“PHEWWWWWW…. PHEWWWWWW,” was the
loud obnoxious sound that came from Ms. Reid’s neon-pink whistle, as she
moderated the Reid Group first speed-networking event.
Earlier
this week Ms. Reid decided to put together a networking social with the help of
NBC’s Director of Sales Fulfillment, Yolanda Askew. Throughout the course of this internship, we focused on
powerful networking skills. Not only do we learn how to write, but we gain an
understanding of the techniques that will make ourselves more marketable. There
are a vast number of people who apply to jobs everyday, so thinking, “What
makes me stand out?” is a question that should constantly be implanted inside
your brain.
A
couple hours before the mixer began, Askew organized a networking 101 session,
instructed by Vice President/Creative Director of NBC, Val Nicholas. Nicholas wore a light gray suit,
pin-stripe button down, accented with a dark purple tie and purple cowboy
boots. You could spot Nicholas a
mile away with his unique style; I could tell he was different from the rest of
NBC’s employees. We headed to a
conference room that read, “The Imagination Room,” I smiled and reflected on my
dreams as I took a seat in the front row.
Nicolas had the most captivating energy and big smile that sparked up
the room. He spoke in a boisterous
tone as he laid out the essential steps of successful networking. There were several things that stood out
in his presentation like, “There are two kinds of people. People who make
things happen and people who are waiting to take orders!” He emphasized, as
interns, how we shouldn’t wait for people to come to us. Taking initiative and
doing stuff for people will get any person noticed. Nicholas is great a
motivational speaker, he gave encouraging anecdotes of people at NBC who
started as pagers (tour guides) and worked their way up to being executive
producers of shows. At the end of the session, I left feeling empowered and
ready to challenge these networking tips at our event.
The
set-up of the mixer was very intimate, not too many people, but enough to fit
around the conference table. Each professional sat in every other seat and the
interns were ordered to sit in the empty one and conversing with the person on
our left. I had a well-prepared elevator speech and was excited to practice it. I started wit Katrina Boswell, who is the
CEO of her own public relations company called, Kat Walk Media Inc. She work with many clients such as,
rapper, Swiss Beatz, actress Keesha Sharp, phenomenal journalist, Jacque Reid
and more. Her inviting personality made it very comfortable for me to have a
genuine conversation. I shared with Boswell a little bio about myself, my
creative skills and how my aspirations.
We could have spent all night talking to each other, but was interrupted
by the loud whistle sound after within seconds. I guess that’s why the title of
the event was called, “Speed Networking.” It was tough trying to sell your self
within that short time, but after a couple rounds of networking I started to
get the hang of it. I end up making my way back to Boswell to continue our
conversation, and stayed until the end of the session. I really connected with
her, so I was determine to get her contact information and right before I
asked, she offered to keep in touch. Oh, how I felt like Charlie in the film, Charlie And Chocolate Factory, when he
got the golden ticket. I executed
my first speed-networking event and managed to brand myself.
Now,
I’m ready to move on to the next step of networking, which is maintaining those
relationships.
✌ ❤☺-Demeshia Jackson
No comments:
Post a Comment