Introverts Are Better At Networking
9th August 2012 · 0 Comments
Introverts are better networkers when they engage with purpose at multi-day conferences. For all my friends attending the ASAE event in Dallas this week (or any other event)… remember… introverts rule at networking… but they allow the extroverts to think they are better at the social side of events.
I am an extrovert, but I know that if the introverts took back control of the art of building long-term and mutually beneficial relationships…. they would own it in the blink of an eye.
Long ago someone decided that networking was a game for extroverts. They saw the fun that the outgoing folks have at conferences, trade shows, conferences and seminars and decided that it was not a place for introverts to shine. Thus many introverts shy away from the best parts of attending industry gatherings.
The reason introverts are better at this is because networking is NOT about talking about yourself. To really network you must listen to others… and really hear what they are saying. Then you must take the necessary actions needed to be of assistance to them. To establish real connections you must give first of yourself.
Extroverts are not bad people (although I find some introverts do think this about their more talkative peers). However, talking is not a way to learn about others. To really help someone, you must know what they need. If you are talking… you can’t get there.
Some outgoing folks struggle with letting go of talking. I know I have a problem not letting my natural side run wild. But when I can really hear the other person and let their message sink in without worrying about when it is my turn to talk…. I become a valuable resource.
Introverts not only hear what you say, they will remember what you said later when they are in a place to help you. Introverts are often the ones with the best “Follow Through DNA”
So if you are an extrovert… and want more success with your networking efforts you need to learn from the introverts. Observe. Ask questions. Listen. Repeat.
Extroverts discover that it can be hard work to network like an introvert. It is easier just to talk. Ahhh, but the true introverts understand that successful networking is hard work (The center of the word “networking” contains the word “work”)…. but just because it is difficult does not mean it is not valuable. If you are an extrovert and find it hard to hold back… imagine the reverse… and this is what the introverts deal with all the time.
Go out and channel your best introvert and you will have more success at making connections at ASAE (or any other event).
Have A Great Day.
thom singer
Tags: network
