Structuring your networking activity
Featured in the Networking Skills for Business Success training manual
By Tessa Simpson
Category: Personal Development
Credit price: 3 download credits (Single user)
When working with groups or individuals on networking, one of the major problems many encounter is reaching outside their immediate existing networking base to acquire new contacts. Comments heard include: ‘There are people it would be really useful to meet, but I don’t know them, and I certainly wouldn’t be comfortable calling them up out of the blue’. Many people feel this way, and that is why having a structure to your networking and finding a ‘softer’ opening can be much more effective and beneficial. This training activity sets out a template on which participants can build their own extended network, using referrals rather than ‘cold-calling’. From a very few primary contacts it is possible to reach almost everyone who can help your department, organisation or business, or who needs to know what your department, organisation or business does.
In the first part of the training activity, participants work in small groups in a brainstorming session, focusing on their current possible networking contacts. The groups then present their findings in a plenary session. Next, participants examine the purpose of their networking opportunities, and follow this with a fun exercise illustrating how short the links can be to almost anyone. The participants then discover how to build their own networking pyramid, from primary contacts outwards. They commit to making first approaches to primary contacts, giving updates to those who supplied referral names and keeping clear records of contacts. Finally, the participants take away an action-planning handout on which to prioritise their contacts and set a date for a six-month appraisal of networking activity.
Who is it for: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to assist participants in learning how to build their own extended network, using referrals rather than cold-calling, and focusing on targeting key people in other departments, other organisations or different areas.
- Themes:
- Making contacts,
- Networking,
- Planning,
- Research,
- Team working,
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 20 |
| Typical Duration: | 01:35:00 |
| No of Pages: | 14 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Purpose: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to help participants assess their current networking contacts, and gives them steps for building a pyramid of new useful contacts. It involves planning, research and team work. The training activity can be used to focus on targeting key people in other departments within their organisation, other organisations in similar or different fields, potential clients and government and lobbying organisations.
Download the training activity, Structuring your networking activity as featured in the Fenman training manual; Networking Skills for Business Success