There have been things that I wasn't taught growing up because it was assumed obvious and that I would pick it up naturally. As a neurodiverse person, I have had to work hard to appear to do things effortlessly. Networking is one of the skills I have learned from trial and error, and I want to teach you how to navigate new environments and converse with all kinds of people. If you've tried learning from movies and self-help books and that hasn't worked, there's a reason. There's a lot about modern networking that we all should un-learn. If you want to be an effective networker, you have to shift away from looking at these interactions as transactional. That said, it's still hard to find people to talk to and start a conversation.
You'll learn:
It’s okay to be uncomfortable, we all are to some extent when we meet new people.
Be interested in the other person. Really care about what they are saying.
Focus on the journey that we're all are on to stay connected with the person you're engaging.
Don’t waste your time on people that don't share the same connection and belief system.
Why you need to follow up with the people you meet.
I am available on Twitter and I often use it to stay connected with people I meet at converences.
How will you deal with varying numbers of participants in your session?:I am fine with any amount of people and participation. This is a hard subject and I have given this workshop in talk form many times. I know this subject like the back of my hand so I am highly adaptable.
Wesley Faulkner’s professional experience includes work at AMD, Dell, and IBM. He serves as a board member for SXSW and is a Developer Advocate for Daily.