Something Novel for Busy Networkers

By Danielle Lum

Hawaii Bureau Chief

We are busy people. We work. We raise families. We participate in hobbies. We coach teams. We run businesses. We volunteer. We go to church. We make a difference. We cram so much into a day that were nearly exhausted as we collapse into bed to prepare our bodies for the next day.

It’s no wonder that businesses and activities that save us time are so successful. Things like fast food restaurants, 30-minute fitness, instant printing, 1 hour picture developing, and 60-minute dry cleaning. We even have speed dating for the single person who wants to find a mate but can’t take he time to go on actual dates.

Tammy Chang, an officer of the Hawaii Chapter American Marketing Association, was brainstorming ideas for chapter gatherings one day and did what great marketers tend to do: she put a fresh spin on an existing idea.

So move over speed dating. There is something new for networkers. Are you ready for Speed Networking?

Setting Up

In speed dating, one gender sits in the inside of tables arranged in a circle. The other gender sits in chairs on the outside of the circle. They sit in pairs as they talk for a specified time, with the goal of exchanging enough information to determine whether there is potential for a love connection.

At the end of the allotted time, a bell rings and the gender on the outside of the circle rotates clockwise to meet another potential love connection.

Speed Networking

The AMA Speed Networking event was similarly set up, with a small modification. Those who sat in the “inner circle” were selected by random drawing of business cards from a hat as opposed to gender.

Pairs sat for three minutes (a bell ringing at the halfway point to remind participants to let the other person talk, too), then rotated.

There was only one glitch: The people on the outside were never paired with each other, ditto for those on the inside. It was a minor problem that will, no doubt, be corrected next time.

After a full rotation through the circle, those on the inside chose a business card from those remaining in the hat. They then introduced the person whose card they selected. And here is where there was definite room for improvement.

Most couldn’t introduce the person they selected. Not well anyway. They stumbled and fumbled and eventually the person being introduced was allowed to assist by introducing himself or herself to the group. The whole process was a bit clumsy and could mean a couple of things:

1.) They weren’t listening during the other person’s 90 seconds

2.) The 90 second introductions weren’t memorable enough

3.) They have poor memory and recall skills

4.) They didn’t know they would be tested and froze up!

Lessons Learned

Speed Networking is a novel approach to the (yawn) standard network mixer. Attendees will certainly remember it as an exciting new method of connecting with others and learning their businesses.

At the end of the event it was a great way for a networker who faces a busy day of raising a family, saving the world, and making a difference to remember two things:

1.) Our sixty-second elevator spiel must be memorable (practice, practice, practice!); and

2.) Making connections requires a healthy dose of listening. It’s often said that we have two ears and one mouth and should use them proportionately. It’s sage advice, indeed.

Forward/Share This Article With Colleagues And Social Media:

Something Novel for Busy Networkers

The Dynamically-Changing Nature of a Relationship

By Victor Cattermole

Asia Pacific Bureau Chief

This month I am writing about a long time friend of mine Glenn Aikin, and how our relationship changed and the impact that has on how I value friends and family. I am hoping that this will help all that read this column, wanting to learn more about networking, to understand in order to develop a strong network we have to work one at a time and be prepared for changes in relationships.

I have known Glenn almost 30 years, our roots go back to days gone by of rock bands, booze, girls and …. well you don’t want to know all about that.

It must have been early 1990’s Glenn was in his early 20’s and he got diagnosed with melanoma, a spot on the back of the neck, quite common for men in New Zealand. It was operated on and successfully, Glenn has the scar half way across the back of his neck to prove it.

Our relationship as friends took a fairly usual path sometimes not seeing each other for weeks on end and other times every day. It was around 2002 when Glenn through a variety of reasons came under a considerable amount of stress. As a friend I could see the signs and changes in his life and this started to impact on how our relationship developed.

I recall the day Glenn noticed a lump in his throat, didn’t think a lot of it, we talked about it and over a few days it got larger, then one night a significant pain next day it was gone. Within a week it was back even bigger than before. So off to the doctor, hospital for a biopsy and 2 days before Christmas the doctor advises the tests say melanoma of the thyroid.

Glenn and I go to work on the internet and as readers here will see you don’t find a lot of positive information about sufferers of melanoma on the thyroid. The best we could find at the time was 13 months to live.

In New Zealand over Christmas and New Year the country basically shuts down and by the 8^th January Glenn looked like he had a mobile phone shoved down his throat. A trip back to the doctor suggested if they don’t operate he maybe has one week to live, Glenn rushed in to hospital to be told the surgeon dealing with him was away until end of January and would contact him on his return and that there appears to be large black marks on the scan of his lung which they assume could also be cancer.

After getting back from the hospital Glenn managed to contact a surgeon at Sydney Melanoma Clinic who arranged an appointment for Glenn in Sydney three days later and two days after that they operated and removed his thyroid and a 188mm tumor. The photo I received of Glenn after the operation was like something out of a horror movie. Six weeks later they operated again and removed 1/3 of his lung with melanoma tumors attached. Three days after returning home from the first operation the hospital in New Zealand sent an appointment for the original surgeon, if he had waited for that he would have been dead.

The sad reality was Glenn had melanoma on two internal organs and as awesome as the staff at Sydney Melanoma Clinic were the harsh reality was statistically he had six months to live.

During this ordeal tough decisions had to be made, there was a high chance Glenn would lose his voice from the first operation and so he made a video for his kids, last words they may hear him speak. His life insurance company paid him his life insurance, which covered hospital expenses. At this point life becomes a lot clearer in the devastation of reality.

So that kind of brings me to the beginning of this article.

My good friend’s life has just drastically changed, how does that impact on our relationship and the relationship he has with others?

It’s a good question to consider when it comes to our network. Life is changing, relationships are changing, are we dynamic enough to see, receive and deal with change in order to maintain our relationships? In so many cases I have seen change in one persons life impacts on others in such a way that relationships end because we are so set in our ways when it comes to the connection we have with people, we don’t like change.

Consider applying the drastic change thought to our relationships and even consider what you would do now if you knew in six months time they could be gone completely. What value do we put on the relationship when we do this?

Six months after Glenn’s second operation he returned to Sydney for a PET scan. The doctors could not find a cancerous cell in his body. Three months after that he also returned to Sydney for a PET scan and again they could not find a cancerous cell in his body.

In February 2005 I stood on Sumner beach in Christchurch, New Zealand and watched my good friend Glenn Aikin run across the finish line after completing the one day grueling 243km Coast to Coast Multisport Championship. He got 150^th and completed the course in 16 hours, 38 minutes and 39 seconds.

I talk to my miracle friend every week I can, because the dynamic of our relationship changed and the value and importance was only fully realized when it potentially could have been stolen away. Glenn taught me the reality of the situation is one thing we accept and deal with. The opinion of others, in this case doctors giving him six months to live, does not have to be something we accept and receive as reality.

Apply some life threatening reality to relationships and get them in to perspective.

Forward/Share This Article With Colleagues And Social Media:

The Dynamically-Changing Nature of a Relationship

The Many Layers of Networking

By Noelle Southwick

New England Bureau Chief
(Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut)

Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE) www.cweonline.org

CWE is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women through entrepreneurship.

In speaking with the directors for each of the three CWE offices I began to get a sense for how vast the CWE network is. CWE is an excellent example of the many aspects of networking. Each woman had a definite understanding of the importance of building relationships and a community of support. With a solid understanding of the importance of networking it is not a surprise that both the Center for Women and Enterprise and the businesses they support are successful.

CWE has grown to be the largest regional women’s business center in the country with locations in Boston, Worcester, MA & Providence, RI. CWE offers support through the many stages of business building from thinking about starting a business to getting venture capital funding to expand growth. This year the three offices will support over 2,500 businesses with a total of 15,000 clients since the company began in 1995. Although their primary focus is on women they do not discriminate, 10% of their clients are men.

Over $537 million in wages have been contributed to the economy by the businesses started with CWE support.

Networking Events:

CWE holds monthly networking events at local businesses. The host businesses are often clients of CME but may include other supporters. The events are a place for business owners to share their stories, to get support for issues they are facing and to grow their business to the next level.

The events are facilitated by the CWE so that it is an education on networking through practice. Speed networking is an important part of the monthly events. Time is managed to assure the participants get to meet a variety of people & have a chance to practice networking skills in order to make the events as useful as possible to business growth.

Additionally, the CWE holds an annual event called the Emerging Women in Business Conference.

Networking Education:

Networking is one of the courses in its schedule of business building courses. However, the importance of networking and building relationships is integrated into many of the classes at CWE.

In the spring CWE hosted a master of networking event. The workshop invited networking experts to share tips on introductions, starting conversations and making contacts, connecting people to others, connecting people to needed resources, and continuing to add value to build long-term relationships. The event was so successful they are working on creating a new series of networking classes. Check the course schedule on their website.

Additionally they have a mentoring program which pairs experienced business owners with those working on building a business. Finding and building relationships with mentors is a very important aspect of business networking.

CWE Business Networking:

The Center for Women & Enterprise has developed many partners to support its own growth & the growth of their clients’ businesses. This is an organization that is excellent at building relationships.

The CWE is partnered with Federal, and State governmental organizations, the Small Business Administration and with Chambers of Commerce. In addition, they work with lawyers, bankers, accountants, local business owners, neighborhood organizations and a variety of corporations local to each office. Additional support comes from partnerships with venture capitalists and individual investors. Individuals to government organizations each plays a role in the mission of the CWE and they are all part of the rich community created to support that mission.

Boston, MA 617-536-0700: Susan Perry, Chief of Marketing at Boston Office

Central office. Location of Venture Center where clients learn how to attract funding from venture capitalists and angel investors. Development & Fundraising operations. Women’s Business Enterprise National Council Certification, a stringent process leading to opportunities to access a world of corporate contracts, is also handled at this office.

Worcester, MA 508-363-2300: Carrie Johnson, Director of the Worcester Office

Serves the central Massachusetts area. Developing Spanish-speaking aspect to business education.

Providence, RI 401-277-0800: Carol Malysz, Director of the Providence Office

Founded 9 years ago as a Center of Excellence for Finance because access to capital is the number one challenge for women business owners. Development of the financial aspects to the business training for all three locations takes place at this location. Business Development & Finance Specialist based out of this office. Since opening over $17 million in loans has gone to 147 business owners through the support of the RI office.

“…that’s really what networking is about, it’s about relationship building, it’s about referrals, it’s about personal contact to know you’re not out there by yourself…”

- Carrie Johnson, Director of the Worcester Office of the Center for Women and Enterprise

Forward/Share This Article With Colleagues And Social Media:

The Many Layers of Networking