b'point, Oh, nobody has ever asked me about quim-quat Everybody has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying, widgets before, but here goesWe guys and our egos!)Make me feel important. Never forget this message when working with [or meeting] people. Secondly, as the wife of a wealthy Greek shipping magnate, Jacqueline revealed, I would hang on their eyes.What To Do If You Struggle With Small TalkCan you just imagine how powerful that effect must haveI thought when I would attend a social event I would need to been?develop an elevator pitch or some other pithy story, so that when another person would hear it, they would be forced to Now, you may not want women or men all over the world totake a step back and exclaim, Wow, Ted! That is so profound! fall in love with you. You may only want to survive your nextLet me hire you right now! social gathering. However, you can adapt Mr. Clintons or Ms. Onassiss strategies to help you achieve your goal.It isnt going to happen. So dont put that kind of pressure on yourself, either. Simply engage in small talk. FOR - DSmall talk, says author Michael Korda, should intrigue,If you tend to be an analytical type (and many shy people delight, amuse, fill up time pleasantly. Given that, anything will consider themselves to be), when you meet a new person,do, from dogs to delicatessens. The aim of small talk is to make imagine the blue oval of the carmaker Ford emblazoned on herpeople feel comfortableto put them at their easenot to forehead. It will give you clues as to what you can talk aboutteach, preach or impress. with your conversation partner. Its a game, like tennis, in which the object is to keep the ball in The F stands for Ask her about her family. (Everybody has athe air for as long as possible. family.) Networkingthe Right Way The O references her occupation. That does not necessarily mean a paying job. My wife was a stay-at-home-mom, one ofWe have all been to a Chamber of Commerce mixer or some the most difficult jobs in the world. She was offended whensimilar networking event, at which one of the attendees does somebody had the attitude, Oh, you dont really work! So,networking the wrong way. occupation could even refer to a present vocation, for instance, a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity or some other charitableHis goal is to meet everybody in the room and to get right down organization.to what he wants to accomplish.The R means relaxation. Ask her what she likes to do for fun!Hell run up to you and say, Hi! while thrusting his business And if you really feel you have hit it off with your newcard into your hand. Im John. I fix computers. If you ever need acquaintance, ask her about D, her dreams.your computer fixed, call me. Dont Try to Impress, Ask Questions InsteadBefore you even have a chance to respond, John will rush off to his nextvictim. Another successful networking strategy is to ask questions rather than attempting to impress another person by talkingI learned that real networking was about finding ways to make about yourself.other people more successful, says Keith Ferazzi, author of Never Eat Alone and Other Secrets to Success, OneI was interviewing for my first job out of graduate school. TheRelationship at a Time. It was about working hard to give more firm sent a new hire who was a recent graduate to interviewthan you get. Those who are best at it dont networkthey prospective employees from his alma mater. When it was mymake friends. The only way to get people to do anything is to turn to sit down with him, I asked him about his experiences inrecognize their importance and make them feel important. graduate school - about the professors, the fraternities and sororities. The interviewer was thoroughly enjoying himself regaling me with interesting stories. When it was finally my Janusz is a member of the National Speakers Association and the turn to launch into my sales pitch, the interviewer interruptedNational Speakers Association of Ohio. He earned his MBA inme by saying, Ted, you are exactly the kind of person we wantmarketing from the University of Pittsburgh. Ted Janusz is also aCertified Virtual Presenter. To learn more about Ted, go to: working at our firm! https://www.januspresentations.com Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, said, Page 15CONSTRUCTION JOURNAL'