Most definitions of Networking involve connecting computers together.  The definition I’m referring to involves people.  People who have common interests or goals and are committed to helping each other by sharing information or services.  We call that making a connection or linking to a network of people.

Why people Network:

• To share interests
• To share information
• To share experience
• To develop skills
• To gain support for a cause

Wrong reasons to Network:

• Bragging rights?  (I have X number of people in my network)
• Using your connections to connect to someone else

Is your Network thriving?:

• When is the last time you reviewed your network?
• How many people in your network are you actively communicating with?
• Have you checked in with your network of people?
• Are you adding value to your network connections?
• Have your network connections added value to you?

Is your network working?  Have you discovered some dead connections? 

Should I prune my network?

• What were your motives for networking with this connection in your network?
• Have you tried to connect with them recently?
• Did they respond to your communication attempt?

I’m not suggesting that you prune your network immediately.  I’m just saying!!!

(If it’s a weak or dead connection, you probably don’t need it)

Does your network need pruning? is a post from: Words of Wisdom by MrWes thank you for reading my blog.

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But sometimes we get so caught up in sending out the message that we forget who we’re sending it to. If we’re not careful the message might not be received or it might be misinterpreted.

We need to stop and consider our intended audience. How do they communicate with others in their network? Have they communicated with you in the past? What was their preferred method?

If you only communicate via email and they communicate via LinkedIn then it doesn’t matter if you sent the message or not. They’re not going to get it or, worse, they’ll receive it too late to do anything about it.

My wife tried unsuccessfully to get in touch with our step-daughter for what seemed like a month. She tried and tried but the expected response never came.

When I heard about this problem, I said: “I see her all the time on Facebook. Why don’t you just send her the message using Facebook?”

My wife took my advice and within 30 minutes she got a reply. It wasn’t the message, it was the method of delivery that was the problem.

There is one final part of the equation that we need to remember when we’re communicating with our social networks.

Even if you have the right message and you figure out the right communication method(s), you still need to remember the timing of the message.

I recently tried to share an important message with a group of individuals but it was not well received. The problem was not the message or the method of delivery. It was all about the timing.

Sometimes, a perfectly good message is not received because the audience is not ready to hear it yet, or because the messenger hasn’t taken the time to develop a rapport with their intended audience.

I’ve learned that even though communication method is very important to getting the message across to your audience, rapport and timing are essential to acceptance of the message.

Keys to successful communication is a post from: Words of Wisdom by MrWes thank you for reading my blog.

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1. 4 reasons to use Facebook
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Ice Breaker Exercise Rules:

1. A cartoon character name is taped to your back
2. You know you are a cartoon character
3. You must find someone and introduce yourself.
4. They get to look at your back.
5. You may ask three “YES” or “NO” questions.
6. If you have not guessed your character after 3 questions, you must ask 3, 4, 5 until you do.

You can tell who are the extroverts & introverts during the first few minutes.  The extroverts are in there chatting up a storm.  They work through the people quickly and usually get their name within 3 people.  The introverts on the other hand are being wall flowers.  You can easily spot them.  They’re the ones not talking to anyone, standing around the edge of the room.

The day before we listened to a motivational speaker, Terry Barnhart.  Terry was talking about networking.  He gave this suggestion to introverts in a Mixer  was if you’re introverted, then go find the wall flowers.  They’re not going to bite.  They’re just as shy as you are or maybe even more than you are.

During the Ice Breaker Exercise I found some wall flowers (introverts) and was able to quickly figure my character just by asking them the 3 questions.

I really enjoyed this exercise because it encouraged people to utilize their social skills and engage in a conversation to find out information.  I think it gives us a better chance to get to know strangers and make them not stragers anymore.  In fact I would change rule 3 from “You must find someone and introduce yourself” to “You must find someone you don’t know very well and introduce yourself.”

Simulated Mixer in Ice Breaker Activity is a post from: Words of Wisdom by MrWes thank you for reading my blog.

Related posts:

1. Does your network need pruning?