While Networking, Get Outside Your Comfort Zone! Step #1: Don't Just Network With Other Women!

Have you ever had to work with someone that was completely different from you, but somehow it just worked?  In cases like this, your personalities or your skill sets balance each other out, or maybe even complement one another.  The beauty of being different is that you can achieve, create and reach higher potential. 

This principle can relate to so many things in life, but for now, let's apply it to networking.  If you only ever chatted with, worked with, and sought mentors that were similar to you, you would be closing yourself off from many opportunities and fresh ideas.  Imagine if your favorite type of exercise was golf, but that's all you ever did.  Your muscles, skills, and know-how would be limited; unknowing of the other great sports and benefits out there.  Think of the benefits of deep breathing in yoga or the full body strength developed by swimming?  Too bad.  You wouldn't know because you stick to the one thing you like.

Back to the main point: diversity of experiences poses the opportunity to develop more strengths, find new opportunities, and appeal to more types of people.  Therefore, when networking it's so easy to stay in the comfort zone of talking to people like ourselves (we already know topics we could discuss, etc).  However, get out there- networking with those who are different than you could lead to learning about a position that is a better fit for your personality, a promotion, or simply making new acquaintances and becoming a more interesting person!  The more you learn about people, the more you like them!

Tips:
1)If networking with strangers is really difficult for you, you can try two different tactics: A)Be courageous in choosing your first person to talk to! Everything else is easier after that initial conversation. OR B)Ease in by choosing someone similar or someone that you know. Maybe working up the courage is preferred for you. (I really do suggest option A though)
2)Conversations are most effective when you ask a lot of questions.  Be interested and curious!  You will learn more.  If it helps you, prepare possible questions beforehand.
3)Know what's going on in the world.  A conversation is like a tennis match- it goes back and forth, so try to keep things even.  If you have a number of topics that relate to the person with whom you are speaking or event that you are at, use those first! If not, current events in the industry are a good backup.
4)Try to keep conversations meaningful, but not dragged out. I would stick to the window of 5-15 min per person (if you are one on one, a group dynamic is different).

As always, be classy, be kind, and you'll earn the respect you deserve.