Can Speed Networking Really Work?
Recently while I was reading a usability professional email list, I noticed an invitation for Speed Networking from the New Hampshire Chapter of the Usability Professionals’ Association. I couldn’t help but pause to google the term.
Turns out it’s all the rage. I even stumbled upon a speednetworking.com website, which quotes the New York Times as saying:
“The appeal of speed networking is that it eliminates the mundane chitchat and cuts right to the chase.”
And it quotes BusinessWeek as stating:
“Based on the popular courting concept, speed networking aims to supersize your contacts.”
Now I’ve heard of speed dating, but speed networking? I have never attended a speed dating event, though I can imagine why it might be successful. Many of us are good at identifying pretty quickly whether we spark with someone. And if two people spark, maybe they agree to meet for coffee to see where it goes. Is the same true with business relationships? And even if we identify quickly that I have something you need and you have something I need, how can both parties learn to trust one another with such an abrupt start?
The whole idea goes against much of what I usually think about networking. For instance, when I moved to New York after several years in California, I knew I needed to build up my East coast contacts. As a result of attending monthly Webgrrls events for the past few years, I’ve found mentors that coach me through current and future career issues, raised my professional profile by contributing to the Webgrrls Wisdom blog, and been able to impact future generations of tech-savvy women through our outreach program to young girls. I’ve also received recommendations from people I’ve grown to trust for others who can support me professionally (like tax advisors).
I’ve met up with fellow Webgrrls over dinner who were considering moving into the usability field so I can share my experiences and thoughts on the profession. I do this because time has shown me that this is a supportive group full of others who would and have done the same for me. Because of such a strong circle, I feel I’d have a much easier time securing a new position if I found myself out of a job or needing to make a career shift. Over the past two years, people have worked side-by-side with me on Webgrrls projects, and I believe we’ve built up relationships that would enable them to trust my work and recommend me.
Would these same opportunities exist if I had met the same people while speed networking? I don’t believe so. I built up the relationships before I even knew what I needed professionally. So whenever a need arises, I now have a solid network to turn to for help. In the speed networking world, I would’ve had to know my professional needs up front and hope that someone there could fill that need and do so in a way that would be in my best interest as well as theirs.
In the New York Chapter, we have a fabulous woman known as the “Connection Queenâ€. Biba Pedron’s philosophy is that:
“Networking is more than just shaking hands and collecting business cards.
- It is about building relationships and being committed to help other business professionals.
- It is about the quality of your contacts and not the quantity of your contacts.
- It is about consistency.
- It is about patience.”
Most speed networking events center around a specific field or profession. Even Columbia’s business school is getting in on the action. According to a Business Week article:
“The event, which drew about 200 students, involved students in the EMBA-Global program, which is a partnership between Columbia Business School and London Business School, and the Berkeley-Columbia EMBA program, a partnership between Columbia and the Haas School of Business at Berkeley.”
As a Carnegie Mellon grad, I feel a strong sense of camaraderie with fellow masters students there, even before I meet them. But would that camaraderie translate into me being more likely to trust them and do business with them more quickly? I don’t think so, but it might open the door for me to try.
Though I don’t plan on attending any speed networking events any time soon, I’d be interested to hear if anyone who has. Maybe people are finding ways to quickly establish loose connections that then gradually strengthen over time.
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