Grand Networking still requires Good Networking Principles

Arriving at the Palace of Westminster recently for an event to mark International Women’s Day was a thing of wonder. The building soars above you when approach. You marvel at its opulence. Once inside, the grandeur and history of the place reinforces your amazement at the workings of government. No wonder women have struggled long and hard to be accepted here.
Inspiring Women

I am indebted to Seema Malhotra MP (shown here) for the invitation to her Women in Business reception at the House of Commons. It was a motivating event and one I hope she repeats.
The speakers, Yvette Cooper MP, Carrie Green of the Female Entrepreneur Association https://femaleentrepreneurassociation.com/ and Janet Cooper, Vice President of UN Women UK https://www.unwomenuk.org/ were inspiring.

At the reception there were women from many different backgrounds and walks of life. So how to network in this grand setting when surrounded by so many amazing women?

Networking Nuggets

Let’s take a deep breath and stick to our networking principles.

• Be prepared – be clear about your aim in attending an event
• Find a small group and ask “may I join you?” (No-one’s refused yet)
• Have prepared questions ready for use, as appropriate, for example

• What brings you here today?
• What made you decide to ….?
• What do you like best about what you do?
• What changes / trends have you seen in …?
• What challenges are you facing?
• How can I be of help to you?
• Listen to the answers and ask follow up questions
• Don’t forget to have good prepared answers when someone asks you about yourself!
• At the end of the conversation offer your card – “Here is my business card – may I have yours?” and if you feel it is appropriate, ask for permission to add them to your email list.
• After the event make contact – link with them on Linked In, follow them on Twitter, Like them on Facebook or simply email or call them.

Those Who Have Gone Before

Whether you are in the grand setting of the Palace of Westminster or at your local event, the principles of networking remain the same: Emmeline Pankhurst would be proud of you.
On temporary show at the Palace of Westminster, is Charlotte Newson’s “Women Like You”, a photo-mosaic of Emmeline Pankhurst made up of 10,000 individual images of inspiring women.

Author: Christine Southern