—by Karen Donaldson
Networking is dead. It doesn’t work. The days of firehosing and spitting out every single detail, award and certification in 30 seconds or less are over. If you think this type of networking works, if you are stilling doing it – stop! Immediately. The bottom line: no one cares that much about you, well, besides you and your parents.
According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of networking is:
We are moving away from the first point of a straight exchange of information (un-networking) and focusing on the second part: the cultivation of productive relationships. It’s about connecting. I call it the ABC’s: Always Be Connecting. Not Always Be Closing with your 30-second elevator pitch.
If you’re going into this type of setting with a mindset to quickly get through as many people as possible and get as many cards as possible, then you’ll attract the exact same people to you. They’ll be trying to go through the numbers just as fast or even faster than you. It almost feels like a competition.
(Read more on what Karen Donaldson says about networking here.)
Karen Donaldson is an award-winning, #1 multi Best Selling Author. She is also the owner of Karen Donaldson Inc., and the brands Speak and Get Booked and Speak Confident.
She is a Certified Confidence Coach, Communication and Body Language Expert, Executive Public Speaking Coach and International Speaker.
