Fast Results E-Zine
When you sign up, you'll get instant access to my article archives, exclusive content and other freebies. Plus, we will never sell, rent or share your information so sign up today.
Search
Bookmark this Page
Blog Carnivals
Blogroll
Resources
Categories
- 10 Things (3)
- Blog Carnival (8)
- Bullying (4)
- Career (56)
- Communicators in the news (20)
- events (1)
- General (15)
- Goal Setting (21)
- Health (1)
- Inspiration (24)
- Interpersonal Communication (35)
- Job Interview (28)
- Leadership (5)
- Learning (2)
- Motivation (54)
- Networking (18)
- Online Success (8)
- Personal (6)
- Politics (20)
- Public Speaking (130)
- Quick Tip (7)
- Review (2)
- success (4)
- Time Management (5)
- Toastmasters (29)
- Video of the Week (14)
- Writing (5)
Archives
- July 2010 (6)
- June 2010 (13)
- May 2010 (3)
- April 2010 (2)
- March 2010 (11)
- February 2010 (12)
- January 2010 (6)
- December 2009 (7)
- November 2009 (12)
- October 2009 (12)
- September 2009 (3)
- August 2009 (6)
- July 2009 (11)
- June 2009 (16)
- May 2009 (8)
- April 2009 (7)
- March 2009 (10)
- February 2009 (7)
- January 2009 (8)
- December 2008 (5)
- November 2008 (3)
- October 2008 (7)
- September 2008 (11)
- August 2008 (9)
- July 2008 (18)
- June 2008 (9)
- May 2008 (14)
- April 2008 (14)
- March 2008 (11)
- February 2008 (10)
- January 2008 (13)
- December 2007 (13)
- November 2007 (2)
- October 2007 (4)
- September 2007 (3)
- August 2007 (4)
- July 2007 (3)
- June 2007 (4)
- April 2007 (1)
- February 2007 (2)
- January 2007 (3)
- December 2006 (2)
- November 2006 (7)
- October 2006 (6)
- September 2006 (12)
I have a confession to make: I’ve spent the majority of my life being shy. When I was a kid having to meet new people – adults especially, but even kids – was a challenge for me. I grew out of it in high school and college but then when it was time for me to hit the workforce, it came back.
It’s unfortunate that this year’s group of college graduates are facing one of the most challenging job markets since the great depression. I’ve had a number of college seniors contact me in recent weeks for career advice regarding this unique situation. Here is the advice I’ve passed on to them.
Enjoy the time you have left:
If you’ve ever been to a business networking event, you’ve probably been told that starting a conversation is the hardest part. This tends to be true for neophyte networkers – walking up to someone new and introducing yourself can be quite challenging. However, when you become an experienced networker, you may sometimes find that exiting a conversation is much more difficult than starting one.
You’re probably wondering if I’ve gone crazy with this one. Yes, I still blog about networking and still teach a class about it. But I wanted to share something that came up in a conversation after a breakout session I did on, you guessed it, networking. One of the attendees asked me if networking was for everyone. My answer was that everyone can benefit from good networking but sometimes networking opportunities (as well as networking events) can be a waste of time, and in some cases, counterproductive.
Over the last few years I’ve met people that swear by social media saying that they never have to go to another in-person networking event. I’ve also met my share of people who feel that social media is merely a distraction with no real value. How do I feel? Well, given that I offer courses in both traditional networking and social media I’m sure you can tell that I believe there’s value in both. And like most things in life, where you get the most benefit will depend on your situation. I will say that completely discounting either method of making new connections is a mistake. I have had successes using both methods and I know many others that have as well.
You have a lot to say and are enthusiastic about what you have to say, yet you’re lacking one key ingredient – no one can understand you because you mumble. You may mumble and not even be aware of it – although a good indicator is when people are always asking you to repeat yourself because they didn’t hear or understand what you said.
Mumbling is caused by a number of things such as trying to talk too fast, not opening your mouth all the way while speaking, blocking your mouth, not speaking loud enough, or having a dry or sore mouth. Unless there is something physically wrong with your mouth, the key to dealing with mumbling is practice. Just like people can control their stuttering with practice, a little effort and awareness goes a long way with mumbling. Here are two easy ways to deal with mumbling.
Read out loud:
Yesterday, we talked about how to get someone prepped for a conversation so today we’ll get to the meat of it – what to say. This is where many people find the most difficulty so let’s jump right into it.
5. Comment about the situation.
This is the essence of networking/”>small talk. Mention the weather, make a comment about the place that you’re at, talk about the lengthy wait or whatever other reason you can think of that builds some commonality with the person you’re about to converse with. You’re both somewhere for a reason so if you’re waiting for a train, a doctor, service for your car or waiting in line, you both have that in common. If the weather is unusually nice or there’s something pleasant about the situation you’re in, mention that.
calendar
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Jun | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
Recent Posts
Popular Articles
- Interview Question: What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Public Speaking Success: How to Get Ideas for Speech Topics
- How to Answer the Strengths and Weaknesses Job Interview Question
- Hannah Montana Takes “Racy” Photos
- A Fast Way to Improve Your Articulation
- Job Interview Questions: Where Do You Expect to Be in Five Years?
- How to Improve Your Articulation
- Personal Power: Should you Focus on your Strengths or Strengthen your Weaknesses
- Public Speaking Success: Three Ways to Make a Speech More Interesting
- 10 Questions to Ask During a Job Interview
- Public Speaking: How to Write a Powerful Conclusion for Your Speech
Recent Comments
- Reid Walley
on Why Most Self-Help Books are Garbage - Why Most Self-Help Books are Garbage | Overnight Sensation - Public Speaking, Communication and Personal Development
on Does Having a Job Make You a Slave? - Why Most Self-Help Books are Garbage | Overnight Sensation - Public Speaking, Communication and Personal Development
on Video of the Week: Watch “The Secret” - Quick Tip: How to Stop Mumbling | Overnight Sensation - Public Speaking, Communication and Personal Development
on Public Speaking Success: Why You Shouldn’t Practice Your Speech in Front of a Mirror - How to Be Liked | Overnight Sensation - Public Speaking, Communication and Personal Development
on The Good Heckler - How to Be liked | Overnight Sensation - Public Speaking, Communication and Personal Development
on Dealing with Bullies - How to Be liked | Overnight Sensation - Public Speaking, Communication and Personal Development
on Networking Can Be a Complete Waste of Time - Marianna
on On Being Shy
recent entries
- Why Most Self-Help Books are Garbage
- How to Be Liked
- On Being Shy
- When Words Take on a Life of Their Own
- Parents Should Act Like Parents
- Three Ways to Close Gaps in Your Resume
- Do People Really Care About Public Speaking?
- Do You Need a Job to Get a Job?
- 10 Things I’ve Learned About Using Twitter
- Watch Your Language
Wordpress theme by Wordpress Themes & made free by Internet Marketing Center
© 2006-2008 James Feudo All Rights Reserved.

