WCEI Dynamic Connections event – Paspaley

Victoria WCEI members were treated to an intimate gathering at Paspaley pearls.  Jenny Hoysted opened the event, welcoming us and introducing our newest member – Varan Freestone.

Varan was also the host of our evening, bringing her unique and engaging style and challenging us to share our own networking tips, then truly get to know others in the room.

Picture it this way:

Are you the person who walks into a room and knows everybody within 5 minutes?
Or are you the person who is watching that person and wondering how they do it?

Now think about the most recent conference you attended – who sticks out in your mind the most? The person who gave you their name and title, or the person who connected with you on a more authentic level?

This sums up how the night evolved.  No more wall flowers.  Instead we created ‘Dynamic Connections’.

Varan shared her own stories about how she connects with people, providing insights and motivating us to do the same.  By the end of the evening, every person had met every other person, built rapport and agreed how they were going to stay in contact.

Tips shared on the night included:

  • Initiate contact: When you walk into a room, start with a smile.  It’s amazing how many people will smile back.  Once you have eye contact, it’s easy to approach and start talking.
  • Two-way Conversation: Be generous with your knowledge, your questions and your listening.
  • Leverage Technology: Use LinkedIn Nearby function to connect with people on the spot. Turn it on and it will automatically detect who else has it turned on nearby.
  • Pay it Forward: If you see a person standing by themselves at an event, go up, introduce yourself and then introduce them to others.

Whatever your style, connecting authentically with people is an Art in and of itself.  If you would like to read more, here are some of the blog posts from the event.

Thank you to all who attended (and Deb Cerasa for catering) and we look forward to seeing you at the next event.