One Way to Make Networking Much Easier

"You know the ones that are essentially glorified happy hours, featuring people roaming around a room carrying drinks, looking to somehow interject themselves into a conversation with someone who "matters." And, of course, when you do finally find someone willing to talk to you, you can barely hear what small talk is coming out of his or her mouth above the din of all the other small talk filling the room."

"Such events may work for you if you already know people there, have someone to introduce you to others, immediately fit in with the crowd, happen to be loud yourself, or like to drink. Otherwise, it can feel like a lot of work trying to network in such a way without much net gain. It's easy to leave such events discouraged and not knowing how else to build the network of people who can end up helping you professionally and even personally."

"Well, I learned over the years that if you are interested in building any network, it may be better to start with your interests-meaning doing activities that you would actually be interested in doing regardless of whom you want to meet. This means starting with the means and not the ends. Ask yourself what activity would you naturally gravitate towards simply for the enjoyment of it."

Traditional networking events often resemble noisy happy hours where attendees circulate with drinks, struggle to join conversations, and rely on surface-level small talk. Such events may benefit those who already know people there, have introductions, fit the crowd, are loud, or like to drink, but many find them costly in effort and low in return, leaving attendees discouraged. A more effective approach is to begin with personal interests and choose activities one would enjoy regardless of networking goals. Participating in those activities with others creates natural opportunities to form authentic connections and build a supportive network.

Read at Psychology Today