The world today is highly competitive, and it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. To do this you need to be confident, visible and effective, and most importantly attend events. However 99% of people dread networking events. Which is why we decided to host an event to help young professionals overcome their fears and concerns, in order to develop their networking skills and create a lasting impression. On the 13th February our Breakfast Briefing event with professional networker Will Kintish, featured a highly informative and humorous presentation filled with tips on breaking the ice, working the room, approaching appropriate people, how to be interesting and a simple process for following up. It was interesting to hear Will’s stories, both of successes and failures. We’re sure many at the event could relate to at least one. Feedback on the event was really positive and a lot of members mentioned the fear of rejection was the biggest barrier to connecting during networking. Will’s methods approach that in a very pragmatic way, basically “what’s the worst that can happen”. No one is going to be rude and if they are “Park or dump them”. Three key take always were: 1. Be pro-active, if no one is coming to talk to you then go and talk to them! 2. Be genuinely interested in who you’re talking to, if not they can tell and they won’t like it. 3. Listen, listen, listen - and ask good questions. If you couldn’t make this event then we hope you’ve found this summary useful. Don’t forget to check our calendar of upcoming events.