Networking Information

Networking in the Change Room: 5 Ways to Network Effectively While Getting Undressed


There's a time and place to network with people in order to generate leads, build rapport and form meaningful relationships. The change room at your gym, spa or country club isn't one of them. It's a lousy place to do any networking. Things dangle, imperfections are visible and being naked means that you're vulnerable.

If the person is a yapper, you're stuck listening to him since you won't be able to scurry away to your car in your birthday suit. If the person is a looker, you may feel embarassed asking her to keep her eyes focused on your own.

If you bump into someone you've been trying to get in touch with, and he's standing in front of you half-naked, here's some tips to remember to avoid embarrassment.

  • Don't stare. At a networking event, it's perfectly fine to look at what someone's wearing and even comment on how they look. In the change room, this is a no-no. Whether the person has a mole on their butt or a rash on their thigh, resist the temptation of eyeing that spot. Also, never ask how they got it. Instead, glance at the spot quickly, then return your focus to the person's eyes.

  • Keep your eyes at eye level. While networking, it's common for people to make eye contact then let their eyes fall down to your chest area to read your name tag. Don't do this in the change room. Nothing is more embarassing then dropping your eyes to scan the person in their birthday suit. Your best bet is to pretend the person is wearing a full body chastity suit and that you can't see anything below the his or her neck.

  • Don't have a long chat. At a networking event, it's okay to engage people for at least 5-minutes to find out who they are and how you can help them. In the change room, people are often not in the business frame of mind. For example, someone at the gym is there to workout and may need to get back to office quickly. Someone at the spa is there to relax and has left the office at the office. If you must chat, keep it very pleasant and very short. Then, promise to follow-up by email or phone later in the day.

  • Resist the handshake. In a normal networking situation, shaking hands is proper business etiquette. However, while in the change room, resist the urge to stick out your hand. The person may have hair gel, body lotion or some other goopy substance all over their fingers. The last thing you want to do is stand there after a handshake with something wet drying all over your fingers as you chat. Instead, simply wave hello, keep your distance and just smile.

  • Don't ask "Why are you here?" This is a normal question at a networking event. People are dying to know what you're looking for so they can help you. In the change room, asking that question is either stating the obvious or can be awkward. If you're at the gym, assume they're working out. If the person's at the doctor's office, most likely they have a medical condition that they'd prefer to discuss with their doctor. If you must ask questions, try asking about the family, a recent vacation or what they're reading these days and stay away from asking about the obvious.

    Networking in the change room can happen, just remember how to do it effectively to avoid an awkward encounter. Keep your eyes level, resist the urge to touch and you'll soon learn that networking while undressed can be rewarding to the growth of your business.

    Leesa Barnes is a networking expert who helps coaches, consultants and solopreneurs avoid cold calling by developing a fearless networking plan. Leesa is author of "Schmooze Your Way to Success: 9 Fearless Networking Tips for the Shy, Timid, Introverted & Just Plain Clueless." Sign up for her free 8-lesson ecourse called "From Clueless to Fearless: Secrets from a Networking Pro" by visiting her website at http://www.schmoozeyourwaytosuccess.com.


    MORE RESOURCES:

    eFluxMedia

    IBM and social networking
    ZDNet - 5 hours ago
    Some time ago I had a long talk with an IBM’er about social networking. He said the first key to bringing social networking to business was a simple ...
    IBM opens beta for Bluehouse online social networking and ... NetworkWorld.com
    IBM is Closer to Building Bluehouse to Compete With Cisco, Google ... eWeek
    IBM to launch free beta trial of professional networking site ... TelecomTiger
    The Inquisitr - CNNMoney.com
    all 46 news articles


    Home Networking CPE and Aggregation Devices to Generate $1.8 ...
    MarketWatch - 5 hours ago
    A new ABI Research study focused on residential gateways forecasts that home networking consumer premises equipment (CPE) and aggregation devices will ...
    MySpace, Facebook widen mobile social networking lead Fiercemobilecontent
    MySpace and Facebook Fast Becoming the Leading Mobile Social ... MarketWatch
    all 23 news articles


    Key Industry Figures to Address Storage Networking World Fall 2008 ...
    MarketWatch - 5 hours ago
    Storage Networking World is the world's largest and foremost storage networking event and the only conference where IT managers and professionals get an ...


    ADVA OPTICAL NETWORKING'S FSP 150 TO BE DEPLOYED IN THUS' NATIONAL ...
    MarketWatch - 10 hours ago
    ADVA Optical Networking today announced that THUS, one of the UK's leading business service providers, has selected the ADVA FSP 150 to assist with the ...
    THUS Deploys ADVA Optical Networking's FSP 150 TMCnet
    ADVA OPTICAL NETWORKING'S FSP 150 TO BE DEPLOYED IN THUS' NATIONAL ... International Business Times
    all 15 news articles


    Americans Throw Caution to the Wind When It Comes to Social Networking
    MarketWatch - 8 hours ago
    ... 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- More than one in two (53 percent) Americans are concerned about security threats when using social networking sites ...
    Banks Team Up for Cyber Security Awareness Month to Help Canadians ... MarketWatch
    all 16 news articles


    ChattahBox

    Facebook Co-Founder Leaving to Start New Social Networking Venture
    IT Business Edge, KY - 5 hours ago
    Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz announced he will be leaving the company in about a month to start his own social networking venture with Facebook ...
    Facebook Co-Founder To Leave For Own Software Startup InformationWeek
    Facebook co-founder quits Siliconrepublic.com
    Facebook co-founder to leave Media Guardian
    TelecomTiger - eFluxMedia
    all 48 news articles


    'Speak Once, Update All' with Ping Through SpinVox
    MarketWatch - 2 hours ago
    ATLANTA, Oct 06, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- With the explosion of social networking came the pain of having to log in and separately update a number of ...
    Raptr Adds Social Media Site Ping.fm to Their Growing List of Services MarketWatch
    all 16 news articles


    Teachers befriending their students on social networking sites
    Dallas Morning News, TX - Oct 5, 2008
    By KATHERINE LEAL UNMUTH / The Dallas Morning News Social networking Web sites started out as places for teenagers and college students to socialize. ...
    Big Spring English educator among Teacher of the Year finalists PennLive.com
    Schools try new way of teaching, learning Macon Telegraph
    all 10 news articles


    Fitspott Offers a Social Networking Platform to Help Health and ...
    PR Web (press release), WA - 10 hours ago
    Fitspott, a social networking platform for health and fitness, will launch the beta version of its site in the upcoming months. The platform will organize ...


    Lufthansa’s Social Networking Effort
    BNET, Ca - 3 hours ago
    By Brett Snyder For those who missed it, Lufthansa is attempting to reach the college kids of the world by launching a social networking site. ...
    101 corridor tech firms reposition for the future Pacific Coast Business Times
    all 2 news articles

    Networking - Google News

  • home | site map
    © 2006