Networking is believed to be one of those experiences that take most of us well outside our comfort zone. If you search it easy, that is great, but the majority of individuals find networking uncomfortable and weird particularly at large scale networking occasions.

The best way to victoriously meet and link with people at any networking occasion is to do some preparation work at home.

We’ve broken this preparation work down into five key steps.

• Choose The best Networking Event

Whether you’re job hunting or merely looking to expand your professional network, possibilities are you do not have a lot of spare time. Networking takes time so make certain that you select the best occasions to attend not just every possible networking occasion. Make a list of entire possible networking occasions you could attend and then evaluate them deployed on the following criteria:

Prioritize the networking occasions focused on your job industry

Access a guest/ speaker list for each occasion and decide who are the most significant people for you to connect with

Find out who is running/hosting each occasion and research their past events through social media

Make a short list of the best networking occasions for you and decide how much spare period you’ve

• Do Your Homework

It’s not possible to victoriously network if you’ve not researched the people you need to connect with. You require going into each networking event with a plan of who you would like to connect with and a short list of things you can say to open the discussion with each person. To do this you require to:

Revisit the speaker/special guest list and narrow down to two-three speakers you would actually like to meet

Search out if there is a guest list present and select four to five people you would like to add to your network

Research your short list of persons and evaluate if you’ve anything in common, queries you could inquire them, persons you might both know. Google their name, search for them on LinkedIn, read industry articles about them etc.

• Prepare Your Thirty Second Pitch

One of the most difficult tasks at any networking occasion is figuring out what to say after the basic introduction. Hi, my name is ….. Nice to meet you. Now what? Once the very general pleasantries are done, a well worded sales pitch is a good way to break the ice and claim all the things you require saying succinctly. The sales pitch is generally a thirty second television commercial where you’re the product being sold.

It is not as easy as you might think to get all the significant details about you into a thirty second pitch.

• Put Together Your Outfit for Networking Occasion

However, this one is possibly not as critical as the other preparation steps above, it is yet something you require considering before the networking event you plan to attend. You need to appear professional, yet stand out in a great way. Check out the following tips:

Wear comfortable shoes you can walk around in for some hours without an issue

Make certain that any piercings or tattoos are discreet or hidden from clear view

For females, check the length of your skirt/dress when you sit down and make certain that your bra strap does not show

Consider the temperature inside and outside. It might be quite warm inside even in the middle of the winter season

• Prepare your Props

You really do not require a lot of props when attending a networking occasion but there are few things you should always have handy. Make certain that you have:

A pen and paper

A list of individuals you need to connect with and a query for each to remind you

Business cards to hand out to individuals as required not to every person you glance at