节目资讯
刊物:职场秘诀
日期:2009-03-11
难易度:High
关键字:mingle, apt to, culminate in
Advanced Studio Classroom is on the air.
Things not going right in your career, frustrated with his job.
Maybe you’re not networking enough.
Hello, listeners, welcome to Advanced Studio Classroom.
This is Bill Quinn.
And, you know, that was kind of funny.
I wasn’t talking about dating or our personal life although it sounded like that
in the beginning.
But networking can affect every part of our life - our work, our career, our
family and our dating.
But we’re talking about its effect on business and our work.
But networking can help every aspect of our life.
So keep that in mind and it can help everybody.
Networking is not just for men in suits running around, doing business deals.
Everybody can network and everybody can benefit from network, whether you’re a
teacher or if you’re a... even a student...
If you’re... uh... somebody joining a club, if you wanna... you’re gonna do
anything.
Networking can help you. It can help you make the right contacts, and it can get
results for you if you have the right goals and if you’re willing to put the
time into it.
And putting the time into the Advanced Studio Classroom program are my
panelists.
They put a lot of time into it.
And Naomi Biesheuvel puts a lot of time into it - not only doing the program but
editing and everything.
Do you ever sleep?
Um, I don’t remember.
I think so.
Yeah.
No I... I enjoy my free time too.
And one of the things I like to do in my free time actually is online
networking.
I don’t know how much networking I do for business.
A little bit.
Right.
Um, but, you know, social networking is really rising in popularity as well.
And so I think many of us are familiar with that idea.
You know, websites like Facebook or MySpace, they can be an interesting way to
make friends. But...
Right.
Um, yeah, it’s interesting to talk about this more in the business sense and
more... more careful networking.
Well, you mentioned Facebook and MySpace.
And yesterday I believe we had talked about having like a thousand friends on
Facebook or something.
And what happens is with uh, MySpace and Facebook you can get into it initially
and it’d kind of be scatter shot in a way.
And scatter shot, meaning you’re just kind of putting your efforts all over the
place.
Mmhm.
You’re not focused.
You’re just shooting all over the place.
And you can end up wasting a lot of time, doing a lot of things that really
aren’t important, don’t really help you as far as your career.
Now I don’t know if that’s your goal on Facebook or MySpace.
But if it is your goal, be careful that you are not chasing down people in... in
a thousand different directions.
And what’s gonna happen is you’ll just end up burned out on things.
So you have to be very focused if you’re on MySpace or Facebook.
But we’re gonna talk about some other sites here as far as online networking.
But before I get to that, uh, let’s also welcome Brandon.
Hi, Brandon.
Hi, Bill.
Great to be back today.
Good to have you here as far as network.
Have you picked up any good tips on networking that might help you?
Well, yeah.
I think yesterday we talked about fostering relationships.
And I think that’s important with networking because, again, like you talked
about on Facebook,
you know, if you’re not focused, then you’re going to have trouble really
getting anything done.
So I think if you’re fostering relationships and you’re really contacting the
same group of people, core people, you know, and meeting up with them, then
that’s gonna be more helpful for you.
Right.
I’ve heard a number of people say that if they do go on certain networks or join
certain groups and that they might question, ”Man, am I wasting my time?”.
And that’s usually because they’re running into many directions and they’re not
focused, so.
Winnie Shih.
You don’t waste your time, do you?
Uh, well, I try not to, but it might happen once in a while.
OK.
Now do you do any of this networking, whether it’d be in groups or online?
Yeah, well, I... like Naomi have joined Facebook, and I have a... a social
network, and it helps me keep in touch with friends who may be very far away.
Um, but something that I did take away from yesterday’s article was the idea of
making a list of 15 people that you want to get to know better.
And that just helps me because having a number like 15 and actually writing it
down and making this very deliberate choice, or very purposeful choice, to get
to know people really helps me to focus,
because otherwise I might be doing so many other things and forget about what I
really want.
Right.
Winnie, that’s a great point.
And I... I like that idea of having a list of 15 people.
And in fact, listeners, your list might be five people or 10 people.
15’s actually a pretty good number.
I would recommend that you don’t make it more than that because it just would be
overwhelming.
But do have a list of people.
It will keep you focused on meeting those people.
First thing I want to talk about today is um... we’re gonna talk about that
sidebar.
It is March 11th, and March 11th is on page 20.
But listeners, turn back to page 19 and we’re going to talk about the sidebar up
at the top there: Online Networking.
And I’m gonna have our author of that sidebar introduce it.
Thank you, Bill.
Well, everyone, Online Networking.
I think we’ve all heard about social networking and how that can happen online.
But online business networking is another story.
Um, of course you want your, uh, you know, your... whatever is about you online
to... to reflect positively in case anyone you’re doing business with does find
you on the Internet.
But, um, online sites like Linkedln and BizWiz, these are specifically designed
to help you with your business online.
OK. I have checked out Linkedln.
I’ve seen some profiles for business people on Linkedln and, um... you know...
one thing I’m thinking of is it’s important if you’re a businessperson or if you
are a career-oriented person.
What’s the difference as far as making good impression is the first point there.
And I think, uh, it’s good to have a spot on Linkedln or this BizWiz instead of
telling an employer or another company, ”Oh, go to my Facebook or MySpace
page.”.
Facebook and MySpace are good, but there’s just a slight impression that you
make that you are a businessperson, you mean business by having a site on one of
these other ones.
Well, and of course, like everything we’ve talked about, it does depend.
If you are in the music industry, get on MySpace because no one in the music
industry cares about BizWiz.
But if you are a lawyer or if you are, you know, a consultant, then these
business sites are definitely more suitable for your purposes.
Right. It goes back to that point at the end of the day yesterday: What’s your
goal?
OK.
If you’re promoting your music, that’s one thing.
If you’re trying to promote your... real estate business, you need to be on a
business side like Linkedln or BizWiz.
Make a good first impression. What does that, uh, first one read, Brandon?
It says your profile says a lot about you.
And be honest about your profession.
Be professional, keep it up-to-date and include a photo.
So, you know, people are seeing you for the first time on this site and so you
wanna make a good first impression.
When people see your profile, make sure that they... it has good information and
helpful information on there.
I really like the point about ”Be honest but professional,” because often people
either are so professional that you don’t get a real sense of who they are or
they’re so honest that they come across as being a bit too relaxed.
Um, you don’t wanna say, ”Hey, everyone! So I have this barbecue at my house
last weekend.” You know that’s not professional.
It’s honest but it’s not professional.
At the same time, if all you’re putting on there is your resume, it’s not
interesting or engaging.
You still wanna be you.
Right.
I would also say ”Be succinct,” S-U-C-C-I-N-C-T, succinct.
And that just means keep it short.
Don’t overwhelm people with words.
And absolutely include a photo.
Some of the profiles I’ve seen missing a photo, bye-bye.
You have to have a photo.
And of course, keep it up-to-date.
If it’s outdated information from two years ago, people will wonder whether
you’re even in business any more.
That’s right. That’s right.
Next one, Winnie.
Pace yourself. When you enter a forum discussion, don’t take over.
Contribute thoughtful responses, but don’t feel the need to address every point
mentioned.
OK.
All right.
Next one, Naomi.
Be in control.
You are a pro when it comes to your line of work.
If you prepare useful information to share within your networks, people will see
you an expert they can trust.
OK. Good.
Bring value to it.
And then finally, what’s out last one, Brandon?
Make it personal. When you’re using a computer to do business, it’s easy to lose
the human touch.
Respond to e-mails quickly, and keep in mind that you are communicating with a
real, live person.
And Bill, that’s easy to... you know, when you’re e-mailing, to forget that you
need to be personal even when you’re online.
OK.
And definitely I circled the one ”respond to e-mails quickly.” If you get
e-mails from somebody, you’d better respond within a day or two.
If not, it grows stale , it gets dead, and they’ll go somewhere else for what
they need.
OK.
Let’s get to our first reading on page 20.
(Music).
If you want to become more visible in the community, volunteering connects you
with people who share your passion and can position you to meet key leaders.
Remember: People need to know you, like you and trust you in order to refer you,
and demonstrating commitment to a cause can help.
Mike Macedonio, co-author of Truth or Delusion, Busting Networking’s Biggest
Myths, says regardless of purpose, there are no shortcuts to networking.
It requires a plan.
”Most people think too broadly and join too many random groups.”.
Macedonio recommends spending about five hours a week on networking and limiting
participation to know more than three groups, including online social networks.
”It’s less about meeting new people than having them remember you after the
fact.”.
OK.
If you want to become more visible in the community, what do I do, Naomi?
Volunteer.
OK.
I think this is such a good idea.
If you... if you don’t have time for any other kind of networking, volunteer.
You’ll meet interesting people.
Try to choose something that’s connected to your interests and your goals.
And not only will you feel great and you’ll be helping other people, but you’ll
also be helping yourself.
Right.
Make it something you’re interested in.
If it’s... Don’t just do it because you think it’ll help you but you hate it,
because eventually, you know, that will actually come through.
You need to really like it and want to do what it is that you’re volunteering
for.
Now, what must we remember, Winnie?
We must remember that people need to know you, like you and trust you in order
to refer you, and demonstrating commitment to a cause like volunteering, it can
help.
OK.
Well, people need to know you.
I know you, but... like you?
Help me out with that.
What do you mean?
You’re gonna make me like you, Winnie?
How do you do that?
I... I... You know what? This is a really good question because, I don’t know,
sometimes, you know, you can strike it off really well with somebody, but other
times you may not.
Uh, but I think there’s things that you can do to help.
Well, I think, Bill, that, you know, sometimes this comes natural for some
people and some people just can’t talk to people easily, and they just connect
with people.
So I think some of that is a natural talent.
But obviously we can also... we can all work on that.
We can think about, you know, be kind of sensitive to other people’s needs and
know kind of how to talk to people, and that goes with the schmoozing.
Yeah. I think often you meet someone and afterwards you think, ”I wasn’t really
crazy about that person.”.
Right.
So, of course, liking... for people to like you is helpful if they’re gonna
actually give you business.
But trust, I think, is even more important.
And I think that’s why they are emphasizing, um, commitment to a cause -
spending time helping others.
Because if people see you doing that, um, then they’re going to be more inclined
to like you and trust you.
They’re gonna say, oh, I think their heart is in the right place. Maybe not my
favorite person in the world - I don’t wanna have coffee with them.
But they seem to really, you know, be doing what they’re doing for a good
reason.
Well, I would say, you know, this ”like you” is actually a very... it’s a tricky
point that very few people understand.
It’s not easy.
Brandon said it’s a gift for some people.
And most people don’t have that gift.
How do you get people to like you?
One, I would suggest, don’t try too hard.
People... A lot of people are guilty of trying way too hard, you know.
”Hello, I’m Bill. I’m very friendly. Please like me.”.
Ha...
Well, that’s guarantee that they won’t like me.
And the other thing is if anything, keep your contact with people, um, fairly
short in the beginning.
Don’t overdo it with people.
If you keep your contact with them to a shorter time, that’s better.
I think I would say, like, ”Be friendly, but don’t be too friendly,” you know.
People don’t want to think that you’re... you want something right away.
They... Just be... be nice, be yourself, be relaxed, and just go from there.
Build it step by step.
OK.
Well, we move on to read that.
Mike Macedonio co-author of Truth or Delusion, Busting Network’s Biggest Myths.
What does he say, Winnie?
He says that regardless of purpose, there are no shortcuts to networking.
It requires a plan.
OK.
So there’s no shortcuts.
Really.
It just takes time.
Yeah, regardless of purpose means no matter what your goal is, you’re still
gonna need to take some time on this.
Right.
And one thing I think of people meet someone, they go and they meet...
Maybe I go to a meeting and I meet Brandon last week for the first time, and
then I asked him for a favor, and then I... and then I wonder why he doesn’t do
the favor for me.
That’s unrealistic.
It takes time.
I have to ”cultivate” that relationship - that word we had from yesterday.
So don’t think too quickly.
And uh, the other thing is most people think too broadly, right, Naomi?
That’s right.
They think too generally, and they just join all these different groups or go to
all these different functions, talk to so many different people.
They’re... they’re not being focused.
Right.
What does Macedonio recommend, Brandon?
Oh, he recommends spending about five hours a week on networking and limiting
participation to know more than three groups,
and that’s including the online social networks that we were talking about
earlier today.
Right.
Well, you know, it reminds me actually when I was in sales, I was selling
computer software dealing with accounting and... and payroll.
And I specifically networked with two groups.
One were bankers that dealt with, uh, businesses calling on, marketed their
services to small businesses.
The other one was CPAs, certified public accountants, who did the accounting
work for the businesses.
It was very specific marketing, so.
Um, and it was successful that way.
Right.
But...
The last point is so important.
It’s less about meeting new people than having them remember you after the fact.
Right.
Now I could go out and meet all these people.
But the thing is I need to get them to remember me because when a problem came
up with their customer, they would call me.
Right?
But again, you don’t want them to remember you because you were pushy and rude
and aggressive.
You want them to remember you because you were fun and likable and trustworthy.
Right.
And I was a good listener.
Mmhm.
I’m listening.
I hear your problem.
Yeah.
I’ll help you.
All right.
Let’s move on to our final reading for thisarticle.