Networking Activities for Anywhere

Abstract

Networking Activities for Anywhere "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." ~Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings (1954), by J. R. R. Tolkien 7.1 Networking Opportunities Abound Now that we have discussed a lot of theory and skills relating to networking, it is time to discuss applications, activities, and venues. Networking is an activity that we tend to envision happening at certain times, such as at conferences or events labeled "networking." Those are valuable opportunities, but networking can occur almost anywhere. The activities described here can be practiced in your company, town, online, at conferences, while traveling, and beyond. They are introduced here are concepts in a general sense, with specific applications discussed in the chapters on local networking (Chapter 8), conferences (Chapter 9), and online and digital networking (Chapters 10 and 11). 7.2 Volunteering Volunteering is one of the best possible opportunities for sustainable networking. It is about generating mutual success, which is what makes it such a powerful tool. Volunteering your time and energy benefits the organization that you are helping, and the event or activity you are volunteering for is typically designed to benefit a particular community. Time spent volunteering is also rewarding on a personal level, 1 as you get the satisfaction of helping your community, and you will typically learn new skills in the process. It also creates great opportunities to meet people. Working side-by-side with like-minded people on something that you all care about can create a strong contact or bond. Interactions that involve a shared struggle or accomplishment of a common goal have been shown to create trust and bonding, 2,3 and volunteering can generate this type of interaction. For some volunteering engagements, you will have direct contact with the community and get to meet people that way. You will also have contact with the organizing staff, and if you are helpful and reliable, they