You know that networking is in your best interest and that it can open up many doors, be them professional, social, or personal. However, networking is much easier said than done.
Unless you possess the right networking skills, you’ll have difficulty making personal or professional connections, as well as using them to advance your career. Wondering what those top networking skills might be and how you can learn them? That’s just what we’ll cover in this article!
Active Listening
Active listening is more than just hearing. The act involves paying uttermost attention to what the speaker is saying, following up with clarifying questions where relevant and necessary, and making sure you got the essence of the conversation.
Communication Skills
Communication is, if you ask us, the most important networking skill. You can be funny, insightful, skillful, and intelligent, and it would all be in vain if you can’t effectively communicate with people.
For this reason, when you’re networking, be mindful of the ways you convey, interact with others, and even tackle issues and discussions that may come up during the conversation. This includes your tone of voice, the language you use, and even your urgency to speak over others. Those are all elements that can make or break your networking.
Confidence
If you’re going to go to a place full of strangers or acquaintances with the goal of creating professional and social ties, then you definitely need confidence!
As a skill, confidence defines how sure you are about what you say, what you do (or plan on doing), and your decisions. Ways you can practice your confidence are by maintain eye contact with the speaker, speak in a friendly tone, or prepare something to discuss in advance so that you don’t stumble on your words.
Read More: https://novoresume.com/career-blog/networking-skills