What is it with the word "networking,"
anyway? Alex Williams wrote in today's Sunday Styles section of the New York Times about groups of 20-something professionals attending gatherings hosted by an organization called likemind (and no, apparently I'm not supposed to capitalize the L) to discuss business. But no one wanted to call what they were doing "networking."
I agree that the word needs a Madison Avenue makeover. It generates such an intensely negative reaction in so many people, that they won't even attempt it. In fact, I almost didn't want to have it in the title of my book Smart Networking for fear of scaring off the very audience who needs it most (if you Google around a bit, you might be able to catch what the original title was).
Pollster and political consultant Frank Luntz believes that words have the power to persuade. He wrote the book Words that Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear, and he argued on a cable show a few weeks ago that if the $700 billion bailout plan had been called an "investment plan" instead, the American public might have accepted it more readily. Really?
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. But networking? Would it really be more popular if it were called something else? Would more people actually jump into it with great excitement, or would they find some other excuse to stay home?
There are more shades to networking than some might think. It's not like the color "black" where even though there are technically different shades, most of us have the same one in mind.
Networking is more like the color "green" where there's a pretty wide range. Some may think of grass, seafoam, or pine, while others see apple, mint, aqua, jade, or olive. The point is, there are many different shades of networking, so if schmooze-fest isn't your style, pick somewhere else to build and strengthen relationships--coffee one-on-one, small group meetings, alumni reunion, online community, book club, etc.
All networking is not alike, so don't dismiss the whole concept with such a broad brush that you never do it at all. Once you get over the semantics, the hardest part will be behind you.
I agree 100%, Liz! People I meet dislike networking so much they resist any suggestion to reach out to people when hunting for a new job or new career. When I tell clients to replace the word "networking" with "relationship building" they seem to be more open to the idea. I like to think of it as focusing on getting to know people and having people get to know you. In the end I believe we help those we like and for someone to like you they need to get to know you.