Networking 101

This week, members of the Law Association of Zambia will be making their annual pilgrimage to the South (this is what I’m choosing to call the law conference and Annual General Meeting). The conference and AGM is a place to grow one’s network within the profession: meet new people, catch up with old acquaintances, have a chat with the person you’ve been admiring but have not had the time to meet up with. It is a place to show up to possible employers and present your elevator (more like Avani) pitch.

Why Network?

I’ll give two examples: A few weeks ago, a friend asked me for recommendations of someone who could sit on their Board of Directors. Immediately somebody came to mind. I was happy to help out both my friend and the person recommended. That feeling is unmatched.

While preparing for the upcoming law conference, I needed someone to fill a speaker position for a specific topic. I had nobody in mind and had to ask around.

Why did I have someone in mind immediately for the board position and not the speaking position? I believe the answer is networking.

I network because I like to have people in mind when asked for recommendations. Networking for me is a process of learning about the other person as much as I want them to learn about me. I want them to think of me when an opportunity arises that might suit me. Whether it’s immediately after our meeting or years later. I also genuinely enjoy meeting new people and learning of all the amazing things they have going on, so sometimes, networking is really just a fun chat where I satisfy my curiosity about a person.

Additionally, if you’ve ever wondered what certain fields of the profession are like, what better place to meet people in those fields than a law conference? Walk up to people, introduce yourself and tell them you’ve always wondered what it’s like to work in a bank, as a litigator, in a leading law firm, in a small team, or a big team. “I’m curious about working at the Attorney General’s Chambers, or wonder what it’s like to work in the creative industry” etc. I can guarantee that if you cannot find somebody who works in the field you are curious about, you will most certainly find somebody who knows somebody who works in that field, or has the qualification you are considering. This is also the place to pitch your business ideas to people you may want to do business with in future, or immediately.

Networking brings you mentors, mentees, sponsors, future employees, employers, business partners and career twins. Networking introduces you to people of various interests and at different stages of their lives and professional journeys that you’ll have so much to learn from them.

How To.

It would be naïve of me to carry on like walking up to strangers and striking up a conversation is the easiest thing in the world. Fellow introverts and shy people, I have a few tips of how I prepare myself for the three days of conferencing and how to make them meaningful with some networking.

1. I list all the people I’d want to have a chat with, and if they are people within my reach, I check if they will be attending the conference. Every introvert knows how draining small talk can be and every busy person just wants the other person to get straight to the point. So, knowing ahead of time who I would want to talk to, helps to manage my social battery.
2. I spend my tea breaks and lunch hour talking to these people. If I need more time, I request for it for end of day or after the conference. Making a list, however, does not mean I won’t talk to anybody else at the conference. It simply means I will deliberately seek out the people on my list and everyone else will be a bonus.
3. I also know beforehand why I want to meet those people. eg: speak with State Counsel XX for a possible Dear Rookie Advocate article. Speak with Ms. XYZ over the recent Supreme Court judgment in her Client’s favour. Ask her for her Submissions. This helps me prepare the conversation in my head. Of course, you cannot script a conversation with another person, except they exist only in your mind, but as far as how to approach the person is concerned, I will script and rehearse until I am comfortable to approach them.
4. In making my lists, I like to look through the conference program for speakers and topics I may enjoy sitting through. Some sessions I attend for the topics and others for the speakers. Post session conversations are the easiest to start because you can complement somebody on a presentation they made, ask about a point they raised or simply add to the discussion just had. Then ease into the reason you want to talk to them.
5. You’ve got your “hit list”, your reasons for the targeted people and you know where to find them. But these are not people you’ve spoken to before so what next? Here are a few of my options:
   • Hello (insert title/or just their first name if I’m comfortable with it) my name is Edwina. I’m a sports law enthusiast. I attended your session on Sports Arbitration and I wondered if you might elaborate on…
   • The person I want to speak to is the Justice Minister and no way am I just going to approach THE Justice Minister. I notice the Law Association President, whom I’ve interacted with previously so I’m comfortable talking to him. I ask the Law Association President if he could introduce me.
   • I notice the person’s tie, handbag, shoes, suit, laptop bag, etc so I walk up, complement them on that thing and begin the conversation from there. Flattery will get you places, they say. Might I add, just be genuine about it.

We have to be mindful and very observant when we approach people, particularly when they are by themselves. Whereas we see it as a great opportunity to speak to them, because they are alone, we may just be interrupting their much needed social battery recharge moment. Unfortunately, there isn’t a specific way to tell so I say go by your gut instinct, or the guidance of the Holy Spirit, if He’s your friend. If you get it wrong, you would have learnt something about networking. we definitely also have to be open to meeting new people outside of our lists, and entertain the idea of being on other people’s lists.

Finally, I say follow up with an email or text message, whatever is appropriate for the level of interaction you had with this person.

Hello, my name is Edwina:

• Thank you for sharing your professional journey with me. Your story helped me resolve my dilemma on whether to take a new job or study for a Masters.
• Thank you for taking the time to speak with me about Human Rights activism. Our conversation propelled me to start my fellowship application and I would like you to review it if that’s alright with you.
• Our conversation was such an eye opener into the field of green economies and in my further research, I found this article I thought you might find interesting, if you haven’t read it already.

I think that if you did a good job during your chat with them, you are already memorable to them. The email or message just seals you in their mind.

I hope that this short guide has helped open up your mind to networking at a law conference. I hope you will return having collected multiple business cards and made acquaintances. Please share your networking tips in the comment section and let us know if this article was helpful.

See you in Livingstone,

Edwina