Working with others – Game Changer

Building Emotionally Intelligent Teams

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Game-Changer’s WebQuest Compendium of Entrepreneurship Skills Development Challenges! “Building Emotionally Intelligent Teams” WebQuest, addresses the “Into Action” competence area of the EntreComp Framework and helps you develop your knowledge and skills in the key competence “Working with Others”.

If you are not sure what emotional intelligence (EI) is, then you have come to the right place. If you think IQ is more important, you might be surprised at what you will learn in this WebQuest as more and more voices argue that Emotional Intelligence is more important to our success than cognitive intelligence.

Although there are many kinds of intelligence, people are generally most familiar with IQ, as it is the type that is most often referred to when the word “intelligence” is used. It is also the type that is most often measured through testing. However, emotional intelligence is what we use when we empathize with our co-workers, have deep conversations about our relationships with significant others, or attempt to manage an unruly child. It allows us to connect with others, understand ourselves better, and live a more authentic, healthy, and happy life.

Emotional intelligence can contribute much in the workplace as more and more researches connect it with the creation of strong bonds and interpersonal relationships among employees in the workplace and scientifically documented the positive correlation of emotional intelligence with the successful results of an organisation. Congratulations! You have completed this short introduction which provides you with valuable information on the topic of “Building emotionally intelligent teams”.

TASKS

You are working in a start-up focused in advanced technology. This start-up is about to develop an application that will make life easier for many people living with blindness or a visual impairment. The project budget is of 500.000 €, meaning that it is a complex project that needs a well-organised team that cooperates smoothly. Some members of the team will be the employees that currently work in the company, but you have also to acquire new personnel.

Recently, you read a book about the importance of the soft skills in team building and in working effectively with others. A significant part of this book was dealing with Emotional Intelligence. So, you decide to search and learn more about the importance of Emotional Intelligence in teams. To learn its dimensions, ways of becoming emotional literate, its importance and create a PowerPoint presentation for sharing your findings and your newly acquired knowledge on this topic with your newly established project team. During the process of developing this presentation, you will work by yourself but in certain stages of this journey you have to cooperate with your colleagues in order to ensure that this presentation will be comprehensive, explanatory and informative.

PROCESS

Step 1: What is Emotional Intelligence?

It’s time to start researching more about emotional intelligence (also called the Emotional Quotient, or EQ). But first of all, you need to explain to your team mates the content of this term. You have to clarify the meaning of emotions before you start talking about EI. Keep in mind that everything we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch passes through us in the form of electrical signals, moving from cell to cell until finally reaching our brains. This means that every signal is experienced emotionally before it is ever experienced rationally. In fact, it is our emotions, coupled eventually with our rational thought, which has allowed human beings to evolve and flourish the way we have.

Without our emotions, without our senses of fear, anger, happiness, sadness, and shame (our 5 core emotions) we may not have made it this far as a species. The problem lies within an inability many of us have with allowing our emotional and rational brains to communicate effectively. Find in the following link the definition of EI, initially introduced by Peter Salovey, along with his colleague John Mayer, who put forth one of the first formal theories of emotional intelligence in 1990: www.verywellmind.com/what-is-emotional-intelligence-2795423.

Watch the following video about the essence of emotional intelligence:

And this documentary will help you acquire a deeper knowledge on what Emotional Intelligence is:

It’s very important also to understand the differences as well as the relation between IQ and IE (or EQ) and to learn what’s more important in determining life success by reading the following article: https://www.verywellmind.com/iq-or-eq-which-one-is-more-important-2795287

Step 2: What are the dimensions of emotional intelligence?

Now that you know what EI is, you need to go deeper and find out how it works in everyday life. Note that not long after Salovey and Mayer introduced emotional intelligence to the world, as you have read previously, other researchers and psychologists began to run with it. Based on Daniel Goleman, a psychologist who published the bestselling book “Emotional Intelligence” in 1995 and in 1998, another well-known book under the title “Working with Emotional Intelligence”, the scientific community realized the five dimensions of EI:

1. Self-awareness
2. Self-regulation
3. Self or Internal Motivation
4. Empathy
5. Social Skills.

You can learn more at:

If you are interested in a more thorough look, check the following link:

www.stephanehaefliger.com/campus/biblio/017/17_39.pdf

A very good video that summarises EI is this one: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-jzWFQLopk

And several practical examples of emotional intelligence are presented by this animated video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CagtxGu-GA.

In 2002, Goleman’s dimensions were redesigned and summarised into the following four domains:

Step 3: Is emotional intelligence important on a personal level?

Now you should have realised that it is not the smartest people that are the most successful or the most fulfilled in life. Intellectual intelligence is not enough on its own to make anyone successful in life. After all, you probably know people who are academically brilliant and yet are unsuccessful at work or in their personal relationships. Of course, your IQ can help you get good grades and graduate with a PhD, but it is your EI that will help you manage the stress and emotions when facing your final exams. Literally, emotional intelligence has an important impact on every part of your life. Here are four areas it can affect:

1) Your performance at work

Emotional intelligence can help you excel in your career, overcome the pressure of the workplace, as well as lead and motivate others. In fact, many companies now view emotional intelligence as being as important as technical ability and require EQ testing before hiring.

2) Your physical health

It is obvious that if you are unable to manage your stress levels, it can lead to serious health problems. Uncontrolled stress can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, or even speed up the aging process. The first step to improving emotional intelligence is to learn how to relieve stress.

3) Your mental health

Uncontrolled stress can also impact your mental health, making you vulnerable to anxiety and depression. If you are unable to understand and manage your emotions, you will also be open to mood swings, while an inability to form strong relationships can leave you feeling lonely and isolated.

4) Your relationships

By understanding your emotions and how to control them, you are better able to express how you feel and understand how others are feeling. This allows you to communicate more effectively and create stronger relationships, both at work and in your personal life.

If you would like to learn more about why emotional intelligence matters, we recommend reading these articles:

Supplementary, emotional intelligence tests can offer valuable insight into your EQ skills. By evaluating your own emotional intelligence and training yourself on how to be more aware of your own emotions and those of the people around you, you learn how to better manage stress, communicate more effectively, empathize with others or be a stronger leader.

Below are some additional resources where you can evaluate your EQ skills:

Step 4: Share your findings with your colleagues

Choose two members of your newly established project team and present in brief your findings. Try to get their feedback regarding the research you have made so far in order to check if you are on the right track based on your end goal. This presentation will be informal. However, you can use your notes and some articles or videos you have already read and watched, whilst prepare some questions in advance in order to get the feedback that will help you develop your presentation. Given that, check the following websites that can support your preparation for this feedback session:

After collecting their feedback, do you feel like making any progress? Is there something that you should change, or make some additional research on certain topics?

If everything is OK, then proceed with the next step!

Step 5: Work with your colleagues to explore why IE in teams is important

Your colleagues have been informed about what emotional intelligence is and how it works, mainly on a personal level. Now it is time to start working with them in order to explore why IE in teams is equally important! During this process try to answer the following questions:

What is teamwork?
Why Teams Need Emotional Intelligence?
What is group emotional intelligence?
What does Emotionally Intelligent Teamwork require?
In which way emotional intelligence improves team productivity?

while reading the following articles:

One way to answer to the above-mentioned questions is to use an ideation method. There are many but two are the most commonly used for rapid idea development:

Brainstorming: for every question to be answered devote 10 minutes. During this time, each one of the group members should suggest as many spontaneous new ideas as possible while answering one-by-one the posed questions. You have to decide from the beginning who is going to write down the upcoming ideas. Use a whiteboard for that purpose or a big piece of paper!
Alternatively, you can use Brainwriting: you follow the same procedure but instead of suggesting any new idea loudly, each one of the team members will write them down on a piece of paper.

After having all the possible answers to the questions, then decide all together which are the best answers and create a list. This list will be used in your final product, your presentation!

Step 6: Create and deliver your presentation! Thank your colleagues for their contribution and get ready for the final step! The presentation should have a structure in order to embody all the needed information, including the list of ideas developed during the 5^th step. Now it is time to deal with the design aspects regarding the development of a digital presentation. You have to make a decision about the colours you are going to use, the fonts and the font size. How are going to present your findings? By using bullet points or high-quality royalty free images and graphs? For some very helpful tips and hints in presentation design, please visit:

Do not forget to manage your time wisely! Keep your presentation simple, short and to the point! Include the findings of your research from steps 1 to 5 in a creative way. Get well prepared so as to show that now you are an “expert” in EI, and you can answer as many questions as you can regarding this interesting topic! Keep in mind your end goal! To inform your colleagues about the importance of Emotional Intelligence in teams!

Of course, it would be great to have the opportunity to deliver this presentation face-to-face but be prepared also to deliver it by-distance, using Skype or any open source communication platform! And here you can find some tips for delivering online presentations successfully and some alternative platforms you can use:

And don’t forget to make sure beforehand that all those who take part in the conference call have the right software installed and are available at the proposed time! Good luck!

EVALUATION

Knowledge	Skills	Attitude
• Basic knowledge of what Emotional Intelligence is	• Identify the key dimensions of Emotional Intelligence	• Willingness to take on a challenge.
• Basic knowledge of the value of taking on a challenge and seeing it through.	• List the reasons of why Emotional Intelligence is important in teamwork.	• Awareness of the importance of motivation in completing a challenge.
• Factual knowledge about reflective practice in a group-work activity.	• Recognise the role of my emotions, attitudes and behaviours in shaping other people’s attitudes and behaviours and vice versa.	• Awareness of the importance of Emotional Intelligence in teams
• Factual knowledge about the importance of Emotional Intelligence in teams.	• Apply empathy towards others	• Increased regard for the importance of overcoming challenges in building character.
	• Communicate better with others and resolve conflicts.	• Increased regard for the value of diversity as a possible source of ideas and opportunities.
	• Express my or my team’s value-creating ideas assertively.	• Openness to engage in peer-learning and collaborative learning activities with peers.
	• Practice making decisions quickly when required through group-work activities.	• Willingness to share knowledge and support peers to learn.
	• Participate in a collaborative project with peers.	• Willingness to reflect on learning to determine its value.
	• Participate in group reflection activities to assess the value of learning.
	• Reflect and judge achievements and failures and learn from past experiences.

As a self- assessment exercise for this WebQuest, please answer to the following questionnaire:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbtbWzma_SGuZsfWYEivkCa4IjxnLU0DWUuB6M6eH6BrI_aw/viewform

What were some of the most interesting discoveries I made while working on this project? About the problem? About myself? About others?
What were some of my most challenging moments and how I manage to overcome them?
What were some of my most powerful learning moments and why?
How well did I and my team communicate overall?
Were my milestones and goals mostly met, and how much did I deviate from them if any?
What would I do differently if I were to approach the same problem again?

And complete the self-assessment quiz that can be found at:

Q1. Although shaped by childhood experience, emotional intelligence can be strengthened throughout adulthood–with immediate benefits to our health, our relationships, and our work.

True

Q2. Choose the one dimension that is irrelevant to Emotional Intelligence.

Intuition

Q3. Is it possible for team members of high IQ to flounder, while other of modest IQ to do surprisingly well?

Yes

Q4. Which of the following is an example of low emotional intelligence in workplace?

Showing little empathy for other colleagues

Q5. To build emotionally intelligent productive teams you need a high IQ team-leader.

CONCLUSION

You just experienced the whole process of creating a presentation for informing your teammates about the exciting topic of “Building Emotionally Intelligent Teams”. During this journey you had to research in depth in order to learn more on what EI is, how it can be enhanced, how it affects every aspect of our daily life and how it contributes to forming successful teams. You learned additionally how to present your ideas and the results of your research in a professional and effective way. But you have also got trained in critical and creative thinking and in collaborating and communicating with your teammates.

Congratulations! Now you are an expert in building emotionally Intelligent teams. While working on your business ideas and creating working teams, never forget to support your teammates to understand the importance of Emotional Intelligence and to apply all the best practices in order to become emotional literate!

“Our feelings are not there to be cast out or conquered. They’re there to be engaged and expressed with imagination and intelligence.” – T.K Coleman

Developing a Successful Networking Plan

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Game-Changer’s WebQuest Compendium of Entrepreneurship Skills Development Challenges! “Developing a Successful Networking Plan” WebQuest, addresses the “Into Action” competence area of the EntreComp Framework and helps you develop your knowledge and skills in the key competence “Working with Others”.

Networking is an action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts. It is s system that will promote you, your team and your work. If people do not know your name, your business will not take off. People make businesses successful whether it be investors, partners, promoters or even customers. Successful networking is not about what you know, it is who you know.

Networking is the process of creating a group of acquaintances and associates and keeping it active through regular communication for mutual benefit. Networking is based on the question “How can I help?” and not with “What can I get?”

Networking is integral to strategically positioning yourself and your company for future success.

TASKS

You are a new entrepreneur. You are running a business in the field of creative industries that develops various digital products such as video presentations for promoting ideas and businesses of others. You are aware that you need to find new customers in order for your business to be viable and to thrive. You acknowledge the fact that for reaching prospective clients you have to expand your network. But you don’t know how to do this. You share your thoughts and the challenge you are faced with, with a friend of yours that has already took some classes on business networking and has already developed a winning networking plan for his/her company. He/she advices you that you have to develop a networking plan as well in order to reach your goal.

She/he explains that networking is about making connections with investors, entrepreneurs and clients/customers. But you are new to the business industry and are unsure how to start networking. You know that technical skills will be involved as you conduct research on the different types of networking out in the world as well as look into which businesses and people would be interested in your idea. You also will be expected to brush up on your people skills and communication since you plan to approach the businesses and have a face-to-face interaction with people. So you start to research on the “Business Networking” topic having as a final goal to create your newly established company’s networking plan and to present it to your experienced friend in this field in order he/she to gain insight about it and to help you implement it successfully.

PROCESS

Step 1: What does Networking mean?

In order to develop a successful networking plan, you have first to understand what the terms “networking” and “business networking” mean. Find a few of their definitions in the following links:

There is not just one way to network. Business professionals who don’t have a lot of spare time often ask which networking groups provide the biggest bang for their buck. There are five main types, and what works best depends on the business they’re in and the prospects they want to meet. The most familiar types are:

Casual contact networks
Strong contact networks
Community service clubs
Professional associations
Online/social media networks

To find out more about the different types of networks, click on the following link: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/302630.

There is no doubt that networking is essential for the development of your career and your business. Take a look at the following articles to get convinced of the importance of networking for establishing and expanding your newly establish business:

Making contact with someone is the basis of building a strong network. But where can you make these contacts and how can you reach the appropriate people? Go through the following websites to see what they recommend for networking:

Step 2: How to Plan your Business Networking Journey

As a new entrepreneur you have in mind that in order to succeed you need to develop an effective marketing plan. You are thinking how you can promote your value proposition, your products and services and how to introduce your brand to your prospect customers. But it’s very important to incorporate into your business marketing plan your business networking strategies and actions. In other words, you have to develop a networking plan that includes your vision and plan around how you are going to establish better connections for your business growth.

Visit the following websites to get informed on how to plan your business networking:

Step 3: Networking Plan Purpose and Objectives

Now you are ready to start your journey and develop a winning networking plan!

Take some blank papers and pens or use your computer and begin by defining your networking plan purpose and objectives.

Before deciding what is the purpose and the objectives of your networking plan, discover the definitions of the terms: “purpose” and “objective”:

Before you meet people, first figure out what you want to achieve. Ask yourself the following questions: (Make sure you write down your answers.)

Where do you want to go with your business idea?
Why do you want to meet and interact with new people?
What do you want to gain out of this networking plan?

While thinking your purpose take a look at the following article to figure out what exactly you have to include in your purpose statement: https://womensbusinessnetwork.ca/w2w/networking-plan/. And don’t forget! The “purpose” is not something too specific and detailed. It’s like your vision for networking.

When you have your networking plan’s purpose ready, try to answer to the following question in order to define your objectives:

How do you plan on achieving your purpose?

This question will help you define your objectives; the way that you will follow in order to reach your purpose. Objectives are specific and they should be SMART:

https://www.professionalacademy.com/blogs-and-advice/what-are-smart-objectives-and-how-do-i-apply-them.

Click at the following link to see some examples of networking objectives:

https://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/sales/sales-lead-generation/create-an-effective-networking-strategy

One other word that is used instead of “objectives” is “goals”. It’s exactly the same!

While writing down your objectives, be sure that you are very specific. Objectives are the steps to be followed in order to accomplish your purpose.

After having ready your answers to each of the above-mentioned questions, review them. Make sure they are realistic. Your purpose is the finish line, but you still need to clear the path to get to it and here comes the objectives. Review these ideas with a friend of fellow colleague. Having a second or third opinion is a great way to hear if your ideas are appealing or if still need some work. Some people think far too little while others think unattainably big. Do not be afraid to change your answers. Sometimes objectives need to be refined to make them that much more achievable.

Step 4: Networking Strategies

The main question that you need to answer during this step is: Who do I need to meet to achieve my networking purpose and objectives?

After you have set your purpose and objectives, it is time to research the people who you wish to connect with. Networking is all about making connections and creating contacts. In this step, you will understand the importance of researching, looking into the most influential and used social media charts and various events your targeted contacts will be attending.

Why is researching important? Click the following links to find the answers:

Since 2010, usage of social media has continued to climb in the world. Click on the following link to view the statistics: https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/. Some people use the sites for business, some people use it for personal enjoyment and some use it for both. To develop a successful networking strategy, you need to conduct research on the business and people you want to make contact with. Your first choice of business/people may not always be the right one. Research is a guide to help find the right business/people that will be a fit for you and your idea.

Before you contact any businesses or people, write down at least three companies and/or people you want to contact. If you do not know the names off the top of your head, conduct a search on your current search engine.

Information about businesses can be located on company websites. On the websites, there should be a designated page for the team members and what the business does. That is where you can find names of people you can search then on social media.

Click on the following links for stats on popular social media websites:

After you have reviewed the popular social media sites, conduct a personalized search on your targeted business and people. Personal accounts cannot always be accessed (depending on privacy settings), but the business pages information should be accessible to the public. On the business pages, you can find events that the businesses are either attending or hosting.

If you cannot find events on social media, double check the businesses website. They can be posted there as well.

If you do not know what business to talk to, conduct an event search of your targeted business industry in your search engine.

Click on the following links to view events:

You have gone through the technical process of developing a successful networking plan. You have learned the basis of research and the knowledge you should obtain before you meet with your desired contact. In the next step we will go over soft skills, i.e., communication skills such as face-to-face interactions.

Step 5: How to Achieve your Purpose and Objectives

At this point, you should know which businesses and people you want to talk to, have background research on them and know what events they are attending or hosting. The next part is how to interact with them.

The reason for researching events instead of scheduling an appointment is so you can get to know your desired contacts on a personal level. Appointments put both parties in a professional position. A semi-professional setting puts people in a position where they can personally get to know one another. Your desired contacts do not want to be badgered with work outside the office. Leave a good impression with them. Finding a common interest will create a bond between you two, prompting for a possible contact in the future.

Although you can interact with people online, face-to-face interactions have proven to be more effective.

Click on the following links to find out more about face-to-face versus online interactions:

Next, you will learn about first impressions.

First impressions are essential when developing a successful networking plan. Think of it as trying to gain your ideal job. In your plan, before you even contact anyone, go over how you will talk with them. Recruit a friend or colleague(s) to practice with.

Click on the following links to learn about first impressions:

Following first impressions is the way you carry yourself, i.e., how you walk, talk, appear, and speak. Fifty-five per cent of your impression is based on your appearance. When you attend events to meet with desired contacts, you will want to look and act your best.

After you have made your first impression, it is important that you collect contact information from the business or person, i.e., business cards. With that business card, you can follow up with your desired contact. This is networking at its finest – keeping connected. Leaving a good memorable impression prompts the desired contact to speak with you again whether it be over email, phone or in person. This is known as following up.

Read these articles for tips on how to follow up with someone:

Success is not about signing on with the first business that takes interest in you; success is about not giving up on your purpose. Your objectives might change, but not your purpose. There is a possibility that your desired contact may reject your idea. However, just because you came across one roadblock does not mean you have to stop. Remember, in step 4 you were told to write down three business names or people to try and contact. At this point, you should go back to step 1 and repeat the steps. Try, try and try again, but remember to keep the communication alive with the people and businesses you have already met. There could be a possibility that they can recommend you to another company that would be better suited to you and your idea.

Read these articles to gain a better understanding of success:

As a final part of this step, review again your objectives and come up with some success criteria that will answer to the question: “How do I know when I am being successful?”

Step 6: Current and Future Opportunities for Networking

It is always good to look out for opportunities. After all, it is not about what you know it is who you know that will raise you up in the business world. The main question you should keep in mind in this section is: “who do I already know and what do I want for the future?”

Consider this, you have a cousin who knows an investor that is looking to finance a start up business, your friend knows a social media influencer who has a large following and your co-worker’s brother-in-law is a CEO for a national business. What do these people have in common? You! You are connected to each one of those individuals who knows someone in the industry that you plan to join. This is what is known as a current opportunity.

To grow a successful networking plan currently or for the future, you need to consider exploiting your resources, i.e., the connections you have already established in person or online.

Click on the following link to define exploitation:

Make a list with all the people you already know and could help you achieve your networking plan’s purpose and objectives and to reach the three people you want to meet (those you included in your list while working on step 4). Your list could consist of:

Work colleagues (current or ex)
Friends , family, neighbors
Old friends form school or college
Suppliers, customers, clients
People I have met on training courses & at conferences
People I know from non-work related organizations
People in my address book
Twitter followers, Linkedin connections, Facebook friends or connections on other social networking sites.

Now, it is your job to capitalize on the situation or not.

The next step is to think about what you want for the future.

Consider these questions for future networking:

What organizations can I reach out to right now?
Where do my friends and colleagues network?
What future conferences, training courses or project groups are coming up?
Which websites are the best to network with?

For the next portion of this section, you will conduct a written or typed exercise. Read the following question then proceed to read the instructions underneath.

Who are my A-listers?
Where or how am I to meet them?
How do I stay in touch?

Click on the following links to define A-listers:

Write down the top five to ten people or companies you would consider to be an A-listers.

Next, address the second question. If you were to meet one of your A-listers, where would you meet them? Refer back to the technical skills in step 4 and write down your response. The second part of that question is how you are to meet them. Refer back to the soft skills in step 5 and write down your response.

The final question asks how would you keep in touch. Refer back to the follow up section in step 5 and write down your response.

Step 7: Presenting your Networking Plan to Your Friend

You have gone through all the steps that helped you create the different sections of your business networking plan. In this last step, you are going to go over how you would present the networking plan you developed to your friend who has experience in the field of business networking.

A popular format to use is Microsoft Word PowerPoint. Another option is Prezi.

When you create your presentation, remember to keep it simple. Overcomplicating your idea will lose your audience.

The following links are tips for presenting:

This is your final product. Use the interaction skills you learned about to help you prepare for the presentation. Remember, if you do not succeed, return to the drawing board and try, try, and try again. That is how you achieve success. Good luck!

EVALUATION

By completing this activity, you will acquire the following knowledge, skills and attitudes:

Knowledge	Skills	Attitude
• Theoretical knowledge about what business networking is and why it’s important	• Define the term Business Networking	• Appreciation of both success and failure
• Factual knowledge on the different kinds of networking methods out in the world.	• Develop a successful business networking plan	• Awareness of the different needs of various people
• Theoretical knowledge about what a business networking plan is	• Use methods and techniques to expand a business network	• Openness to invest in developing valuable connections and/or cultivating the established ones
• Factual knowledge on ways to present one’s self to potential contacts.	• Use my network to find the right people to work on my (or my team’s) value-creating activity
• Factual knowledge of how to analyse needs involving relevant stakeholders	• Proactively make contact with the right people inside and outside my organisation to support my (or my team’s) value-creating activity (for example, at conferences or on social media).
	• Design effective processes to build networks of different or new stakeholders and keep them engaged.
	• Use important communication skills to reach people in the business sector
	• Research people and companies online.
	• Follow up after an interaction with a potential contact.

As a self- assessment exercise for this WebQuest, please answer to the following questionnaire:

https://forms.gle/bVMq8N6ajWEtM4eaA

What were some of the most interesting discoveries I made while working on this project? About the problem? About myself? About others?
What were some of my most challenging moments and how I manage to overcome them?
What were some of my most powerful learning moments and why?
Were my milestones and goals mostly met, and how much did I deviate from them if any?
What would I do differently if I were to approach the same problem again?

And complete the self-assessment quiz that can be found at:

Q1. Networking is a socioeconomic business activity by which businesspeople and entrepreneurs meet to form business relationships and to recognize, create, or act upon business opportunities, share information and seek potential partners for ventures.

True
False

Q2. The most important business networking groups types are:

Casual contact networks
Strong contact networks
Community service clubs
Professional associations
Online/social media networks
All the above

Q3. Some basic steps for developing a winning business networking plan are: decide on your purpose and goals, audit your network and networking activities, find the right people for your network, strengthen the important relationships and maintain the strong and important relationships.

True
False

Q4. What is the main question you have to answer for developing your business networking strategy?

Who do I need to meet to achieve my networking goal?
Who could help me?
How do I know when I am being successful?

Q5. First impressions are formed in an instant and appearance can heavily influence someone’s initial opinion of a business leader’s personality, competence and capability.

True
False

CONCLUSION

Concluding this challenge, you have discovered the process to developing a successful networking plan. Throughout your journey, you have developed an understanding of what networking is and the purpose and objectives that make it possible. You not only developed your technical skills by homing in on your researching, you also developed your communication skills that involve human face-to-face interactions. Lastly, you learned about current and future opportunities that greatly affect your business if you so choose to use them. With all the information that you learned, you were able to create a winning business networking plan and present it to your colleague. Now that you have been given the tools and knowledge to create a successful networking plan, it is up to you to go out into the world and put this knowledge into action. Good luck!

“The successful networkers I know, the ones receiving tons of referrals and feeling truly happy about themselves, continually put the other person’s needs ahead of their own.” – Bob Burg

Please take the time and answer to the questionnaire regarding this activity