Author: Doug Shaw

Captain’s log, September 22^nd 2010.

I spot a tweet from TheHRD aarrrgghhhhing about speed networking. I reply with an eeeuuuurgghhhh!

Time stands still. Then goes backwards.

Captain’s log, September 6^th, 2010.

So I’m at my first RSA London City networking evening. It’s the tube strike and I’m encouraged that there are so many people here. I’m finding interesting people, and enjoying listening to them telling me about interesting stuff. Hey, this networking lark’s alright eh?

Then comes a ting a ling from the edge of a wine glass. We is about to get facilitated. It went something like…

“So we’re all going to have 60 seconds to say who we are, what we do and why we’re here”.

A dark cloud overcomes me. Actually one didn’t but I wish it had so I could have hidden away from the dreaded speed networking. And then to make the horror even worse, Mr Facilitator turns to the person next to me but one and says, we’ll start here. I feel sick. Sick with worry and anger. What am I going to say and why am I here? That enjoyable feeling of spending time with interesting people listening to interesting things suddenly seems a long way away.

Two people in then it’s my go. I spluttered something about making work better and guitars and bicycles and then I remembered I had shoes to stare at. Ahhhh, shoes. Relief.

There were over thirty people in the room so we had to endure this for 30 minutes plus. Annoyingly having been told we have one minute each, some folk got so whizzed up they had two, or even three! I can’t decide whether I’m grrr about that because they didn’t follow the rules, or I love it because they are networking anarchists. Pah!

We get to the last person (eventually), and guess what…..I can’t remember anyone’s name. Derr! I managed a couple of quick chats with other people but for me, the romance was gone. I left. Weird but a lot of folk I speak to don’t like this practice, yet it persists. Maybe not for much longer…

I’ve offered to facilitate (hurp) the next session in October. Will I fall foul of the speed networking curse, or are there other ways to engage and make these precious get togethers enjoyable and useful? We’ll see, wish me luck, I’m going in.

I keep coming over all three lately. In my recent post “Survive and Thrive – How Was it for You?” I shared three things that mean a lot to me. The first one of those is “The folk I know, and have learnt to know, and am learning to know fascinate me.” And here are three of those folk:

Amy Dean

Amy is President of Keyword Communications. More importantly (to me at least) Amy is someone who writes well and informatively on her subject. Her recent post about inside out social media is a great example. Even more importantly, she encourages and motivates me to keep on doing what I’m doing and do it as best I can.

Peter Massey

Peter is the MD and a founder of customer experience leaders Budd. He helps explain and practise the essence of great customer service better than anyone else I know. He also writes well and informatively about his subject. This post about the recently launched bicycle scheme in London is a great example. Even more importantly, he encourages and motivates me to keep on doing what I’m doing and do it as best I can.

David Zinger

David Zinger is an expert on employee engagement, and the founder of The Employee Engagement Network, a place I enjoy investing some time to share and learn. David’s just written a cool book called “Zengage: How to get more into your work to get more out of it“. Another great practitioner and writer, why not pop over to his web site and check him out? Even more importantly, he encourages and motivates me to keep on doing what I’m doing and do it as best I can.