Connections

BARB’S BOOMER BLOG

MUSINGS FROM THE MILLENNIAL WORLD 2.0

When making an in-person presentation or advising others of a good approach, I sometimes say, “Tell your audience what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then close with a summary of what you told them.” Typically, a message repeated three times stands a better chance of being memorable.  Another bit of advice for being memorable that I have learned over the years, not entirely original, is a nod to the late author Sue Grafton—she of the book titles “A is for . . . “ and on through whatever letter she reached until she passed away, not quite getting to Z.  I never read her books, but I may start after my next retirement sometime in the future.  Yes, you gotta have a gimmick.

I often wondered how she got her literary inspiration in alphabetical order. While it is in fact somewhat of a gimmick, it is memorable and I am borrowing it as a roadmap to follow for my journey through the blogosphere.  While the first topic was accountability followed by break—as in, I took one to learn more about the craft of blogging, hoping not to repeat some of my rookie mistakes—the topic of this issue is connections.  With that three-pronged approach in mind, let me tell you about some great ways over the course of my Boomer experience in the Millennial world to make connections work.  “Networking” is not a dirty word, you never know what kind of benefit may accrue, introverts can do it, and you just need a plan and a purpose.

An event in downtown Indy late last week spending a few hours with people I have known for a number of years as well as having the opportunity to make some new professional contacts got me to thinking about this. In today’s world, it is difficult to be successful without being good at making connections with others, whether directly or indirectly.  While reconnecting with a business acquaintance and local tech entrepreneur that I had not seen for quite some time and getting an update from him, I learned three important things:

• his company had recently expanded and moved to a new location
• he and another local tech entrepreneur that I introduced him to quite some time ago had expanded their business relationship very successfully, and
• from that initial introduction he had made perhaps as many as six or seven other connections

Working for a major university, people often assume I teach. Indirectly, I suppose I do, but not in the classroom and not in a way that anyone gets university credit. My focus is more on economic development and connecting business, industry and entrepreneurs with the capabilities of my employer. The most effective way to do that is by getting out to events much like the one just described and identifying the business leaders that will benefit from connecting with the great academic and business minds I represent. When I attend such events, as I have for several years now, I have developed an approach that has served me well.

Like with any endeavor, preparation is everything. Determine in advance your objectives for attending. Have some sense of who else might be there, either specific individuals or types of individuals. Target three to five contacts to meet and plan something to talk about in advance. Follow up with a meeting request if appropriate, or set a time to meet before you part.

In summary, whether you are just beginning your career or are a seasoned pro, connecting with others is key to your success and happiness. Introvert or extrovert, you can do this! Here are your keys to being an expert in the art of face-to-face connections:

• plan ahead and have an objective—know why you are there
• pick three to five people to connect with in a meaningful way rather than seeing how many business cards you can hand out and collect
• follow up after the fact with a meeting request, note, email, or connection on social media

BONUS BIT OF ADVICE: never use the standard LinkedIn connection request! Always add a little bit of personal verbiage. Something like “I enjoyed meeting you Monday evening and talking about . . . . Please accept my connection request.” So much classier and more memorable.

Thanks for reading. As always, looking forward to your comments, suggestions, and of course connections—whether in person or via social media! Let me know what you think should be up next. Your favorite d-word? I have one in mind, but will consider yours.