'Connecting is not Enough' - tips and tools to help you get a return from your networking

I hope you had an enjoyable weekend break and celebrations. We're now well into 2012 and the mood in the country seems to be getting slightly brighter (or am I the eternal optimist?). This summer certainly promises a great amount on a sporting and cultural level in the UK and hopefully, as the Olympics and Jubilee celebrations come closer, we can focus on enjoying them rather than waiting for everything to fail.

It would be great to see the optimism that often accompanies such celebrations be reflected in growth in the economy and a period of relative stability and, dare I suggest, success for businesses. Recent data published by The Purchasing Managers' Index and by the CBI suggest the biggest uplift in the economy in nearly a year.  Let's hope that their forecasts are accurate and good times lie ahead.

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'Networking' is a term that is often misinterpreted. Sometimes it helps just to refocus on what networking really means. 

There are two types of networking. The first type is the networking you do all the time, without realising, or labelling, it. You have a range of contacts, often called your 'network', made up of family, friends, business contacts, social contacts and people with whom you have a looser relationship. This network is made of several layers, depending on the length and depth of the relationship and the frequency with which you interact. 

When most people hear the term 'networking', however, they tend automatically to think of the more formal opportunities offered to them by business networks, whether online or face to face. We think of strangers meeting and tentatively approaching one another, one minute presentations or elevator pitches and the exchange of business cards.

For me, networking at its core is about the support people can offer each other, helping each of us to achieve beyond our individual potential. It's a process where we can share our experience, expertise, contacts, ideas and feedback with those who need them and where we can benefit in turn from other people's input. 

Networking events and sites formalise that process and create an opportunity to access such support. The deeper the relationship, however, the more people will want to help you and it is from your network that true support will always come. 

I recently spoke about using LinkedIn as a referral tool at the National Conference of the Federation of Small Businesses in Scarborough.

You can watch the video of the talk, complete with screen shots from LinkedIn, here. 

Andy Lopata talks to FSB

When I attended the FSB Conference last month, I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of members and the coach of the British Wheelchair Basketball team and talk about their hopes for this summer's   Paralympic Games.

I was interested to hear about the levels of funding available for disability sport and the costs involved. One organisation is trying to help to both raise funds for, and awareness of disability sport, by offering groups opportunities to participate in the sports. 

More can be seen in this video and it seems like a fantastic idea for team away days, particularly in a climate where businesses need to be seen to be more ethical in how they engage with clients and staff outside the office. 

SIMS Corporate Days

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Do you write a business blog?   Do you feel that it's good enough to be considered among the best in the World? Would you like it to be? 

Gail Gardner of US based GrowMap, who I met as a result of the recent nominations of '...and Death Came Third!' and 'Recommended' in the Small Business Book Awards, is launching a new competition for international bloggers.

Bloggers will be asked to write posts sharing their best small business advice, as well as a range of other related blogs. A judging panel will then select the best bloggers, who will win a range of cash and other prizes. 

Full details are here. As well as the opportunity to test yourself among other bloggers worldwide, the competiton offers mentoring and additional exposure for your blog. 

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iMagic

Just for Fun

In other people's words