If you hate networking you don’t understand what it really is.
Effective networking is simply connecting with other human beings in a meaningful way.
It is being 100% present in a conversation with someone, offering them the best of you for the time that you speak.
You can follow the conversation up with some resources or introductions that you have seen could be helpful for the person.
This person could be someone you have just met or someone you already know.
By having these conversations you unlock worlds of potential friends, colleagues, collaborators, employers, clients… in a way you cannot now imagine.
If you don’t have these conversations, you do NOT get a glimpse of these worlds.
To give you an example, imagine this: You are a native Spanish speaker who never has conversations in English. You apply for jobs and suddenly get called for an interview in English. You desperately try to prepare for it in 3 days; learn the answers etc…
9/10 this will fail.
Why?
Because you haven’t practiced being present in an English conversation with another human being.
You’re not good at it. Your nerves betray you and your communication is too broken.
As communication is one of the most highly valued soft skills by companies, you don’t get hired.
Moreover, if you had had lots of conversations in English, someone might have offered you a job opportunity that didn’t involve going through a traditional application process… You might have had an advantage from the beginning.
Meaningful human connections are much more valuable than hours and hours of slaving away at “getting things done”.
If only we could finally shift the fog of the Industrial Revolution mindset and realise that.
Not networking (in English) is a mistake.
If you would like to become excellent at networking in English, come and join our online English Practice Network HERE.