The ideas about networking in the film “Swingers” are
somewhat hidden but when studied closely I was able to pull a few key concepts.
First have some ice-breakers. Also, actually listening to what people are
saying. Finally, practice everyday.
First off you need to plan how to break the ice for
conversations. “Find out who will be at an
event, and research the people you want to meet by looking them up on Google or
LinkedIn.” This is important because you can
then tailor what you say to people and if you come across interested they will
be more likely to be interested in you.
Next it is important to be a good
listener. “Put yourself in another person's shoes, and
listen with the goal of learning something.” People like to know that
you are actually paying attention to them and care about what they are saying.
You will get much farther in a relationship or in business with this concept.
Finally, you need to practice networking
everyday. It is said that practice makes perfect and that is very true. “The more you network, the easier it gets, but you have to
keep doing it. Even during the course of every work day you can exercise this
muscle by getting up, walking around, and starting brief conversations with
co-workers.” It is not enough to go to an event on occasion. To get
really good at networking you need to be doing it every day if possible. It can
be simple and small things. You can find opportunities anywhere you go to
network and make new contacts.
In conclusion the ideas in the film can
very much be related to real life. There are many parallels between dating and
business networking. So every time you go out remember it is an opportunity to
network.
