In an effort to build my London network and continue learning, growing and developing new skills, I attended various meetings during the last couple of weeks.

This is what I scribbled down the day after one of my attempts at networking.

I went to a BBQ last night hoping to meet some London communications professionals. Since I only recently moved to London and while I continue with interviews, I thought it would be a good idea to go, introduce myself and who knows? As the organiser said, it would be a great opportunity to eat, drink and be merry! Nothing wrong with that! Or so… I though.

Well, unlike other networking events (I also go to some expat meetings), at the BBQ most people were already sitting down and they also seemed to know each other pretty well! S***! Yes, fine, it was not the first time I attended an event where I didn’t know anyone but the sitting down really threw me off! I was not ready for that scenario…

Funny enough I had read an article that same week on the difficulty people have (no matter what  profession, stage in their careers and their age) to network when they go to an event alone and don’t know anyone. Apparently most people start playing with their phones, pretend they are reading some very important email and wait to be approached. However the advice was to:  walk up to a group of people, introduce yourself and tell them it is the first time you are attending, what you do and ask them about themselves. With that in mind, I went straight to the person that I recognised from LinkedIn (BBQ was organised by a group of people I joined on LinkedIn), the organiser. In my mind, I was saved!!

I shook hands with the organiser and others sitting at the table, introduced myself and my ‘situation’, paid for the BBQ and received my little drink and food chips. Now, I had to leave and get my drink! Oh no!… after that nerve-racking situation, managing to break the ice, I had to leave and get back somehow… or meet other people.

I got my drink and decided to sit at the first table (I don’t know if I went for it because it was the first one, or if it was a stool tall type and only two people sitting at it that made me choose it, -the other groups were much larger, louder and more ‘closed’ in my mind). I ended up having a lovely time and chat but… I soon found out my two ‘communicators’ were not actually part of the group. Can you believe that?? I considered it was too late to move, go through all that process again and after all, I was having a lovely time. So, I stayed until it was time to go home.

I think it was a good experience, even if I didn’t manage to talk to many of the people I had in mind. However I did what the organiser had planned: eat, drink and be merry; and managed to meet two lovely sales people.

Next time I attend an event where I don’t know anyone, I will consider the sitting down scenario, ask to squeeze in and think about what I am sure of: UK people are lovely, welcoming and in the end I am making a good effort to go out there and introduce myself. Practice makes perfect.
As I found out last week at an inspiring, funny and instructive Toastmasters meeting, maybe some situations (aim of meeting), places and  people (I did know one person) are more suitable for networking than others. Maybe my next post will be about this very opposite experience and the great work being done at Toastmasters meetings.