PNSP Linkedin Profile Overview Dec-14
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This document provides an overview and table of contents for a book about networking tips for shy people. The book covers various phases of networking, including pre-networking, online networking using tools like LinkedIn, in-person networking at events, following up after events, and overcoming common fears associated with networking. It provides advice on developing an elevator pitch, business cards, introductions, etiquette, and avoiding networking mistakes. The goal is to help shy people feel more comfortable with networking by providing specific techniques and strategies.
PNSP Linkedin Profile Overview Dec-14
- 1. Power Networking For Shy People: Tips & Techniques For Moving From Shy to Sly! By Rae A. Stonehouse Text copyright © 2014 Rae A. Stonehouse All Rights Reserved
- 2. Table of Contents Foreword: Introduction: A poem about change Overview: Networking is: Networking isn’t: Phases of Networking Pre Networking Phase Technology Revisited Who are you? Personal Branding: What do you stand for? Your USP: Are you Linkedin? Your personal marketing agency: Parts of the Profile: It can be your personal Research Department: Blow your own horn! Reach out and Link somebody. Send messages out: Systematize responding to new connections. Create a database of contacts and contact info: Participate in Groups: How high does your elevator go? How High Does Your Elevator Go? Developing Your Elevator Pitch: Describe yourself as a solution to a problem: Your pitch needs to address the five Ws. Tell an anecdote: (for longer pitches) Start a dialogue:
- 3. Elevator Pitch Template (30 seconds) It’s all about you! Questions that you will answer: Questions that you won’t answer: Your Questions Toolbox: Technology Revisited Your e-mail signature file: Your personal domain name: Your voice mail message: Live Face-to-Face Networking Phase Types of Pitching Opportunities: Your Elevator has Arrived: What do you talk about? Coffee anyone? Who’s Next? Dress for success: Business Card Presentation & Etiquette: Wear a Name Tag: Whole lotta shaking going on. Maintaining Eye Contact Obstacles to Communicating/Networking: Close Encounters of the Shy Kind Networking Skills Self-Assessment Post Networking Phase (After the dance) Follow-up is Everything! Research the person on Google & Linkedin/Knowledge is Power! Coffee’s Ready! Show up a few minutes early Don’t sell … learn! Look for common areas of interest How can you help the other person? An Alternative to Large Networking Meetings - A Planned Approach: Top Characteristics of Successful Networkers derived from BNI. Types of Networkers (derived from BNI)
- 4. Common Fears or Barriers Experienced by Shy Networkers Forgetting a Person’s Name when they walk up to greet you: Asking for Help: Nothing to Give Back: Tongue-tied: Fear of Rejection: Being Nervous About Being Nervous: What about liquid courage? I would like to introduce … Shaking hands upon meeting: Introducing peers to each other: Introducing a Superior to a Subordinate: Introducing a customer to people in your business: Introducing Women: Introducing Older People: Top 15 Networking No-No’s 1. No Show: (Not showing up for an appointment) 2. No Follow-up: (Not following up on something that you said that you would do) 3. No Follow-up: (Not following through with contacting a connection) 4. Not focussing on your conversation partner i.e. looking around the room for a better offer. 5. Sexist or racist language. 6. Fly undone! 7. I’m so wonderful! (Going on and on about yourself and not giving the other person a chance to talk) 8. Talking about someone else i.e. a third party who isn’t part of the conversation in a derogatory manner. 9. Dump job: (Using your conversational partner as a sounding board without asking their permission to do so) 10. Monopolizing the Other Person’s Time: 11. Disrespecting a Business Card: 12. Hit & Run: (Acting like a Shark) 13. Not having Your Own Business Cards:
- 5. 14. Eating Food While Conversing: 15. Networking While Inebriated: The Secret to Being a Power Networker Revealed! Why People Resist Networking Top Four Reasons that Business Owners Resist Networking: Consider Joining a Business Networking/Referral Group Before Joining: Strategies to Get the Most out of your Business Networking/Referral Group Find a Networking Mentor Even More Tips & Techniques for Moving from Shy to Sly! Is your net working? No, really is it? Is Your Net Working? Too Shy To Network? Is Your Net Working? So What’s Your Story? Is Your Net Working? Close Encounters of the Networking Kind Is Your Net Working? Name Dropping for Fun & Profit Is Your Net Working? Finding Common Interests Is Your Net Working? Serendipity Isn’t a Plan! Is Your Net Working? Cyber Bullying Prevention Strategies Author’s Biography: Foreword: There are some people that will tell you that they absolutely love networking. They will say something like “It’s so much fun!” Yet, others, will tell you that they would rather have a root canal than attend a business networking event. The author of this book would love to see the first group have a root canal at a networking event!! Well, maybe not … it probably wouldn’t be that much fun to watch.
- 6. John Jantsch from Duct Tape Marketing says that “networking isn’t something that you do before work or after work … it is work!” You don’t need to network to be in business but you do if you want to stay in business! Networking is not a normal and easy activity for many people, especially if you are shy. It is a skill that must be learned and practiced. In business and in life, a majority of our success comes from talking to people and involving them in your ideas, plans, or projects. Some people equate being an introvert to being shy. Not all shy people are introverts. Introversion is a description of where you draw your energy from. Introverts draw their energy from within. They often feel drained by being around people. It is an over-sensitivity to stimulation. Shyness is a fear and is a learned behaviour. It is a conditioned response. We weren’t born with it. It can be a fear of the judgement of others or even the fear of judging yourself. We can learn to change our behaviour. I know what it is like to be shy. I know how avoidance and denial can be a good friend. I know how uncomfortable it can be to attend a networking event and not know a single person. I also got sick and tired of my inhibitions getting in the way of opportunity and decided to do something about it. William Feathers, is often quoted as saying “knowledge is power.” I’m not sure how Mr. Feathers was at networking but his statement wasn’t true then and still isn’t. Knowledge is only power when you do something with it. In this book I share tips and techniques that I have learned to help you gain your power in networking and move you from shy to sly. If I can do it, you can do it too! Introduction: Throughout my adult life I have belonged to many organizations. If I felt the organization was worthwhile belonging to, it was worthwhile serving as a leader and soon after joining I sought out leadership opportunities. Getting the leadership positions was not difficult. However, there were two factors that prevented me from achieving everything that I could in my leadership roles and taking advantage of the opportunities that they provided. One, I was terrified of public speaking. Effective communication skills are a necessity in serving as a leader and being terrified caused me to avoid public speaking situations. Secondly, I didn’t know how to network.
- 7. Not only did I not know how to network, I found social situations where networking was expected to take place, as being very anxiety producing. In 1989 I moved my family across Canada from Ontario to the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, several thousand miles from home. We didn’t have any family or friends at our new location. I had said to my wife before moving that I expected that it would take us five years to get established. It actually took us more than ten years to get to the point that our new location felt like home. I believe that the biggest obstacle we had in establishing ourselves was that both my wife and I were shy and we didn’t have a network in place. We kept our own company and didn’t socialize much. We didn’t have family close by and we weren’t involved with a church, two common sources of connection. We didn’t have a network of friends and colleagues to draw upon when we needed them. A common source of potential networking opportunities is a person’s workplace. I was working in a small group home for the mentally ill. They are not known for having large networks and there were only a couple other staff employed at the worksite. My wife worked permanent night shift in a senior’s healthcare facility. Working night shift easily deprives you of a social life. Add to it the fact of being shy and chances are slim that you are going to build a supportive network. We didn’t. Shortly after arriving in the new city I joined an organization called Jaycees. It provided me an opportunity for some socializing with the “guys” and I developed some new friendships. There were lots of networking opportunities but being shy I found them to be quite uncomfortable. Within a few years of joining Jaycees I had reached the threshold of their age restriction and I had to leave the organization. To my good fortune I discovered Toastmasters and joined a club in my town. Toastmasters opened up a whole new world for me and I incrementally and progressively reduced my fear of public speaking and honed my communication skills. By taking chances, continually raising the bar in accepting challenges and receiving effective feedback from my fellow club members I was able to steadily improve. Nineteen years later and I operate a Master of Ceremonies business. I never saw that in my future. Toastmasters also brought me numerous networking opportunities. Unfortunately, while my skill at public speaking increased, my skill at networking did not keep pace. It didn’t matter how many people I met, I was still uncomfortable and it caused me discomfort to maintain relationships. I suppose I had never been taught how to do so and avoided it.
- 8. Toastmasters brought me plenty of opportunities to develop my leadership skills. Leaders require effective communication skills. The more you lead, the more you need to communicate. The more of an effective communicator that you are, the more likely that leadership opportunities will come your way. All the while this is happening, your self-esteem and self-confidence are improving. It certainly did with me. While I was no longer shy standing before a group of several hundred people and having to deliver a presentation, the networking scene still caused me problems. In 2006 I was elected as the Toastmasters District Governor for British Columbia and became the leader for some 3500 members and 1900 leaders. I had a direct support team of two executive and two more whose roles were to mentor me in my role. All four of them were extroverts and had big plans for me the introvert. They thought that I should be out there acting as a cheerleader, waving the pompoms and saying “rah, rah, rah.” That’s the way that they would do it! That definitely wasn’t going to happen. Shy people don’t draw attention to themselves like that. “No way, no how!” They also wanted me spending all my time socializing with my fellow members as a leader should be doing. At one point they came up with the brilliant idea of how to solve my shyness. They wanted me to wear sign saying “Hi, I’m Rae. I’m shy. Please talk to me!” As outgoing extroverts they couldn’t imagine the discomfort that I felt. The sign idea didn’t happen! Nor did I become comfortable at networking while in office. Over the past few years I have organized and chaired hundreds of meetings with five to ninety people in attendance. This has helped me in developing networking skills. Standing in the front of the room chairing a meeting makes it a lot easier to socialize and network when your task is completed. My default mode is still to be shy and awkward in social settings. I have to consciously work past my inhibitions each and every time. When I have done so, I have been quite successful. This book is written for shy people like me who know that they should be out there networking but just don’t know how to go about it. I have a learned a few techniques and have developed my own system of moving from shy to sly. If I can do it, you can too! Here is a poem that I found years ago that I like to refer to. If you always think The way you have always thought You will always feel The way you have always felt
- 9. And If you always feel The way you have always felt You will always do What you have always done And If you always do What you have always done You will always get What you have always gotten If there is no change There is no change! Author Unknown This book is about thinking, doing and making changes. Some of them will challenge you to move out of your comfort zone. That is where & when personal growth happens. Rae Stonehouse December 2013 Photo Credit: Jodi Womack http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodiwomack/8641548850/in/set- 72157633225700842 Licensed through Creative Commons. Visit www.powernetworkingforshypeople.com to purchase as a downloadable e-book viewable on many handheld electronic devices.