomed and looked after, mainly because I feel that if the people running the event cannot be bothered to speak to me, then how on earth can I get to know them and build a relationship with them? There are times when  I have attended one-off networking events where no one has spoken to me, but in those cases, I have taken the initiative and sought out someone who looked friendly and said hello to them. In some cases you are fighting a losing battle when you just cannot make headway and everyone appears to know each other but have no desire to get to know you. I found that the more networking events I attended the more apt I became at working out which ones would ideally suit my purpose and whether or not I should go back  for a return visit.  Networking is a necessity in order to reach out and connect with people in order for them to know who you are. This can be a slow process but is definitely worth the effort and time involved. Next time I will tell you about how I founded my own business networking group and why.