Championship Networking Tip – Education Is the Best Networking Tool There Is

Education Is the Best Networking Tool There Is

The age-old debate of a college education vs. street smarts as it regards preparation towards a successful professional existence yields little in the way of an incontrovertible conclusion. A common benefit of both, however, is that a student graduates with more of an awareness than he or she entered with. That outcome very rarely hurts, especially as it regards the concept of follow-up.

You want to learn more about networking. Taken to its natural extension, you want to better yourself, and become the best networker you could possibly be. A champion networker trusts in the adage that education is ongoing, that there is no stop-gap in a lifetime of learning, and that the efficacy of their follow-up is directly related to the knowledge they have accumulated. The knowledge of human nature.

A few valuable suggestions:
a) Public Speaking. Take a class at your local Toastmasters, read a book on the subject or audit a college course. If you can effectively impart your message to a large group, learning to do the same one-on-one in a networking setting, theoretically, it is that much easier.

b) Become an expert. Whether you own your own business or work for a company, becoming an expert in your field of endeavor should be a mandatory goal, behind a lifetime of giving and the subsequent large salary. Acknowledged expertise furthers your credibility, and tends to transform you into a highly-sought-after commodity.

c) Read. And read some more. Stay atop of current events. Study psychology. Study books written by other experts in your field. If you attend networking functions that host members or guests in a variety of industries, study up on those industries as well.

When you meet your prospects again, you will be armed better than any army.

Eric Shaw is the founder of All Cities Network, a California based business networking organization.
For more information, please visit All Cities

And, remember, the way you do anything is the way you do everything!

Championship Networking is a column on Actors Reporter, a site on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.