Anyone can be a great networker. Regardless of whether you consider yourself an outgoing person or not, oftentimes the most effective people at networking aren’t natural extroverts or anything along those lines. Instead the best networkers show up at events with specific personality traits that they emphasize for the occasion. In this blog we’ll discuss the best personality traits for networking and we promise you these are traits you can develop with intention and practice!
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Let’s take a look at what we consider the most important personality traits for networking.
Confidence
Confidence is critical to bring to any networking event. Most people are uncomfortable being in large groups of strangers. It makes us feel vulnerable and unsafe. Showing up to a networking event and exhibiting confidence is a surefire way to attract people to you that are feeling less confident and will seriously up your networking game. Establish confidence early by visualizing yourself having success at the networking event.
Self-Awareness
Many of us lack self-awareness and that can really hurt us at networking events. Self-awareness is not just about being aware of ourselves and our own feelings, it’s also about being aware of how others are perceiving us. If you want to display confidence and approachability it is crucial to be highly self-aware of how you’re showing up to other people. Get better at self-awareness by learning to recognize how people respond to different types of body language and communication.
Active Listening
The best personality trait for networking? Hard to say because any of the three of these listed are gold when it comes to excelling at networking. There is, however, a strong argument to be made that active listening is more important than any other personality trait when it comes to networking. Active listening means it’s not about you or your needs, it’s about really hearing the person in front of you. Do you know who is most likely to want to help you? The people that feel heard. So go out and hear them! To practice active listening make sure you focus on what someone is saying and not what you want to say. Pay attention, ask clarifying questions and really tune into the meaning behinds someone’s words.
What traits do you believe are most important for networking?
Let us know your thoughts, you can email us at info@jbandthedoctor.com!
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