1. Network Intentionally
Facilitator instructions begin on the next slide…

2. Preparation Adjust Your Attitude: Network to benefit of other people
Try to solve their problems, even a little
Know what you can provide
Know What You Can Offer:
List every company where you know somebody
List every hiring manager or recruiter who knows you – even if they don’t have open positions
Introduction To The Participants:
Explain this slide to the participants. Give them an opportunity to write down some companies and people they know as a “cheat sheet.”
Explain that we’re doing a variation on speed networking, which is a variation on speed dating. The biggest difference is that you are networking for the benefit of others rather than yourself. THIS IS CRITICAL!
There MUST to be an even number of people for this to work, so you’ll need to figure out how to accommodate an odd number. Perhaps someone will be willing to sit out (there could be a leader or someone else present who was only going to participate in order to experience it but doesn’t really need it. Or perhaps a leader could step in just to even out the number).
Logistics:
Split the group in half and form two lines facing each other, about 2 feet apart.
One person on the end of one of the rows is chosen to stay in place throughout the event. The rest will rotate. Doing it this way magically (mathematically, actually) makes everything run smoothly and ensures that everyone talks to everyone. Without this, it takes much, much, much longer for everyone to talk to each other. Trust me!
Make sure everyone has paper and pen.
Instruct the participants that when they encounter a need that they believe they may be able to assist with from their network, they should write the participant’s name down and make a note of how to help them.
There’s no need to write down everyone’s needs, just those you may be able to help.
Actually helping the other person will come after the meeting. Don’t waste time talking about it during speed networking. Just write it down for later!
Advance to Slide 3. Each facing pair will ask the other the questions on Slide #3. Review the questions with participants before beginning.
When ready to begin, while still on Slide 3, click once. This will begin the 2 minute timer.
Note: The 2-minute timer actually uses slides 3, 4 and 5, but the slides advance automatically so it looks transparent to everyone.
The people on the left row ask these questions of their facing partners in the right row. Warn participants 30 seconds and then 10 seconds before time runs out.
After the 2 minutes, make sure there is complete silence before continuing.
When everyone is silent, click to automatically go back to Slide 3 with the reset clock displayed.
Explain that the people in the right row will ask the same questions of their facing partners in the left row.
When ready to begin, click and the timer will start again.
After each side of the line-up has both asked and answered questions (4 minutes), have everyone rotate to the left (except the one person chose to remain in place).
Repeat everything above until everyone has made a full circle.
This event is enhanced with a contest for who can help the most people! For example, once I had two job seekers’ books that I gave out as prizes to the two people with the highest number of people they could help. After I awarded the prizes to the top “selfless networkers,” I asked them to tell everyone who they were going to help and how.
Participant feedback about this event afterward has included:
People who are naturally shy found it easier to talk in this format
People found it helpful to have a fixed 2 minutes because in regular networking conversations go long, go off on many tangents, and you end up not getting to talk to as many people
People learned how to better describe themselves in networking by hearing the others do it
People found it challenging and also rewarding (and less pressure) to focus on the other person’s needs

3. 02 00 Questions to Ask Your Network Partner
What geographic area are you interested in?
What positions or titles are you interested in?
What kind of company do you want to work for? (size, industry, culture)
This slide automatically advances to continue the countdown on the next slide.

4. Questions to Ask Your Network Partner01 19 20 18 16 21 17 23 27 28 26 25 15 24 22 13 04 05 03 02 00 01 06 07 11 12 10 09 08 14 29 50 51 49 48 46 47 52 53 58 59 57 56 54 55 30 45 35 36 34 33 31 32 44 37 42 43 38 41 40 39
What geographic area are you interested in?
What positions or titles are you interested in?
What kind of company do you want to work for? (size, industry, culture)
This slide automatically advances for the final countdown on the next slide

5. Questions to Ask Your Network Partner00 19 20 18 16 21 17 23 27 28 26 25 15 24 22 13 04 05 03 02 00 01 06 07 11 12 10 09 08 14 29 50 51 49 48 46 47 52 53 58 59 57 56 54 55 30 45 35 36 34 33 31 32 44 37 42 43 38 41 40 39
What geographic area are you interested in?
What positions or titles are you interested in?
What kind of company do you want to work for? (size, industry, culture)
Click anywhere on this slide to return to Slide 3 and reset the time.
To go to the final slide, use Page Down or scroll.

6. Network Intentionally