It’s Who You Know: Expanding Your Social Network For Success
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know – or so the saying goes. It’s certainly true that knowing the right people can get you far in life. There may be people in trades who can get you cheap discounts, people that can help you with career moves and people who can simply open you to new experiences and opinions. If you feel you’ve got a small and rather insular social circle, it could be time to expand and meet new people. Whist some people are outgoing and able to start conversations with just about anybody, the rest of us can often find it daunting. Here are just a few ways to meet people more naturally.
Join clubs
Becoming a member of a club is a great way to meet new people. This could be anything from a sports club to a book club to a political debate club. There are even membership clubs such as Tyler Country Club that offer multiple services. Find a club that interests you and give it a tour/taster to see if you’d like to become a full-time member.
Attend networking events
The likes of trade fairs, hackathons, car shows, business launch parties and comic conventions are all events set up with the purpose of meeting new people. Events are often centred around a niche that attracts like-minded passionate people – these could be great places to find people who share the same interests as you. The site Find Networking Events is great for sourcing nearby events.
Get involved in your local community
There may be local community events that you can get involved in to meet people including festivals, council projects, charity events and protests. You’re likely to hear about these events and causes through word of mouth, but you may be able to find more information of local community activities on council noticeboards and in local newspapers.
Befriend people that are connectors
If you’re not the type of person who can approach strangers and work up a conversation, you may be able to befriend someone who is like this taking the social pressure off you. Such people are great connectors and can link you up with people from all walks of life – everyone needs one of these types of friends.
Say yes to social events
You’re only going to meet people by taking advantage of every social event that comes up. Any even from a birthday party to a wedding could be a chance to network – so start saying yes to social events.
Wear conversation-starter clothing
What you wear can also help to encourage social engagement. This could be t-shirt relating to a certain interest or statement piece that people will comment on. Don’t dress boring – otherwise no-one will approach you.
Connect with people online
You can also use the internet with new people. The likes of LinkedIn are great for business networking, whilst Twitter is great for connecting with people from all walks of life. You can also get involved in internet forums and join Facebook community pages.