In a conversation with an attendee of a recent talk I gave they shared with me how much they've struggled with their networking efforts. They confessed that they've not really had any particular focus in their approach.

Whether we're talking about your networking efforts in general or your approach to a particular event it helps to know your purpose. Knowing your goal or what you've after will help you develop the right strategy to accomplish that particular aim.

Let's say you're leaving work and driving to a happy hour. Give some thought to why you're attending that particular happy hour. What are you hoping to gain from your experience? Are you going primarily to reconnect with friends you haven't seen in a while and find out what's going on in their lives? Were you hoping to meet some new people who share your passion for large breed dog walking?

When you have a clear and definite purpose it's so much easier to measure your success and create ways to measure your progress. So whether you're considering your big reason for networking at this point in your life or how you'll best spend the hour and a half you'll be at your next industry association luncheon know your purpose and you'll find yourself that much closer to having a productive experience.

Happy Networking!