Networking is an inevitable part of business, unfortunately, though it’s not for everyone and even the most outgoing of people can find the task daunting and tiresome. For shy people and introverts in particular, it can fill them with dread. The thought of being in an unfamiliar place with a group of people you’ve never met before, and knowing you are under pressure to make a good impression and come away with new connections can all be too much. To help, we’ve put together some basic tips to help those people who perhaps find networking intimidating.

Prepare

As with most things in business, preparation is key and as the saying goes “fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. So, before you go to your event spend some time researching the event, the type of people who are going to be there and think about what you want to learn from others, along with exactly what is you want to take away from the event. Having a set of questions already in your mind will help you if you ever feel put on the spot, or can sense a conversation running dry. Also think about what you want to tell people about yourself, how you want to sum up your business and what you do. This will help you avoid becoming tongue-tied and missing key bits of information.

Start small

You don’t have to throw yourself straight into a huge event with lots of strangers, start small by contacting friends, family and familiar faces, either by picking up the phone or in person. Building your confidence and practising your networking skills with people you are comfortable can be a huge help for future opportunities. Then expand your network and perhaps try contacting your alumni network. For your first event, start at something quite small scale and friendly and even take a friend with you to help you find your feet.

Your actions

Your body language and the way you act will say a lot about you, and certain actions can also help you if you are a naturally shy person.

Smile

Looking relaxed and smiling will make you look warm and approachable, meaning that people will be more inclined to come up to you and start a conversation, which can be a big help if you aren’t confident at initiating conversations.

Listen

You may be surprised to hear that great conversations can happen without you saying much at all. People love to talk about themselves and their experiences so listening with sincere interest can encourage conversations, this also leads us onto the next point.

Ask questions

Listening and asking questions go hand in hand in order to show a real interest. Try to avoid closed questions and ask leading questions that require a long answer. This again encourages conversations and helps with the natural flow. Questions can also help in group conversations, rather than fading into the background and staying quiet pose a question to the group, this can be easier than wading in with an opinion.

Talk about your passions

It doesn’t always have to be about work and business, talking about your passions and hobbies outside of work can be great conversation starters and ice breakers. You may even find common ground with someone who has similar interests, this can then lead nicely into a more business based conversation and before you know it, you’ve made a great connection. This can make conversations and connection seem more sincere and less forced. You could also think about making connections at events related to your passion, whether that be book clubs, cooking lessons, sports groups, not all networking has to be business related.

Follow-up

Sending follow-up information can help with your credibility. You may have promised to share an article or report with someone you made a connection with, perhaps you just found something that may be of interest to someone you spoke to, or it may relate to the conversation you had. Either way, following up with things like this not only keeps you fresh in their mind but it can also create further conversations and opportunities down the line.

Morning

1. What do I want to accomplish today?

Starting the day with a clear mindset of what it is you wish to accomplish within your working hours can help bring focus and attention to detail that will bring with it a successful day. Take a few moments to picture how you want to feel at the end of the day, and what you will need to do to get there.

2. What are my motivations for the day?

The stresses of running a business can often cloud your memory of why you began in the first place. Try beginning the day by reminding yourself of the reasons you began your business in the first place. Successful entrepreneurs always keep in mind the reasons they began their business and let it steer their decisions and motivation throughout the day.

3. What legacy do I want to leave?

Whilst it may perhaps be a little morbid, start each day considering how you would like to be remembered. What decisions will you make today to ensure that the legacy you leave behind is a positive one?

4. How can I make today better than yesterday?

No matter if yesterday was the worst or best day of your business so far, begin the day by considering how you can make today better! It could be something small or something big, but you should try keeping it in mind throughout the day to keep you focused.

5. What could hold me back today?

Setbacks occur to all of us, however if you are prepared for setbacks before they happen, you can help to alter the outcome and ensure these setbacks turn into something positive.

Evening

6. What can I learn from today?

No matter what went wrong or right today, take a moment to think about what it is you’ve learnt from the events of the day. Perhaps you had a successful pitch, think about the key moments that made it a success, can you replicate these in the future? Maybe you lost out on an important piece of business; consider what the contributing factors for this were. What could you change to ensure you win the next time?

7. What did I achieve today?

Once your work is accomplished for the day, take a moment to reflect and ask yourself what it is you have achieved. By allowing yourself to consider and reflect on your accomplishments you will be able to end your working day on a positive, determined to achieve more the next day.

8. Are my goals any different from this morning?

As time moves on, things can often change and you can sometimes find yourself ending the day in a different direction from where you intended. If this is you, consider how you got to your new destination, are you happy there? If you are, great! If not, begin to think of ways you can head back on the right track tomorrow.

9. Have I made people happy today?

This could be your employees, your customers or even yourself. We all know that a happy working day provides a more positive outcome on your business. If the answer is no, consider what you can do differently tomorrow so the answer is yes.

10. Is this still what I want?

Being an entrepreneur and running your own business is demanding and time-consuming! When you’re going after something you truly want, this will help fuel you, but if it’s not it can often drain you. Each day ask yourself if you’re still doing what it is you want to do. If not, what can you do to change this?

The little things are often the ones that count the most and are usually easier to implement than you would think. By incorporating these small habits into your daily routine, it won’t be long until you’re noticing a big difference. Here we’re explaining how these small habits can help you become more successful day-to-day.

Define your priorities

Consider what your main priorities in life are, both in business and personally. Next, examine how much time you’re spending on each priority. By actively evaluating how you spend your time on what matters most to you, you’ll be able to see the possible ways you can re-arrange the time you spend so that you’re able to indulge in what makes your truly happy.

Develop a plan

Having a plan in place ensures you’re constantly working toward something. Not only should you have yearly/life-long goals, you should also have daily goals. Take some time each evening to plan for your day ahead so that you know each morning what you’re working towards that day. Then at the end of each week reflect on how that week has propelled you forward in terms of your yearly/life-long goal and consider what you can do next week to progress even further. By assessing your successes you are more likely to stay motivated.

Set deadlines

Much like with the above point, it’s always good to have goals that you’re focused on, however, if there is no end date in sight, we often let up some slack when it comes to reaching the finish line. Again, setting goals can be applied on a daily, even hourly basis or on a grander scale. Make sure your goals are measurable and keep moving in order to achieve them.

Delete distractions

Smartphones have made our lives so much easier in many ways, but they’ve also caused a hindrance to our productivity. Combine that with the constant need to check emails, news websites and social media platforms it can be difficult to focus for long periods of time. The best way to minimise distractions and boost productivity is to delete these distractions. Take your phone off of your desk and limit its usage, turn off your emails and only check them at certain points and limit the number of times you hit refresh on your favourite website. The longer you go without these distractions; you’ll notice that you’re less dependent on them.

Break down your tasks

It can often feel like some tasks will take more work than climbing Everest, which often leads us to procrastinating and pushing them aside whilst continuing to panic about them. Instead of worrying about how much needs to be done, take a step back and break it down. Look at each and every step you need to take in order to accomplish your long term goal. Then see if you can break that task down further, and repeat until you have manageable short-term tasks that you can easily tick off your to-do list.

Delegate

After you’ve broken down all your tasks (see previous point) it can often still feel like you’ve got too much to do and not enough time to do it. This is where delegation plays a key part. It’s very difficult to accomplish everything all by yourself; no man is an island after all. Learn who you can trust and ask for their help.

Reflect

Self-reflection is essential in assessing your successes and potential failures. Those who can reflect will be able to then learn from each action and put into practise what has worked to help fuel future success and understand what they may need to do differently in the future to make things run smoothly. Take some time at the end of each day, or at a minimum at the end of each project, and assess the strengths and weaknesses.

Read

Reading frequently helps expand our minds and encourages us to keep learning. Whether it’s the latest best seller, a news article on your chosen subject or something completely random, it all works in favour of our ability to absorb information and expand our horizons. Try and find just five minutes a day (obviously the more, the better) to expand your mind.

Provide the opportunity to grow

People like to know that they’re working toward something in their career and that they will be able to progress within their roles. Highlight, from the offset, the different ways people will be able to progress their career whilst working for your business. Not only will it provide your employee with the drive and determination to grow in their position, it will also give everyone a transparent way of knowing what to expect and what is expected within the business.

Create a welcoming work environment

The more welcoming your working environment, the more likely it is people will want to work for you. It sounds simple, but is often overlooked by many business owners. There are many different ways you can ensure your business is welcoming to both new and existing employees. For example you could assign each new starter a ‘buddy’ who will help show them round the office and help them settle in, you could also create weekly or monthly lunch clubs so that everyone can socialise with one and other and get to know each other outside of their position within the business.

Have a personalised rewards scheme

People like to be rewarded for their hard work, and often work harder with an incentive, however not everyone is motivated by the same thing. Sit down with each employee and find out what drives them and what they’d like as a reward for reaching targets. Whilst it may take a bit of time to implement, you will see the return through the positive impact it will have on each employee.

Use personality as a key hiring factor

Whilst a high valued skill-set is extremely important when looking for a new hire you should also take the time to learn about each individual on a personal level. New hires can play an important part in affecting the environment you’ve created in your business. When considering which person you should hire, take a moment to reflect on the personality of each candidate and who you think would be the best fit with the rest of the team. If possible, take the time to introduce them to the rest of the team before their official first day.

Allow employees to build a culture

With people spending the majority of their time at work, it’s important for them to feel comfortable in their surroundings, and a way to do that is to allow them to build a positive work culture. A sociable office culture that has been built by the employees themselves can make them excited to come to work every day and will make them feel more relaxed when they’re there which should create a positive culture.

Have a clear business mission

A clear business mission ensures everyone is on the same page and working toward the same end goal. It also means that people will be attracted to your business because the passion people have within the business will be palpable.  People like to know who it is they are working for and what they’re working towards. A clear business mission also helps employees share your businesses message with people they meet outside of work, you never know they could also be a lead.

Whilst you may not think there is much to learn from comedians, other than ‘how to be funny’, there are actually many secrets a comedian could share that would provide a large learning curve for budding and existing entrepreneurs.

They learn as they go/they adapt

When you set out to begin your own business you probably had a plan in mind of how things were going to go and a clear plan on how to succeed. However, in business, and life in general, things don’t always go as planned. A comedian in a show might get caught off guard by a heckler, they may stumble over some words and lose their direction, but they don’t stop. They quickly adapt and move on, taking the experience on the chin and using it to forward their future stand-up routines. The same applies to entrepreneurs. Maybe your business plan takes a little detour, learn from the experience and adapt your plan for the future.

Be optimistic

Prepare for the worst and hope for the best is a common thought process by many. Comedians and entrepreneurs however have to keep optimism in their mind. Positive thoughts often breed positive outcomes, which is something both entrepreneurs and comedians aspire toward. When comedians speak out to their audience, they’re hopeful that responses will boost the rest of their routine; they aren’t constantly thinking it will fail miserably and ruin everything. When trying a new idea, entrepreneurs should adopt the same mind-set.

Stay calm

Standing on stage in front of loads of people expecting you to make them laugh can be quite tricky, and nerve wracking. Yet, whilst comedians are in this stressful situation, they remain calm and collected. This ability to stay calm in stressful situations is imperative to an entrepreneur’s success. Many situations will arrive that could cause alarm and stress, however if either a comedian or entrepreneur doesn’t stay calm, the situation could continue to spiral out of control.

Remain patient

Things don’t always go the way you envision them to, and often take more time to come into fruition than you once planned. For comedians this may be getting the right punchline for a joke, and for an entrepreneur it could mean waiting for an offer to go through. Having patience during these times can make the payoff that much greater when the time does come.

They take risks

Whether it’s a joke that lies right on the line, testing new techniques or even performing their set at a bigger venue than they’ve previously performed at, comedians are constantly taking risks in order to improve. Entrepreneurs need to follow suit. The best entrepreneurs are rarely known for playing it safe, and often have to take big chances in order to see a big payoff. Whilst it can feel intimidating at the time and like you should hold back, you’ll find the reward for taking the risk is much better than the safety net you were once in.

Benefits

Increase energy

Not only can sitting still at a desk all day reduce your productivity it can also create stress and drain your energy. Adding in some simple yoga stretches can increase blood circulation which helps to reduce fatigue and increase energy levels. Check out this article for yoga you can do at your desk.

Reduce pain

Yoga can help alleviate the pain from even the most severe problems. It can also reduce the pain associated with headaches, carpal tunnel, neck strain etc. This means you will spend less time focusing on aches and pains and more time on your business’s needs. For more information on yoga for pain relief, see this article.

Reduce stress

One of the most common factors affecting employee’s health at work is stress. Stress accounts for millions of pounds lost due to reduced productivity and absence. But, good news; yoga can help reduce stress, and the side effects it presents. This means that more staff are in work than off sick and more productive whilst they’re there.

Improve concentration

Due to the hustle and bustle of business life, concentration can often be lost. Yoga, however, can help people find their inner focus.  By concentrating on their breathing, it allows people to minimise their distractions and concentrate on the task at hand. No more multitasking or procrastination for you!

Aids in thinking and learning

Studies have found an impressive link between people who practise yoga and their brain functionality. People who practise yoga or meditation are twice as likely to complete brain-computer interface tasks and learn new tasks three times as fast as those who don’t.[1] Looking to get more done in the day? Yoga!

Successful people who do Yoga

If we still haven’t convinced you on the benefits of yoga, see the successful people have made yoga work for them.

Sergey Brin – Co-Found of GOOGLE Inc.

Russell Simmons – Co-Founder Def Jam, Founder Phat Farm

Oprah Winfrey – Entrepreneur

Arianna Huffington – CEO of Huffington Post

Hillary Clinton – Former Secretary of State and First Lady

[1] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/yoga-secret-workout-highly-successful-people-chloe-carmichael-ph-d-

Learn about your audience

Before you even begin planning your speech you should take some time to research and understand your audience. This allows you to then construct your speech with your audience in mind. For example how you talk to investors may be different to how you speak to clients.

Practise

We all know practice makes perfect so why wouldn’t you practice your public speaking? One way to feel calmer and more in control on the day of your speech is to practise and ensure you know your speech well enough beforehand so you don’t have to rely on prompts. Make sure you practise your speech aloud so that you’re aware of pace and intonation. Practising your speech out loud will also highlight the true length of your speech, making it an important task if you are subject to time constraints.

Choose the topic carefully

If you have control over the topic of your speech then take precautions to ensure your speech is relevant and contains useful insight which will be of interest to your audience, if they are learning something they are more likely to stay engaged. You should also make sure that you know the subject area inside out, making sure you’re able to answer any questions that may arise from it.

Tell a story

Instead of just relaying information to your audience members, get them excited about what you’re sharing by taking them on a journey. Don’t make your speech all about facts and figures. Provide your audience with something interesting that excites them and captivates their attention.

Remember to breathe

Sounds like an obviously one but you’d be surprised how many people forget to control their breathing. Taking regular pauses for breath not only gives the audience time to take on board what it is you’re saying, but also allows you to stay in control whilst you’re talking. Forgetting to take regular deep breaths can often leave you feeling flustered and contribute to you losing your train of thought.

Make eye contact

Take the time to briefly make eye contact with different audience members as you speak. This not only helps you become more personable but helps you gauge audience reaction. Along with this it will also help the audience feel more included in your speech.

Be authentic

Don’t try to put on a persona that isn’t you. People will respect the fact you’re being genuine and you’ll find it much less daunting if you aren’t worrying about people noticing if you’ve broken character.

End on a high

By ending your speech in a strong fashion your audience is left with something to remember you by. A good ending will also leave the audience with something for them to think about.

Answer questions

Leave time at the end of your speech to allow for questions from the audience. You should also make yourself accessible after the speech in case of any queries audience members may have.

Ask for feedback

Throughout the whole process of planning your speech ask as many people as you can for feedback. Asking people beforehand can help you improve before the day and improve your confidence, whereas asking for their thoughts after can help you improve for next time.

Whilst public speaking may be daunting at first, the more often you make speeches, the easier it will become.