There are two questions you’re almost always guaranteed to get at a business networking event. If it’s the first time you meet someone, they will invariably want to know, “What do you do?” You must be prepared with a great answer to this question, but that’s for another article. The other question is going to be “How are you?”
If it’s a very close friend, and they know you’ve had problems, then they probably do want to know how you are and how you’re dealing with your difficulties. Everyone else is are just being polite. Whatever you do, don’t answer this question with a list of your problems.
You’ve been on the receiving end of this many times. You see someone you have a passing acquaintance with. “How are you?” you ask. They proceed to give you a long list of their problems and difficulties. By the time they are done, the load of negativity you picked up from them has put a damper on your day.
Don’t do this to other people. Regardless of how bad you might think things are, leave your problems outside the event. It’s not lying, it’s using good social skills. If you need positive feedback, let your friends know you need support, but otherwise, there are many good reasons to avoid discussing your problems:
* Unless that person is the cause of your problem, there’s nothing they can do about it.
* If this is the first time you’ve met them, you’re now labeled as a complainer in their mind.
* If you have to mention a body part that we can’t see, that’s way too personal, and you’ve made the other person very uncomfortable.
* You are injecting negativity into a situation that is meant to be fun, such as a networking or business event.
* You’re wasting time whining about your life when you could be building a connection that could solve your problem.
* Everybody has problems. And someone in that room has a much worse one than you do.
If you can focus on the positive and happy things in your life, you’ll feel better. Other people will be more positive with you and you’ll have more productive interactions. Don’t waste the opportunity to solve your problems instead of dwelling on them.
Looking for more networking tips, tricks, strategies & advice? Visit MeetingWave’s Networking Motivator Blog.
About the Author: Beth Bridges is The Networking Motivator ™ and creator of the 5 Part Networking Success Plan ™, a simple networking system that can help anyone from business owners to sales agents to college students develop a powerful network. Subscribe to the weekly Networking Motivator Newsletter at http://www.thenetworkingmotivator.com/ for a quick boost of networking inspiration, information and motivation.”
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