Subject: Networking skills

I agree it's hard, especially if you are a retiring kind of person. I used to find that the best thing to do was to take a bunch of business cards with my details, force myself to find one person to talk to -  "What do you do?" - ask them for their contact details and perhaps give them mine. 

For me that was the hardest part, and often the person I started with was in no way connected to anything in my world (once it was a waiter!) ; but once I was started it got easier. 

The other thing was to buttonhole someone who had said something, asked a question etc and say "I was interested in what you said about xx," and get them to say a bit more.

Most people are very happy to talk about themselves, and will be grateful to you for giving them the opportunity. Once you've had a few conversations like that which are just chatty, it's easier to do the "NETWORKING" thing and find the people you actually need to connect with.

Until you've built your confidence up a bit, it can help to get a friend or colleague to go with you, or to arrange to meet someone you know there.  If you do this, make sure you don't spend the entire time talking to them though!  One tip is for you and your friend to agree to talk to one new person each, then you can also introduce each other to the people you have both met and introduce those people to each other, if they don't know each other, too.

It can sometimes be difficult to break into existing conversations at networking events so another tip is to look out for someone else that's either on their own or not talking to anyone yet, and strike up a conversation with them.

Remember, you're probably not the only person there who feels slightly awkward, and most people are just as happy for someone else to make the 'first move' as you would be.

I find it can be helpful to have a series of stock questions in your head at networking events - that way you're not stuck for things to say (and come across as an interested person, which is always nice). Standard questions include, what organisation someone is from, what that organisation does, their role within the organisation, and how long they've been there. Branching out, try (inconspicuously) to find something you have in common with the person which you can then talk about, or ask questions relevant to the time of year, such as if they have any holiday plans.

And most importantly, act as though you are confident and no one will know that you're not.