The Introverted Networker Podcast

Greg

Weekly networking tips to help you grow your network (especially if you're an introvert). theintrovertednetworker.substack.com

  1. 6d ago

    What To Say When You're Networking

    Introverts dread the networking conversation. The silence. The pressure to say something smart. Here’s the good news: Harvard research shows you barely need to talk at all. In this episode, you’ll learn why people’s brains actually light up when they talk about themselves, and why that works in your favor. You’ll get the exact three questions to ask in any networking conversation. You’ll learn the listening rule that makes those questions land. You’ll see how to handle a dormant tie who responds to your outreach. And you’ll walk away with a simple mindset shift that takes all the pressure off you. The science backing this up comes from Harvard fMRI research, covered in Scientific American back in 2013. It found that the brain’s dopamine and motivation center lights up most when a person talks about themselves to someone else. People already spend 60% of normal conversations talking about themselves. On social media, it’s 80%. That means your job in a networking conversation is simple. Ask about them. Then listen. Don’t interrupt. Don’t check your phone. Don’t wait for your turn to talk about you. This isn’t about being clever. It’s about giving people the conversation their brain already wants to have. Subscribe for more: https://theintrovertednetworker.substack.com/ Always Be Connecting. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theintrovertednetworker.substack.com

  2. Jul 18

    How To Re-Connect With The Network You Already Have

    Sending the first message to an old contact feels small. Like it can’t possibly matter. But it’s the one extra degree that makes the water boil. In this video, I break down why the first re-connection message is the hardest one to send and the most important one you’ll send all year. You’ll learn why small efforts compound instead of disappearing. You’ll see the exact message template to use on a dormant tie, plus the version with context if you need it. You’ll learn the DO NOTs that kill a re-connection before it starts. And you’ll walk away with one assignment you can finish today. The core idea comes from Atomic Habits. James Clear describes water at 200 degrees. Nothing. At 211 degrees. Still nothing. At 212, it boils. Nothing about that last degree is special. It’s every degree before it that made it possible. Your network works the same way. One message doesn’t look like progress. It’s the accumulation that turns into opportunity. Your network is bigger than you think. It’s just gone quiet. This video shows you how to wake it back up. This video is based on the newsletter issue that was originally published in The Introverted Networker on August 6, 2022: TIN #002 - How To Re-Connect With The Network You Already Have. BTW: This advice works for extroverts, too! If this helped, subscribe to the newsletter for more networking tips! Always Be Connecting. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theintrovertednetworker.substack.com

  3. Jul 8

    How To Network If You Don't Know Anyone

    You think networking means walking up to strangers and making small talk. It doesn’t. The best place to start is people you already know. In this episode, I break down why your existing contacts are your real network, even if you’ve never thought of them that way. You’ll learn what a dormant tie is and why it beats your current coworkers for real advice. You’ll see the research behind it. And you’ll get two simple ways to build your own list of people worth reaching back out to. Here’s the core idea: dormant ties are people you’ve worked with before but lost touch with. They already trust you. They already know your name. And because they’ve been off living a different professional life, they bring perspectives your daily coworkers can’t. An MIT Sloan study, cited in Adam Grant’s Give and Take, found that executives got more innovative and diverse advice from old contacts than from the people they talk to every single day. Distance creates fresh eyes. I’ll walk you through two ways to build your dormant ties list: thinking back through your resume, and using LinkedIn’s Experience section to spot old connections. No cold outreach. No awkward stranger small talk. Just people who already know you. This video is based on the newsletter issue that was originally published in The Introverted Networker on July 30, 2022: TIN #001 - How To Network If You Don’t Know Anyone. BTW: This advice works for extroverts, too! If this helped, subscribe to the newsletter for more networking tips! Always Be Connecting. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theintrovertednetworker.substack.com

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Weekly networking tips to help you grow your network (especially if you're an introvert). theintrovertednetworker.substack.com