Network, Network, Network

Let’s face it, we’re not all power-networkers. Last week, I was at WorldatWork’s Total Rewards 2011 Conference and Exhibition with Michael Bendorf and Wade Johnson. More often than not, while I tell myself that I’m going to a conference to make new contacts and grow my professional network and my organization, it’s much easier to find my colleagues and trade show friends to spend time with them instead. It’s a push to reach out and meet new people. Networking, while essential to work, can feel like a barrier to people at all career levels, and sometimes all it takes to get passed the anxiety is practice, practice, practice.

At the upcoming National Equity Compensation Forum we want to help you jumpstart your networking with ease and fun early on, so we’ve set aside some session time on the first day for Speed Networking. If you’ve tried it before, you know it’s worth the time. If you haven’t, think of it as “speed dating” for professionals—with less emphasis on romance.

Speed Networking is structured as a series of quick, time-limited connections with people. It gives you a chance to hone your own introduction to what’s essential about you and your work, while listening to others make theirs. It’s fun, mutually beneficial and you won’t stress, looking for the “out” of the conversation. It can help you set the tone for your experience for the rest of the Forum, filled with many opportunities to network.

Remember, the Forum is focused on topics and discussions for people of a high caliber, so you’ll want to meet them, exchange thoughts and ideas, and find ways to take your work and your organization to the next level.