Networking and Relationship Building

Some people believe that networking is simply meeting or speaking with someone new for what might just be a one-time only discussion or event–a trading or transactional relationship in which two parties seek to discover whether or not they have anything of mutual interest to talk about, and then either make some sort of exchange, or quickly move on.

Networking is much more than that. In fact it is an extremely important social and life skill that helps people succeed in business and personal life.

Networking and Relationship Building

The 'relationship building' part of this competency refers to a long-term commitment to learning more about yourself and others and what you can do together that you can't do alone (or as well).

This Facilitator's Guide focuses on how networking can expose you to a wider range of people who can help you to achieve more (whatever more means for you).

The benefits of effective networking are:

• It is the most cost-effective marketing tool available
• Networking referrals typically generate 80% more results than a cold call
• Approximately 75% of all jobs are found through network contacts
• Every person you meet has 200-250 people with whom they connect. Each one can potentially help you
• Anyone you might want to meet in the world is less than ten people-contacts away from you–perhaps only five or six.

As if these benefits were not convincing enough, a healthy and active network is a vast resource available to every individual at a very low personal cost–a resource that can help us achieve a range of goals that might otherwise be out unattainable. (Alert participants will have noticed that we said low personal cost–not no personal cost. We are not suggesting that networking is a quick fix that will make things better for a while. It will take an investment of time and energy, but there will be immediate results.)

The Networking & Relationship Building Profile provides a detailed process for assessing an individual's existing capacity to network with others and highlights areas where improvements might be possible.

What to order: You will need 1 Self Assessment per participant. For maximum benefit, purchase 1 Facilitator Guide per trainer.  

The Seven Competency Areas are:

• Temperament and Disposition
• Organisational Ability
• Nurturing Ability
• Persistence
• Strategising Ability
• Communication
• Social Involvement

These sub-categories factor into networking and relationship building are separate areas of the assessment, but will be combined to create the overall profile.

This 84 item questionnaire has been designed as a self-scoring Networking assessment instrument to help individuals understand more about their skills in this critical area.

Networking Definitions

1. A power that cornea from a spirit of giving and sharing
2. Establishing connections that are mutually satisfactory
3. A willingness to honour ourselves, our relationships, and our connections with the universal flow
4. A way in which we relate to the people and the resources around us
5. Sending out into the system what we have and what we know about, and having it return to recirculate continually through the network
6. Consists of creating links from peopJe we know to people they know in an organised way for a specific purpose
7. One person with a need contacts another with a resource, and networking begins
8. Giving, contributing to, and supporting others without keeping score
9. People caring about people
10. People connecting with people and linking ideas and resources
11. Exists to foster self-help, to exchange information, to change society and work-life, and to share resources
12. Ensuring the right to ask a favour—giving without hooks.

Conducting a Workshop or Seminar with the Facilitator Guide

This guide will provide useful explanations and discussion ideas for anyone making a presentation or conducting a workshop on the Networking & Relationship Building Profile. Workshop facilitators and trainers can design their own overheads, flipcharts, and hand-outs based on the material contained in this guide.

Topics Include

PART 1 Introduction

PART 2 Conducting a Workshop or Seminar

PART 3 Administering the Assessment

PART 4 Networking and Relationship Building Competencies

PART 5 Temperament and Disposition

PART 6 Strategising Ability

PART 7 Organisational Ability

PART 8 Communication

PART 9 Nurturing Ability

PART 10 Social Involvement

PART 11 Persistence

PART 12 Summary

PART 13 Personal Action Planning