How to Work a Room by Susan RoAne
With the rise of online shopping, online dating (tinder anyone?) and online connection (Facebook, Twitter)… I wonder if the art of face-to-face networking will become even more of a struggle for some?
This book deals with how to shine at those face-to-face networking events.
Perhaps you’ve had one that you need (or want) to go to for business? You want to go but you’re scared of that big room full of strangers. Next thing you know, you’re sweating, feeling sick and coming up with excuses not to attend.. Well here’s a few tips and tricks you can try.
My fav quote is wee aronymn that Susan uses called OAR> observe, ask, reveal.
She emphasises that along with asking questions (a common tip you’ll find in every communication book) is that you need to REVEAL something about yourself.
I think this is a big hurdle for many who struggle with connecting. As Susan rightly points out – if you just ask questions then it will come across as an interrogation rather than a conversation!
Many of the tips in this book were similar to what I’ve read elsehwere, so I’ve only mentioned a few favourites. If you like this sort of advice then another one to try out is Leil Lowndes book ‘How to Talk to Anyone’.
Tips and tricks from How to Work a Room
- “We, too, should treat people as if we “waited all day to meet them.”
- “People remember the people who make them feel special, comfortable, and conversant and whose demeanors make them smile.”
- “Have three to five interesting news stories to discuss. While you’re at it, read a newspaper, a few books, or some movie reviews. Or join a book club or theater group. Practice three to five incidents or stories that happened to you or others.”
- In The Art of Conversation, James Morris points out that although we “realize that it is bad manners to monopolize a conversation, it’s equally bad manners not to talk enough.”
- “Disclosing something about yourself is a good way to establish your vulnerability and approachability…”
- “People do business with people they KNOW, LIKE, and TRUST. When we bring who we are (in appropriate amounts) to what we do, we allow others to feel more comfortable and to relate to us.”
Happy reading,
C x
The Marketer's Bookshelf 