Networking - Discussion between Michael Beale and Caroline Newman, October 2007.
Caroline Newman, Managing Director Newman Consulting Ltd, explains her view of networking, where and when she networks and what she considers to be some of capabilities and beliefs of effective networkers.
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http://www.ppimk.com/nlp-podcast/caroline.mp3
Michael - Good Morning Caroline, firstly I’ll really thank you for taking part in this discussion.
Caroline - It's my pleasure Michael
Michael – Please introduce yourself and give us an idea of who you are and what you do.
Caroline - Yes, my name is Caroline Newman, I just recently discovered my identity about who I am, it took me a while to figure it out, but I 'm an inspirational and grateful entrepreneur - that's my identity. I have several roles, I coach lawyers, I help lawyers basically deal with their stressful lifestyles. I'm also the mother of two boys, and I have a beautiful relationship with my partner Steve Oxlade.
Michael - What does networking mean to you?
Caroline - For me network mean connecting with people, finding out what people do, so either you can help them - or you can use the information that they're giving you to help yourself, so you can refer people to them or so that you can use their services yourself.
As far as I'm concerned if you're not networking, you're not working. As far as I'm concerned, your network is your net worth, as well.
So I think that when I'm networking I'm actually building my net worth, and I've always found that to be the case, I've proved this many, many times to myself, and I've simply been actually humbled with how open people are to helping.
Michael - So where and when do you do it?
Caroline – Wow, I do it everywhere I go, wherever I am, whoever I meet - I now realise that anybody who I meet may be a potential client or a prospect, or knows somebody who may well be. Or that anybody I meet I can help in some way, so wherever I am, if I'm at the queue in Nero's waiting for a coffee I'll do it there.
In a structured environment I do it at Blackstar, I'm a Ecademy Black Star member. And we meet every month, a face to face one-to-one with other members of Blackstar. I do it at NRG networking lunches, I'm an excel-live member, so every month we have mensa meetings, I do it at seminars, at courses, and I do it as a solicitor with the law society.
I have an international network, I've just come back from Bali, I now have an international network that spans New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Spain, Caroline - Slovakia, Poland - so wherever I want to go in the world as well as the Caribbean where my natural roots are.
Wherever I want to go in the world and do business I know someone in that country.
Michael - Now just imagine that you're going to a networking meeting, what do you actually do?
Caroline – Firstly I stand by and just observe the room, I look around and then sometimes I might just go to somebody that I like the look of, either they're standing alone or they're somebody that I know. These days I actively try to find somebody that I don't know. On one occasion I was at an event and I decided to just stand and I would wait for people to come to me!
Michael - and?
Caroline - It was quite scary. Well, I thought well whoever needs me at this event - they will come to me. So I just literally just stood and it was very uncomfortable there in this large room full of people.
And people did, people came to me. One of them is still a friend to this day, she's a musician.
Michael - Ok. If you were to teach somebody to network, somebody who didn’t have your experience, what would you suggest they did?
Caroline – Gosh, there's two things that I would suggest they do. Number one is to come with a completely open mind.
Michael- Yes
Caroline - And at the same time I would say to them to have an outcome in mind.
I've often found, for example at NRG open lunches, you're sometimes given the option of choosing who you'd like to sit next to. And sometimes I'll think “you know what? No. Just put me next to anyone” and that's perfectly fine.
The other thing I'd say as well is to be in the right frame of mind, be in a frame of mind of gratitude - and also the frame of mind of giving rather than getting and remember people can smell desperation a mile away!
Just come in with an attitude that says 'I'm here to give, what can I give to you? How can I serve you?' I learnt a very interesting thing about Bill Clinton the other day - everybody loves bill Clinton, whatever he does, he can do no wrong it seems. And somebody asked him in an interview one time “what is it about you that makes everybody love you so much?” and he said - he said "it doesn't matter who the person is, when I approach them all that I'm thinking in my mind is thank you.
Read full transcript:
Caroline Newman on Networking
Caroline Newman Interview
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