On Tuesday, September 29th, in the lower board room at the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce businessmen and women alike gathered together to test their networking skills in the form of speed dating with a twist…SPEED NETWORKING.

Siouxland’s greatest intern (me) was privileged to participate .  The twenty-four networking enthusiasts came from all different professional careers and leadership. From company presidents, insurance agents, and small business owners, to professional staffing, advertising, and social media interns the vareity of businesses represented made for a great atmosphere.

Speed Networking in action

If you’re sitting around your PC or laptop or viewing this on your hand-held and wondering what speed networking is?

Don’t worry I will fill you in.

Each person has another individual who is lined up across from them and they receive two minutes to discuss the topic presented on a power point.  These questions ranged from do you travel for your job?  What is the best part about your job?  What are you passionate about outside your job?

Once the allotted two minutes is up, the inside or outside row gets up and moves on to the next person.

Here are some things that I learned from our Speed Networking from observation and listening to others…

-Wear a name tag-  I didn’t because I got asked to fill in at such a short notice.  Keith Dent, from Shelter Insurance Companies said it best, “I always want to wear a name tag because if I don’t instead of listening to me, the listener will be trying to remember my name the whole time.”

-Strong first impression- Be cordial, confident and friendly.

-Be a better listener- For me, I tried to do more listening than I did talking and I was not always successful.  In my personal life, I find that the people who I find favorable are not the one’s I hear talking all the time.  They are excellent listeners and listening for them is an art it seems.  I firmly believe that if you perfect active listening, it is the most beneficial thing in networking.

Business cards- Business cards are crucial, because even though you made a great connection with someone it may go to waste if you can’t contact them!

Discuss what your job does, not what you do- Instead of discussing matters intrinsic and clerical, describe how what you do benefits someone else and how it provides a service for them.

All in all, the event was great & we want to thank everyone for coming out and participating in this month’s Business Roundtable.  We encourage everyone to get involved with the roundtable in the months to come and we look forward to seeing you.

Ian Banks, Social Media Intern