Since we all seem to be very preoccupied these days with conserving energy, focusing on recycling and using alternate resources, it seems fitting to remind you that creating goodwill within the relationships of your network, is never in limited supply.

You create goodwill by looking for ways to be a resource to others and going out of your way to help someone in your network, expecting nothing in return.  We need to approach our network with the same selfless manner as we do with recycling our aluminum, paper and plastics, knowing that our efforts benefit the earth and the greater good, not just us personally.   Goodwill is a renewable resource that holds the potential to have the biggest impact on your networth.  I’m not talking about financial networth…I’m talking about your social capital.

Your networth (social capital) will rise when your network experiences, hears about or witnesses you committing an act of goodwill.  Creating some goodwill typically requires very little effort and energy output on your part.  It’s as easy as making a phone call, sending an email or introducing two people who you think need to know each other.  Often, this small but significant act opens the exact door that person needed to move ahead.  The network contact you help will be forever grateful and typically will tell at least 12 people how helpful and valuable you are.

A little goodwill can go a long way.  Together we can change the world one connection at a time.  Pass it on!

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How Social Networks Are Changing the Way People Network

By Sarah Michel, CSP © 2008

It was bound to happen. Despite the Internet implosion in 2000, the online user population continues to grow not just in the U.S., but globally. Once it reached a critical mass, the natural evolution of this growing population was for its members to break into “communities” with common backgrounds, interests, and/or needs. Welcome to web 2.0!

What is Web 2.0?

For those who are wondering what happened to web 1.0, it might be helpful to reflect on just how far we have come. In the 1990’s, the web simply took information that was available offline and put it online. In 2000, the web became commercial and introduced ways to bring consumers and merchants together. But in 2005, the Internet entered its networking phase to enhance social interaction. The technology to create and maintain these relationships and to facilitate conversations between its users is what is called web 2.0.

Not Just For Kids

So what does this mean for you? If you thought this social networking phase was only for your children or grandchildren, be advised this train has left the station and people from all generations are on board! Research conducted in 2006 by ComScore and MediaMetrix indicates that over 56% of the total U.S. social media user base is 35 or older. What is even more shocking is that over 50% of the 96 million visitors to myspace.com, one of the original and largest social networking sites, are baby boomers who are using social networks to generate business opportunities.

Using Social Networking to Improve Your Net Worth

In 1973, Mark Granovetter published research on the important concept I preach in my networking programs: it is not so important who you know, but who they know. Social networks help facilitate reaching people who are loosely connected to you in a very low risk environment. All of the social networks out there, and new ones come online daily, provide a way to uncover your six degrees of separation, helping you discover you are probably less than six people away from any resource, person, or information you are seeking. The other real benefit of online communities is the opportunity you have to improve your value and net worth simply through your access and influence to a global network.

It’s All About the Power of Community

On the popular business-focused social network linkedin.com (over 19 million members!), I recently saw a question posted under the Answers section of the site. The user wanted to know if someone had the correct mailing address for Al Gore. Within one hour of that post, the user had four responses from people around the world whom he had never met, who not only provided the address but gave him the phone number and email for Al Gore’s gatekeeper, as well as advice on how to approach him. Talk about improving you’re A & I factor (Access & Influence)!

Getting Started

There are social network sites debuting daily, so the opportunities to join one are endless. Chances are, there is a message in your inbox from someone you know inviting you to join one now. My advice is to do your homework and select the one or two sites that will provide the best return on your time investment. Like any network, you will get out of it what you put into it.

All of the sites give you an opportunity to create a profile and post it for people to view and assess where they might have a connection with you. You can always decide if you want to connect with someone or not. Once you accept someone as a “friend” or “connection,” then you can see who they know that you need to know.

Changing the World, One Connection at a Time

Social networks make it easy to expand your network globally in ways that traditional forms of people-to-people networking cannot. However, in the end, how you reach out and give to a new contact you’ve made in Singapore will determine the outcome of that new connection. Just like face-to-face networking, people will want to network with you online if you look for ways to be a resource to them. When you approach your social network with a giving spirit and let serendipity work its magic, everyone wins!

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Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to sit in the audience and hear Chip Heath, author of the New York Times bestselling book, Made to Stick and regular columnist for Fast Company magazine speak. Along with his brother and co-author, Dan Heath, the boys have come up with an amazing simple but easy process for making your ideas “sticky.” When your idea, product or company becomes a “sticky” one that people can grasp easily and repeat it to each other around the water cooler, you have a message that will stick. You also have a message that will make you money, build your business and grow your network. Using the word “SUCCESS” as an acronym (minus the last “S”), the Heath brothers give us a very easy to follow formula:

Simple: Break down your message into one that is simple and easy to grasp. If it’s more than a sentence, it’s too complicated.

Unexpected: Is your idea breaking with traditional thinking? Out of the ordinary? Can you catch people by surprise?

Concrete: Can you talk about your idea or message so that others can see it, hear it, feel it?

Credible: Is your idea easily testable? Believable? Can others get behind it and support it?

Emotional: Why should they care? What’s the hook that would get people to say, maybe I should listen?

Story: What are the stories, testimonials, examples of how this idea has impacted others? Nothing hooks people like a good story.

I recommend you take your message or idea and put it through the Heath brother’s SUCCES formula to make sure it’s a sticky one. Chances are your message is too complex and your network really has no idea what you or your company really does. When you think you have something sticky, start testing it out on your network. If it’s sticky, watch your phone ring, website activity increase and Google ranking rise.

Here’s to stickiness!

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Do you know that the number one reason members attend conferences is to expand and grow their network?

An organization recently contacted me seeking a networking expert for their conference. In this competitive environment companies are eager to have their employees develop successful relationships with customers, co-workers, and colleagues. These improved connections will ultimately result in a stronger internal and external network, something absolutely essential for career and organizational success in the 21^st century.

As a Certified Speaking Professional and networking expert, I’m often hired to kick-start conferences with my unique networking programs to help others master the art of intentionally connecting with anyone, anywhere, anytime. Attendees walk away with new connections and strategies for making their net work that will continue to pay off long after the conference is over.

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I’ve had a lot of people ask me about the social network site, LinkedIn.com. This site is based on the six degrees of separation theory. You really are less than six people away from any person, resource, or information that you’re looking for. If you’d like join the network, you can begin by checking out my page. Just click the link below to get started.

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Annual holiday parties are one of my favorite childhood memories. Each December, my family always attended the same annual gatherings. These parties offered a wonderful way to reconnect with childhood friends - who were now in college and suddenly very cute - and to demonstrate to my parents’ acquaintances just how much I had grown in the past year.

Inevitably, during these events I would witness people utilizing what I like to call the “Six Degrees of Connection” technique: This is a way for individuals to get one step closer to a desired job, to find a resource he or she has been looking for, or a chance to meet a person of interest. I really think this is where my fascination for networking began to take root, as I saw it in action at such an impressionable age.

You are fewer than six degrees (or connections) away from the person or resource you are trying to meet or find. Almost everyday I hear about and actually witness this phenomenon to be true for hundreds of people all around the world.

Often these degrees (connections) come from people you have not seen in a while or you’ve just met; which reinforces another proven theory called The Strength of Weak Ties. In other words, you need to step out of the tight circle of family and friends you interact with daily or weekly to be exposed to “weak ties” that have a completely different network than you have.

So, if you dread being dragged to another holiday office party or an open house of someone you don’t know very well, I hope you will shift your perception by making a decision to try out the Six Degrees of Connection theory. To maximize these opportunities to reconnect with old friends and meet some new ones, I invite you to consider trying these three action steps.

Perfecting Connecting® Action Steps:

1. Verbalize your networking intention before you go (i.e., identify the person you want to meet, a resource you’re looking to find or a goal you have in mind, such as finding a new job).
2. Believe in serendipity. Play the “what a small world” game with people you meet. Listen for how you could be a resource for each other. And don’t forget to keep “mental” track of how many times you happen to be sitting next to or bump into at the punch bowl, the exact person you needed to meet. You never know when the person or resource you’re looking for will appear and take you one step closer to your goal. Usually it’s when you least expect it!
3. Commit to strengthening the weak connection. Ironically, the holiday season is often a perfect time for some professionals to easily meet you for coffee or lunch because business is slow for them during this month. Follow-up to set a time to continue growing the relationship and consider inviting other people who you think this new connection should meet.

Please drop me a line and let me know how Six Degrees of Connection worked or you during this holiday season. Your story might appear in my next book!

Happy Holidays,

Sarah Michel, CSP

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Last week I took my 10-year-old daughter to the “Hannah Montana” concert in Denver. If you have not heard of this teen-pop sensation, then you obviously don’t have a child between the ages of 5 to 13 in your life. This 15-year-old girl sold-out Pepsi Center, and continues to pack the house with screaming and adoring children (with their reluctant parents wearing ear plugs) in every city of her North America tour!

Halfway through the concert, Hannah Montana (who, by the way, is a TV character created by Disney) leaves the stage to take off her blonde wig and glittery costume. Within minutes, she’s back on stage as the real person behind the persona, Miley Cyrus. Miley’s connection with the audience was palpable, and although my daughter was there originally to see the character Hannah Montana, she ended up liking the real person behind the mask better.

There must have been some major negotiations behind the scenes to convince Disney to allow their cash cow to abandon her money making persona and let her “real” self shine. I have heard that her parents are very involved with managing her career, and it shows.

When Miley came back out for her encore performance she was wearing the cardigan sweater of her beloved grandfather, who had recently passed away. She sat on a stool at the end of the stage and told her very impressionable audience that the most important thing in life is family: Yes, this is the kind of idol I want my daughter looking up to!

In honor of Halloween this week, think about how you too can lose the mask - or persona - you might be hiding behind to better connect with your network. Where in your business or personal life do you need to get real? Now is the time to take a risk and step out in faith!

Perfecting Connecting® Action Steps:

1. With risk comes reward. Think about something you’ve always wanted to do but were afraid to step out in faith and try. Make a list of “baby steps” you can take to move forward and commit to reaching out to your network to help you make this dream a reality.
2. Just say “YES!” Start saying yes each time you hear a “no” or “I can’t” enter your mind. Believe me, it’s a powerful mind shift that can change your whole outlook. As the author Meg Wheatley says, sometimes you just have to step into the energy of “Yes!”
3. Insist upon yourself. Be original… anyone else would be boring! What are your unique talents and skills that could be helpful to your network?

Now that Halloween is over, lose the mask!

Do you have a great networking story that illustrates how your network came through for you? Click here to email me your story.

Sarah Michel, CSP

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I just returned from 10 days in Italy and I’m here to tell you, we can learn a lot from the Italians on how to live a life full of rich connections. There are so many things I love about Italy, but one of my favorites is the way they approach an evening meal; dinner! In the US restaurants hurry to serve you so they can turn the table for the next party of five: In Italy, the table is yours all night.

It took us a few days to get used to these three- to four-hour meals where no one is rushing you and the focus is on good food and hearty conversation. We studied and observed how Italians approach this ritual of connection and noticed after a few days that we began to slow down too. Slowed down to check in with each other, laugh, share stories, and most importantly… be still and be present.

We were amazed at how easy it was to be present with each other and our surroundings, especially since we had very limited cell phone service and computer availability during those 10 days to distract us. However, we also noticed very few Italians on their cell phones during meals even though they did have it available 24/7.

One of my favorite memories from this trip to Italy happened our last night there. We went to dinner with four friends who live in Rome. There were eight of us at the table, and the deep connections and conversations were magical. We floated out of the restaurant at midnight and noticed the place was still packed with friends and families gathered around their tables… some four hours later still connecting.

There is a wonderful Italian saying, E dolce far niente which means, It’s sweet to do nothing. When was the last time you experienced the beauty of being still and doing nothing?

With September being back-to-school month and the beginning of the fourth and final quarter of the year, it’s easy to get sucked into a rushed, crazy-busy, drive-thru-dinner lifestyle. What if you committed one evening a week to connect with your family/friends and turn off all distractions? Of course, some good Italian wine and pasta could really help!

Here are a few action steps to slow down your life to make room for more meaningful connections…

Perfecting Connecting® Action Steps:

1. Create a family/friends ritual of eating together Italian-style, one day a week. Turn off cell phones, e-mail and incoming phone calls, and make a commitment to be present for at least one hour. You’ll be amazed at what that will do for the important connections in your life.
2. Seek out opportunities to do nothing. Create some space in your life for meditation and reflection. Be still and listen.
3. Commit to taking some time off this year. Most Italians take at least a month of vacation every year to recharge their batteries and reconnect with loved ones. Sit down with your family/friends and start planning your next vacation; it will give you all something to look forward to. Have you heard? Italy is beautiful in the spring…

A presto…Ciao!

Sarah Michel, CSP

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Did you know that membership in a professional association is a huge opportunity to expand your connections and grow your resources? With more than 5,000 professional associations nationwide (many with local chapters in your city), there is really no excuse for not joining an association that represents the voice of your profession.

As someone who speaks quite often at various association conferences, I can assure you that there are large groups of people who do the same thing you do: And guess what… they are waiting to connect with you!

Two weeks ago I attended annual international conventions for two of my professional associations. Although these conventions happened to be scheduled on the same week in opposite ends of the country (Baltimore and San Diego), the miracles of modern transportation made it possible for me to attend both. It was a good thing I made the effort, as I walked away from those meetings with new resources and new information that will directly impact my business; I also made many new friends.

Another thing I’ve noticed about professional associations, I find many people pay their annual dues, but never actually attend meetings or volunteer for a leadership role. If that sounds familiar, you’ve missed the point of being a member.

My business and my network have seen not only a positive impact by my role as an active member in the National Speakers Association (NSA), both nationally and locally in the Colorado chapter, but also from my membership in the American Psychological Type International.

Simply said, the success I have experienced in my career is a direct result of being an active member in my professional associations. Just last week, through the support of my colleagues and wonderful clients, I received the highest NSA earned designation… the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) medal of honor. It took me more than five years to achieve it and I could not have done so without the support of my association, who cheered from the sidelines, every step of the way!

Here are some action steps you can take to start expanding your network and your education through involvement in an association;

Perfecting Connecting® Action Steps:

1. Launch a Web search by typing the name of your career into your online browser. Follow the career name with “professional association” in quotes. This will lead you to the Web sites of local, national, and international chapters and associations pertaining to your business. By getting involved in a local chapter, you will also make national and international connections.
2. Contact the membership director or president of the professional association you’re interested in and ask how you can be of service. Offering to help with registration or being a greeter at a meeting is a great way to meet new colleagues. All associations rely on their volunteer leaders to run the meetings.
3. Before you attend an association meeting, spend some time thinking about your “Seventeen-Second Introduction.” This way you will be prepared for the evitable questions, “So, what do you do?” or “What do you specialize in?” Feel free to e-mail me for a worksheet from my book to help you compose your powerful introduction.

I’m very grateful for the wonderful relationships and professional guidance I have received from my professional associations. There is a wonderful Zulu proverb that Lenora Billings-Harris, NSA’s past president, shared with me: Ubuntu which means, “I am because you are. You are because I am.” I couldn’t have said it better.

Get connected professionally,

Sarah Michel, CSP

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