Networking For Introverts - Make Networking Work For You!

By Lee Ann Lambert

The hot word in business these days is networking. Essentially, networking is the act of meeting and getting to know people who could potentially prove valuable in whatever line of work you're involved in. This networking can occur anywhere. While there are certainly networking "events", at which people gather to exchange information and ideas, networking also happens on a daily basis both inside and outside of the office. For people with an introverted personality, networking presents a particularly difficult challenge. That's because folks who are introverted often don't find it very easy to strike up a conversation with a stranger, and introverts are fairly averse to small talk. While meeting new people isn't necessarily an easy task for outgoing personalities, for introverts it can be a more daunting experience. Here are some introvert networking tips to help you in the quest to fill up your rolodex.

1. The most important thing for an introvert at work to remember is that quality relationships are what build business. So that rolodex comment was a bit off; it doesn't really matter how many business cards you have if none of them are from people who can help you advance. That's why you should concentrate on building positive relationships with those around you. There's no need to feel pressured to go out and meet a hundred people in the hopes that one of them could produce a valuable business contact. Instead, choose a select few to speak to, and really learn what they do and how they can help you.

2. Don't forget, you're not the only introvert in the room! It's quite possible that there are others that are just as nervous (or annoyed) with the proposition of meeting new people just to make business connections! Introverted people are just as valuable as their louder counterparts (and in some ways more); it's just not as easy for introverts to open up. Find someone who is observing from the sidelines or looks to be having a difficult time fitting in. They'll appreciate your paying attention to them, and will likely prove to be a more willing contact than someone flitting about the room picking up hundreds of little white pieces of paper.

3. Certain people hold certain jobs. You're not likely to find many introverts working in a public relations role. That's why you should strike out and attempt to meet people who don't fit that mold. Try finding someone that works in a position similar to yours. You'll instantly have something to talk about, and conversation will keep flowing from there.

4. Do work to get more comfortable with dealing with the PR types. They want to meet you too, and can prove to be helpful. Introverts have to realize that it's OK to come out of the shell on occasion to talk to those who aren't like us - extroverts have something to offer, too!

5. Take advantage of all that the Internet offers. This includes email (we love email!), and social networking sites like FaceBook and LinkedIn.

Networking doesn't have to be something you fear. As long as you embrace a few key things like the fact that small talk is sometimes a part of the ritual, you'll be able to interact with a wide range of people who will prove valuable to your business life in the long run. Like anything else, practice makes perfect. Don't expect to feel completely comfortable in your first pressured networking situation. Instead, the skill will come to you more naturally every single time that you are placed in a situation that requires you to reach out and meet new people.

Lee Ann Lambert is a busy freelance writer, introvert, certified life coach, landscape and garden designer, artist, author, wife, mom and grandmom, among many other things. She resides in Michigan. For more information check out her blog at: http://www.livingintroverted.com/

All works copyright Lee Ann Lambert.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Ann_Lambert

The Introvert Advantage - Book Review

By Sarah Dolliver

"...Nothing is wrong with them. They are just introverted."[page 10]

So many introverts have wished for the freedom to understand our type, holding our innate traits in positive regard. Reading this book can do that for you.

From the very first pages, you find an author who understands what it's like to be introverted and what you've lived through: the sense of feeling different and left out, the social awkwardness, the pursuit of peaceful environments or not trusting your truest self. Marti Olsen Laney's own experience and training in her field allow her to express what so many have felt--and to help all of us understand it on a new level.

At the core of this volume is the message that introverts have hard-wired differences that are our assets. We're born to be different, and that's not a bad thing.
Your insights start early on with recognition that others are like you and have had similar experiences. It continues as she explains how an introvert's brain is not the same as an extrovert's brain and why we often stall in our mental processing when we are over stimulated. It's simply how our brain works! What a relief! Even stopping here gives some relief.

But to continue on with this book is to find more understanding about why you are the way you are...and what you can do about it. She discusses how to navigate successfully in an extroverted world. She continues with how to create the "just right" life for you by setting your pacing, priorities and parameters (or boundaries), followed by how to nurture yourself and put yourself out into the world with fewer concerns.

On the cover of the book, just over the image of a broken eggshell are the words "Making the Most of Your Hidden Strengths." Within its pages, this book elicits so many strengths any introvert can rely on. Here are a few of them:

• Intelligence



• Creativity



• Imagination



• Self-managing



• Thoughtfulness



• Respectful of others



• Depth of knowledge and experience

There's good reason for those who are not introverted to read this book also. Everyone knows an introvert and understanding their essential nature can help others live and work better with introverts. My husband read this book after I did and it released him from some of his limiting beliefs, such as when I didn't want to go out, he felt he had to stay home with me. Now he realizes that by going out, he's often doing both of us a favor.

What you get from delving into this work is a prevailing feeling of self-acceptance. You easily see that there are others like you and there are underlying biological reasons for the way you respond to life and its experiences. It's a relief to feel that you are a "normal" introvert.

Sarah Dolliver is the Founder of InnerVantage, the online community for inner-directed individuals - behaviorally defined as those who focus inward to restore. She serves as an empowering catalyst, insightful mentor and wholehearted supporter through the safe spaces she creates for clients to find the freedom to embrace and trust their truest self.

Her vision for InnerVantage is to remove the stigma from being introverted or highly sensitive (HSP) to allow these uniquely gifted individuals to lead fulfilling lives that bring their distinct contributions to the world. Sarah knows that when one embraces their inner-directed traits as their advantage, life transforms to bring comfort, ease and joy.

The strength of her work comes from her distinctive 4-Step Self-Generating Cycle that eases personal growth while tapping into your Natural Edge gifts, talents and strengths. By using these two tools, each client she works with is guided to find their own wisdom and choose what is naturally best for them.

Suscribe to her newsletter at http://www.innervantage.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Dolliver