Engaging goes hand- in- hand with being Approachable.
As a Baby Boomer jumping into the networking “lifestyle” with both feet planted firmly in mid-air, I am amazed that there is so much to learn, and so little time in which to learn it!
I have learned so much about networking in these few short months since the birth of my Boomer Community, SrMeetUp! that I am virtually bursting with information to share. But since I tend to gather my words faster than my mouth works, I will type very sloooooowly –I promise.
I’ve engaged well before “engaging” became trendy. To engage was like putting on a new black dress – it was basic – every one of my species should have one (and I’ll use any occasion to buy one – retail therapy – I’m a fan). Men – figure out what makes you happy (keep it cleanJ). Some of the best people I’ve met have been through random encounters enjoyed way before SrMeetUp! became a reality. I have no idea why, but I banked these new acquaintances and now I am withdrawing from that bank with an amazingly high growth of principal. (I know, I know, another platitude - but tell me, can’t you visualize exactly what I mean!).
I always realized how overburdened and over extended most people felt – me too. So I never asked for anything except to talk and mostly to listen – me listening to them. Listening is the best part of networking – gathering information you can incorporate into your projects and sharing with others. Realizing how many interests you have in common and people you both know is the next best thing. When you meet new people, for a while at least, you have this great feeling of anonymity – you can be whomever you want – that is at least until you share contact information.
Engaging is just one part of the equation – You have to be approachable as well. That little proverbial “chip on your shoulder” can be more like a boulder if you are not approachable. Being approachable is what happens when you know from what you speak, you are confident in whom you are and what you want to convey – simply said, you are comfortable in your own skin, knowledgeable about what you know and genuinely interested to learn what you do not know.
So networkers of
-- Elaine Ingis
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