Networking For Career Success – How to Overcome Your Fears

Can you imagine working into a room among many strangers? How do you feel? Are you afraid? In many cases, it is the fear that gives us reasons to stay out or stay away from those strangers. Have you ever heard that fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed?

The word fear can stands for – False Evidence Appearing Real! Can you find any evidence for being afraid to talk to strangers as a business or social event?

Many people think that in order to network well, you need to be sociable by nature such as outgoing and able to approach anyone with ease. That is not necessarily right. You still can network very effectively even if you feel you are very shy. One of simple things you can do is just to be genuine and sincerely interested in others.

Let extend our discussion further. Where is shyness coming from? It is all about fears. Shyness is rooted in fears – fear of failure, embarrassment, rejection, humiliation and shame. So “anticipatory anxiety” may comes when we think about attending an social event.

The other part of influencing all that you do is the internal message, the still small voice in your heart. We can, with some effort, convert that voice from negative to positive. For example, do not think, “I don’t like small talk.” Instead, think, ” I will write out three questions to ask anyone and see which works best.”

Here are three simple tips to using your network:

Start small: Begin by just having conversations with those people around you. It could be in a shop, on the elevator, on the commuter train. You don’t do this for asking anything. So there should be minimal pressure on you. Only thing you want is a conversation in a friendly way. That can set up your networking cycle in motion. In other words, try to connect with people around you just for the sake of being professional and friendly, not just because you want something.

Communicate: Without communicating, your business associates and friends cannot read your mind. Because they do not want to offend you by offering to help, they may be waiting for you to ask for help. Or it just simply did not cross their mind. Make it easy for them to help – go asking!

Flatter genuinely: Praise and thank them in a way that makes them feel special. For example, you will want to express yourself in words and deeds – I knew you would have the answer.