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How to Play the Networking Game

Personal branding expert Melanie Denny outlines ways to gain visibility and create new opportunities for yourself.

Melanie Denny

Rule number one: Learn how to golf.

Okay, maybe it’s not golf, maybe it’s going to lunch or happy hour or an awards ceremony. Whatever the auxiliary activities are that involve colleagues, just go.

“It’s so important because so much of what happens at work actually happens outside of work. That is networking.” says Melanie Denny, a personal branding consultant and international career speaker. Many people want to separate their personal time from office hours, but forming a career path is not a nine-to-five job. “It is important to be present to get some of the outside information you may not be getting [at the office] and to be a part of the conversations and decisions.”

Of course, don’t cross boundaries, Denny warns, meaning you may not be invited to your manager’s golf outing, so rule number one is actually to have respect. Rule number two: Build a good relationship with the people around you, and you can do that by being your authentic self.

The same rule applies when attending a networking event. Be respectful of the people you meet, be genuine, but also have a plan. According to Denny there are three things to do when walking into a networking event full of strangers:

1.)  Express interest in the people you meet. Keep the conversation about them, asking them about their journey. “It’s a good strategy to get to know people and to break the ice,” Denny says. “When you make the conversation about the other person they’ll open up and want to talk further, and you’ll be memorable.”

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