Networking Strategies

1) One of the most important skillsets you can develop is the ability to network. How can becoming a strong networker help you in your personal life? What about at school? Do you think being a good networker will be helpful in your future career? Why or why not?

2) One role model told us that growing your social network and surrounding yourself with the right people is “the most important skill that you could ever have.” Do the people you surround yourself with help support you and move you towards achieving your goals? How? What could you do to find even more people who can help you?

3) In a networking situation, it can feel difficult to walk up to someone new and introduce yourself. But, summoning up the courage to introduce yourself can often result in a great new networking contact. Why can it feel hard to introduce yourself to a new person? What could you do to make it feel easier to approach new people?

4) Listeners learned that networking is like having a lot of friends who share similar interests and want to accomplish similar things. What things do you have in common with your friends? What things do you want to accomplish? How can you work together with your friends to accomplish your shared goals?

5) The role models shared lots of great tips on “breaking the ice” when talking to someone new. What tips did you hear? Have you tried any of these tips before? How did it go? Which tip could you see yourself trying in the future?

6) One role model reminded us that you can practice your networking skills right now! There are plenty of opportunities to do things outside of your normal friend comfort zone. What opportunities do you have to practice your networking skills? Where could you look for more opportunities?

Girls, you need to learn a very important thing going forward. It doesn’t matter what you decide to do. That one thing is networking.

Whatever you want to accomplish in life, there’s been someone who’s already been there. There’s been someone that is much further along and doing the thing that you want to do. The question is, can you find them? And your social network and surrounding yourself with the right people to help you achieve your goals faster is the most important skill that I think you could ever have.

Networking is really like having a lot of friends who share similar interests and ideas and want to accomplish similar things, not the same things, but similar things either for themselves or for the world around them. And networking is really using all of those friendships and relationships to help each other achieve the things that we want.

I have been nicknamed by some of my colleagues as the Power Networker. And I find that two things are the easiest. If you are in a room full of strangers, find something to compliment them on and just have the courage to go to someone and say, “Hi, I’m Keisha Perry. Who are you?” That is one of the easiest ways to begin because if you are at an event, most people are there to network and to meet people. So you don’t have to be timid or shy or afraid of, “Oh, well, will they like me or will they accept me?” Because, at that point, it’s not really a popularity contest. You are there to be able to tell people who you are, why you’re in the room, and what you do. So just a little bit of courage. Find something that you like about them, and even if you don’t, “Nice tie, nice shoes. Love your hair. I’m Keisha, who are you?”

Some great networking tips. What I like to do is break the ice is really just find somebody and put my hand out and say, “I don’t think I’ve met you. My name is Christina, and you are?” And it just breaks the ice, and you start conversation with them. And if you don’t know what to ask them, the great acronym I use is FORD. Family. You ask that person, so tell me about your family. It creates conversation. O is occupation. So what do you do for a living? Do you like what you do? R for recreation. What do you like to do outside of work? And then D, what are your dreams? What do you plan on doing in 10 years? So those are great networking questions.

I’ve gone to hundreds of networking events, and almost every time that I go into one, I get a little nervous beforehand, and I walk in, and you look around, and you’re like, “Okay, who am I going to talk to?” And you pick which group you’re going to join. But I just think you just have this opportunity to meet people. And you have to remember that everyone there is for the same purpose of meeting people. So even though nobody’s jumping out at you and shaking your hand eagerly, they’re there to meet people. You’re there to meet people. And you can practice your networking skills right now. There are opportunities to do things outside of your normal friend comfort zones. So it could be a community-involved activity. You could join a Girl Scout troop, and there are people maybe that you don’t already have relationships with. And so you go to your first Girl Scout meeting and you just make the effort to talk to a new girl that you don’t know anything about. That’s networking already.

Networking Strategies Independent Learning Guide: This all-purpose guide can also be used by educators, parents, and mentors to jumpstart a valuable discussion about networking and the importance of having a strong set of connections.

Networking Strategies Classroom Lesson Plan: This step-by-step lesson plan is available to guide a more in-depth “before, during, and after” learning experience when viewing the video with students. This lesson plan is also suitable for use in after-school programs and other educational settings.

Use Empowerment Activities as a fun way to reinforce the video topic and build community with your students.

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Fun Page Activity: How can you start a conversation with someone new? What questions should you ask? What information can you gather through observation? Practice crafting strong conversation starters in this practical fun-page activity.