The presentation from session I recently delivered at City Students' Union's 'Student Leadership Conference 2017'. The session aims to teach students and young professionals how to network, how to get the most out of business interactions and guidelines on social media.

1. Making a Professional
Impact:
Effective Networking
Laura Dickens and Yusuf Ahmad
#CityLeaders
@LauraDickens90

2. Agenda:
● What is Professional Impact?
● Why Network?
● Role Models
● Overcoming Fears
● Rules of Networking
● Social Media Networking
● Interactions

3. Practical 01
Get into groups of 4.
Take it in turns to introduce yourself, covering the
following points:
- Who you are
- What you're studying
- The field you want to get into
- 1 interesting fact about you

4. ● How was that?
● What did you notice about others?
● What was memorable?
● What did you notice about
yourself?

5. What is Impact?
How does
someone create it?

6. Why Network?
● Meet new people
● Build confidence
● Make new connections
● Learn from others
● Teach others and discover your strengths

7. Role Models
● What do they do that is
impactful?
● What things can you
take from them to use
yourself?
● Who are yours?

8. Overcoming Barriers
● What is it that holds you back?
● Everyone starts somewhere - people
● You are the expert
● Focus 8
● Breathing

9. Overcoming Barriers (ii)
● Happy place - get pumped
● The Buffet
● Try to go it alone - move beyond comfort
● Practice makes perfect
● Make the most of current positions held
● Aim to listen and learn something new

10. The Rules
➔ Know the Purpose of Event
➔ Research Attendees
➔ 2-Way Process
➔ Be Authentic
➔ Know the Dress-Code
➔ Set Yourself Goals
➔ Have a Call to Action
➔ Follow-Up

11. Know the
Purpose of the
Event
What is on the agenda?
What will be spoken about?
Why are you attending?
What are you hoping to get out of
it?

12. Who is attending?
Who is the key note speaker?
What are their achievements,
expertise and knowledge?
Pronunciations of names
Research
Attendees

13. 2-Way Process
Networking is a 2-Way Process.
You are there to Listen and Learn
from people, but also to Share
and Teach
Treat people as personalities, not
professions
Keep the conversation balanced,
not all 1-sided or ‘what can you
do for me’.

14. Ensure you are comfortable in
You - be true to yourself
Don’t Lie or Over-exaggerate your
achievements
Do big up what you have achieved
Use open body language
Make the most of your quirks
Be Authentic

15. Know the Dress-
Code
White Tie - Full Tuxedo
Black Tie - Tuxedo, Long Dresses
Black Tie Optional - Tuxedo or Dark Suit,
Long or Cocktail Dresses
Business Formal - Suits, Workwear, Tailored
Business Casual - Suits without Jackets,
Smart workwear, no Jeans or Trainers
Smart-Casual - Semi-Formal - Blazers, no
Trainers
Casual - Anything goes
Make sure you turn up
dressed for the occasion.
Better to be too smart than
too casual.

16. Set a target of what you want to
get out of the event - e.g. I will
talk to 5 new people or I will
learn about X
Time how long you spend at the
buffet - commit to visits
Move beyond your friends and
comfort zone
Set Yourself
Goals

17. Have a Call to
Action
Ensure you get something out of the
conversation and leave an impression
by:
Giving a business card
Adding them on social media
Arranging a meeting
Only acceptable time to be on your
phone.

18. If meeting - send an email to confirm a date or
that you want to meet:
“Dear Yusuf,
Great to meet you at the Train Enthusiasts Event on
Monday. I’m getting in touch to follow up on meeting
- how is your diary looking over the next few weeks?
Laura”
● Message them on LinkedIn or Twitter
● Tag them in a Tweet, Instagram or
Facebook post and reshare their response
● Write a blog post about meeting them and
share it
Follow Up
(No longer than 2 days
after the event)

19. Rules of Social Media
DOs
Consider having a personal and professional page -
particularly if an angry person or oversharer. Protect any
personal accounts
Explore LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Medium
as ways to communicate and constantly expand and post to
your networks
Make your account discoverable - have a good bio covering
what you do, positions, skills and buzzwords
Use pictures, videos, broadcasting - be visual
DONT’S
Post things you don’t want
everyone to see or in the heat of the
moment - everything posted to the
internet stays there
Lie
Put emotions as hashtags - No-one
will see these
Overshare information

20. Interactions
Follow-Up
Within 2-days
Online, Email
Talk about the event
Who You Are
Positions held
University
Course
Personal
What You Do
Talk about, what you do
professionally and hobbies
Learn and share
Leave a call to action
Open & Closed Questions

21. Practical 02
Fill out your blank business cards with:
- Name
- Course/Profession
- Contact Details
Now go and network in this room with 5 people that
you don’t already know.
The aim is to get rid of all 5 business cards (you can’t
give the same person more than 1 or to us!!).

22. Fake it
until you
make it.
Fake it
until you
become it.

23. Useful Links
https://www.cleverism.com/what-qualities-
make-good-networker/
http://www.alleywatch.com/2017/01/10-
simple-tips-successful-informal-networking/