So how do you make sure you make the right impression at those awkward functions that are part work, part social? You have to do your research, says Davies. Theres normally a guest list so sometimes you can work out who you want to meet the day before and think up some engaging questions to ask them. The excruciating bit though is preparing a statement a kind of tell me about yourself response. It helps to rehearse a few sentences about you and your career so that it sounds natural. Then smile, be yourself, have business cards at the ready and read the papers to give you a few hints on current affairs so that you can find some common ground.
Even when youre armed with these tools, theres still the problem of how to prise yourself away from the wall and into a group. Jane Mann, who a is a member of the Devonshire House HR networking organisation, says: One good way to break into a group is to arrive with two drinks and offer one to someone. Or you stand in such a position that you can make eye contact with someone, then be bold and say, We havent met, my name is... you have to take the initiative.
Another effective ice-breaker Mann reveals is, Hows business going? rather than the clinical Who are you, who do you work for? ones. If theyre busy at work, you can then ask them the reason and so on, she says. The focus of networking is to get the other person talking. It creates more of an impression than talking about yourself people remember how youve made them feel more than what youve actually said.
You dont need to be a ruthless networker argues Pennas Davies, but it does help to treat these occasions as a business function rather than as a social one. Whats the point of going along if youre not going to make the most of it? If youre talking to a business contact, get their details, you can always email them later, saying how much you enjoyed meeting them.
And how do you get away if youre stuck with a dud? Do excuse me, Ive spotted someone I know/Ive not seen for ages, suggests Mann. Then walk off purposely to another group even if it was a lie and you have to break into the new group with a fresh introduction. After all, people realise youre at these events to meet a variety of people.
And if you want all that in a nutshell, Phillip Khan-Panni has just written a book subtitled How to Make Your Point in Just a Minute. He offers these tips: Identify your objective, articulate it in simple terms and have a hook something dramatic, unusual or relevant of interest to the other person. Simple.
Further information
The Networking Pocketbook published by Jon Warner (Management Pocketbooks)
On joining the Devonshire House HR network, call Sue Morris 0207 359 0177