Expert networker Raquel Eatmon shares her tips on how to take your networking to the next level. By pushing your comfort levels you will gain valuable relationships you may have previously missed out on.

Transcript:

I’m Raquel Eatmon, CEO of Rising Media LLC. Today I’m talking about three ways to push your comfort levels in networking… Well, networking has been a game-changer for me and I really didn’t understand these three principles very well until I really put them to work and once you put them to work, they work. I mean you have to work it in order for it to work for you.

And the first principal is it’s not about you. I know we go into networking events thinking who am I going to meet and who’s going to help me with my next business deal. It isn’t really about you, it’s really about getting to know people, know what they are about, what they’re looking for and that leads me to the second principle— listen more than you speak out.

There is actually this medical study and it said if you listen more than you speak you actually lower your blood pressure and I know it’s not about health and wellness here but the fact is when we listen, we do take in a lot more information. We understand if this is someone later on down the line that might be able to help us or how can you help them. Networking is obviously a give and take situation.

The third principle is one of my all time favorites, you have to network with people outside of your comfort zone. For me, this is getting outside of my bubble. It means finding people who don’t really look like you, maybe their educational background is very different from yours. Maybe they’re into a whole different belief system than you. Whatever it is you gotta shake things up a little bit, talk to people who are very different than you. Why do you do that? You want to get as many points of view about your business or your career as you possibly can, and stepping outside that box or bubble is the sure way to do it.

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