4 ways to hold peoples attention at networking events

4 ways to hold peoples attention at networking events4 ways to hold peoples attention at networking eventsNetworking events - as social as a dinner party or as buttoned-up as an industry conference - are the ultimate opportunitiesto put the best version of yourself out there in an effort to form meaningful connections with other people.Heres how to keep people inside or outside of your industry interested in what you have to say when you meet for the very first time.Really listen to the other personIts easy to tell when someone isnt focused on getting to know you or your story - their eyes dart, and it often feels like theyre looking right through you.Dont be that person.Instead, try empathetic listening, writes Christina DesMarais in an Inc. articlethat includes networking advice for introverts, extroverts, and the socially awkward. She describes it as trying to see things from the perspective of whom youre talking to with the zweck of gaining information about them.She also feat ures advice from Jacqueline Whitmora, etiquette expert and author of Poised for Success Mastering the Four Qualities That Distinguish Outstanding Professionals.When you ask the person a question, listenwith the intent to understand and also to establish a connection with that person, because people tend to remember people they have a connection with.Dont be a card dealer . . .In other words, dont move too quickly. Moving from person to person in a hurry probably wont help you earn their respect or keep their attention.Ivan Misner identifies types of desperate networkers in an Entrepreneur article. The Card Dealer is among them.After saying that this type is likely the most common form of desperation hes encountered, he mentions that this networker quickly gives out business cards like hes at a poker table and does not really connect with people unless he thinks theres something in it for him. Misner continuesTo the Card Dealer, networking is mostly a numbers game.The more people he can pass his cards to,the better hes doing (or so he thinks). Card Dealers tend to have a network that is a mile wide but an inch deep because they dont spend time building relationships. It never works in the long run and they just look inexperienced, frazzledand yes - desperate.. . . but do hold the cards yourselfInaHarvard Business Review article, Dorie Clark, who says shes hosted more than two dozen dinner parties to expand her network and meet interesting people, writes that you should seek to become the center of the network.She cites the example of Jon Levy, who began throwing Influencers dinner gatherings at his apartment in New York City with luminaries in different fields, and offers a strategy.Clark says to start by inviting the most interesting professionals you know and request that they suggest the most interesting connections they have.Over time you can build a substantial network, she writes. At a certain point youll gain enough momentum that professionals who have heard about the dinners will even reach out to ask for an invitation.Be a resource for othersProviding someone else with what they need is a good way to prove the value of your new connection.A Monster article mentions that you should respond to others challenges. Theres no better way to establish a business networking relationship than by helping them with a pressing issue, the articles states.If someone states a challenge that theyre facing, respond- no later than the next morning- with something of value that addresses their issue, says John Felkins, president of Accelerant Consulting Group, an organizational development consultancy in Bartlett, Tennessee.And who knows? Although you shouldnt purely give help to get it back, the person you assist may be able to vouch for you in the future or support your career in other ways.Being good at networking starts with recognizing that youre having a conversation with another human being who may be able to teach you something new if you r eally engage with them.