An essential part of building your business is growing your network, which means you have to meet new people. And we can’t expect to be on our “game” all the time, right?

I’m an ambivert – not to be confused with ambivalent 🙂 – both extrovert and introvert, so sometimes I’m on it, other times it physically pains me to network, so I sympathise networking is especially challenging for introverts.

Here are 8 tips to quickly build rapport and connect with people:

1. Friendly body language – smile and don’t cross your arms or thumb through your phone
2. Speak slowly – you sound more important when you speak slowly
3. Listen compassionately – most people are waiting to stay something
4. Leave your ego at the door – stop thinking about yourself and focus on them
5. Make sure the person you’re speaking to sounds like the smartest person in the room
6. Ask: How? When? Why? – open ended questions gets peeps talking, plus it’s cheaper than few zambooka shots
7. Connect – tell a little about you too, not in a one-upmanship, I’m better than you, typa way, and don’t make it all about you, but more in a way to genuinely show mutual areas of interest or similarity, because when you do, it people up and get real
8. Give – figure out how you can help them

Now over to you.

Pick one from this list, pick a networking event you can attend this week and put it in action. Then come back and tell me how it went.

Good luck!

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