Networking for Introverts

Networking is an ugly word.. More than that, I used to think networking itself was gross too. All smarmy schmoozing and fakery which, counterintuitively, was deeply unrelational.

Not to mention that my hyper-sensitive hearing means that even the smallest amount of background noise makes it almost impossible for me to hear people..

And yet, with every passing year, I more and more appreciate meeting and speaking with others who are trying to make the world a better place. I see now the huge benefit in learning about one another’s work and trying to understand how we can best support each other.

After all, I’m passionate about my work and want to have as much positive impact as possible. Meeting and collaborating with others can be a really effective way of furthering this mission.

Networking can strengthen the voluntary sector through; sharing best practice, helping avoid duplication of effort, ensuring people don’t slip through the gaps and centering consideration of refugees and migrants in environments which might not ordinarily do so.

So, call it what you will; networking, connecting, meet and greets.. Here are some of my top tips for introverts who want (or need) to network:

Be selective with which meetings you attend (both online & in-person). Your time and relational energy are precious, so a cost-benefit analysis can help you carefully consider whether it’s worth attending. What is the purpose of the meeting? Who will be there? What’s the agenda?

Do your homework - check out the attendance list; who do you want to connect with? Bearing in mind the agenda; what questions do you want to raise? What points do you want to share? Prepare these in advance along with a concise introduction of yourself and your experience. It’s helpful to consider why it might be useful for people to be connected with you (and no-one wants to listen to a 10-minute monologue of your work history); who are you, what do you do, what’s your background, what are you most passionate about?

Pace yourself - as introverts, we need some time to prepare and psych ourselves up beforehand and also time to decompress, recalibrate and recharge with some alone time afterwards. Build these buffers into your schedule to maximise the benefit of networking.

Photo credit: Edmond Dantes

One-to-one conversations can work much better for introverts than trying to work your way around the whole room. Even within larger gatherings, a focus on one-to-one or small group interactions can feel more meaningful and manageable. Learn names, roles, organisations, show a genuine interest in people and practise active listening. This is also a great opportunity to work against your biases; find someone in the room who is unlike you and get to know them.

Above all, be helpful. Something that makes networking more rewarding for me is to make helpfulness my key aim. Consider how you can; support others’ priorities, share information, resources, best practice, offer help, encourage referrals to your services and make email introductions to other useful contacts.

Find a wingman / networking partner - consider teaming up with an extroverted colleague who can help ease you into introductions and conversations. Watch and learn from them.

Online networking. It might seem like an obvious one but don’t forget to connect with people you meet at meetings on LinkedIn. For those you don’t interact with directly, a more low-key and appropriate approach would be to ‘follow’ so that you can learn from their posts / network. Look at who your closest contacts are following and re-posting and consider following these accounts. And remember, you can always reach out to people directly over email using the attendance list from online events.

Be brave! Networking for introverts is not about being unafraid but feeling the fear and doing it anyway! Have a coffee, smile and go for it; “Hi, I’m Simon, I’m from.. What’s your name?”. I’m a big believer in the ‘use people’s names several times straight after meeting them’ to help you remember. I also jot down names, roles, organisations, etc. to help me remember so that I can follow up online / over email afterwards.