Though networking is a much valued tool in the business community, it is also a form of quasi-social-quasi-business interaction that fills introverts with
a sense of absolute dread.
If you have been an APIA member for a while, you would have undoubtedly heard us talk about how valuable networking is and how much knowledge you can gain
just by showing up to a crowded room full of investors. So lets say one day you take our advice, shack off your fear and come along to an hour
long networking session pre-keynote only to find yourself squashed in the corner, fearful, sweaty and having no one to talk to. You stand with
a cup of lukewarm tea in your hands (builder’s tea no less and not even any milk!) and start wondering what on earth compelled you to be there in the
first place. The room is full of animated conversations, none of which involves you and suddenly it feels like you are the only person left out
of the secret club. You inwardly curse at your naivety. Too late to change course now, the car park warden has shut the gates and you can’t
possibly leave with making a scene.
If this sounds like the nightmare scenario that has been stopping you from networking at APIA events, then these tips are for you!
1. Celebrate your introversion
Introversion gets a lot of bad-rap. Our cultural framework encourages the biased view that introversion is somehow lesser than extroversion, that
introverts are shy, socially inapt and the exact people to avoid at parties. While we celebrate the success of big personalities such as
Tony Robbins, we often confuse extroversion as being a prerequisite for business success. That is not...
