Anyone who has ever been to any sort of conference or taken part in professional development will know that networking is one of the key skills that can help us make vital connections, further our careers and raise the profile of our organisations.
So why is it such a difficult knack to acquire? There can be something very daunting about launching yourself into a room full of people you don’t know.
Networking is about more than exchanging business cards, swapping email addresses and selling yourself.
Online networking through social media or sites designed to bring people together can put you in touch with people whom you might never otherwise meet.
But nothing has quite the same impact as being in front of someone you don’t know and connecting in real time.
I think it helps to view it as exactly what it is, or should be – a conversation. Ask yourself: is this person interesting, what can we share at an individual and organisational level, and then... relax and enjoy.
This is easier said than done, so this month at the Museums Association’s Moving On Up event there will be some help at hand to make the process smoother. Museum bingo, table-swapping and speed mentoring have been organised to help you get the most from the people around you.
It’s useful to remember that while there might be some naturally gregarious people out there, even the most successful leaders can still have qualms about entering the fray.
And it shouldn’t be one-way traffic. Most good directors will tell you that it’s the people in museums – staff and audiences – who are the lifeblood of the institutions.
Staff at the beginning of their careers have plenty they can tell sector leaders about how museums could – and should – be run. Networking is just as much about listening as it is about talking.
Sharon Heal, editor, Museums Journal
sharon@museumsassociation.org
www.twitter.com/sharonheal
#mou2014
www.museumsassociation.org/conference
So why is it such a difficult knack to acquire? There can be something very daunting about launching yourself into a room full of people you don’t know.
Networking is about more than exchanging business cards, swapping email addresses and selling yourself.
Online networking through social media or sites designed to bring people together can put you in touch with people whom you might never otherwise meet.
But nothing has quite the same impact as being in front of someone you don’t know and connecting in real time.
I think it helps to view it as exactly what it is, or should be – a conversation. Ask yourself: is this person interesting, what can we share at an individual and organisational level, and then... relax and enjoy.
This is easier said than done, so this month at the Museums Association’s Moving On Up event there will be some help at hand to make the process smoother. Museum bingo, table-swapping and speed mentoring have been organised to help you get the most from the people around you.
It’s useful to remember that while there might be some naturally gregarious people out there, even the most successful leaders can still have qualms about entering the fray.
And it shouldn’t be one-way traffic. Most good directors will tell you that it’s the people in museums – staff and audiences – who are the lifeblood of the institutions.
Staff at the beginning of their careers have plenty they can tell sector leaders about how museums could – and should – be run. Networking is just as much about listening as it is about talking.
Sharon Heal, editor, Museums Journal
sharon@museumsassociation.org
www.twitter.com/sharonheal
#mou2014
www.museumsassociation.org/conference