Which ‘hat’ do you wear to go networking?

This great article was found on the blog of QJ and Henry- the inspirationalists.

Take a look and see if you can identify yourself- or anyone you know- in these characteristics!

When you go out networking, which hat do you wear?

For this article, I’ve selected just seven hats, or roles, that I’ve seen people wear when they go to networking group meetings. And what I hope to do for you today, is just to get you thinking about which one (and it may be none of these) do you most often wear, and which one do you think might produce a better or the best result for you.

I don’t believe there are right or wrong answers, by the way.

1. The Connector – The Connector asks questions like, ‘Who do you want to meet?’ and ‘Who can I connect you with?’ and ‘If I could introduce you to someone in particular, who would that be?’ The Connector’s sole mission is to know lots of people and link them all up.
2. The Giver – The Giver wants to help people. The giver will say things like, ‘How can I help you in your business?’ or ‘Is there something in particular that you think I might be able to help you with?’
3. The Educator – The Educator will usually stand up and give the attendees the benefit of her knowledge, either about the world in general, or about a particular business issue or practice.
4. The Comedian – The Comedian is a great asset to any group. He will make us laugh, he will engage us in silly games, or he will have some great lines that just come out, ad hoc, that crease us up.
5. The Inquisitor – The Inquisitor is a great listener and gets the other person to do all the talking (or most of it). Her purpose might be to see if there is anything she can help with or sell, or she may just be someone who is socially adept at making the other person feel important.
6. The Persuader – The Persuader will have a great elevator pitch, where everyone listening will go,‘WOW, that’s interesting. I must find out more!’
7. The Bore – The Bore is … well, boring, of course. The person that never stops talking, usually about themselves. Not necessarily a boring person but someone who might well be shy or a bit of an introvert. I’m constantly amazed by how many introverts try to cover up there anxieties by talking too much!

And there you have it. Which one are you? Do you think that what you do is a ‘perfect fit’ for getting the results that you want? Are you getting the results that you want from your networking – or not?

Come along to a BNSW event, and see if you can find out what hat you where!