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by
Mark Macias
MaciasPR.com
 Public
Relations is a skill that not only applies to the media. It applies to
social situations, especially at networking events where your image is
everything.
I attended a local Chamber of Commerce networking
event last night and like every other entrepreneur, I went there to mix,
mingle, find leads, make sales and create new money. It’s the driving
force behind every successful entrepreneur or business owner. The quicker
you master these skills, the faster your business grows.
Roughly 150 people were at this NYC event. I’ve
been to hundreds of journalism and PR mixers but this business crowd was
different. Unlike journalism conventions -where reporters sit back and
observe- this Chamber of Commerce mixer was packed with Type-A
personalities. Every man and woman was focused and self-aware. No one
waited for the right moment. Everyone seized even the smallest of
openings.
But the longer I mingled with New York City’s
entrepreneurs, the more I realized how image matters in business – and not
just on TV or in the papers.
As a former Executive Producer with WNBC and Senior
Producer with CBS, I have more than a decade of experience working with
publicists from all over the country. But you don’t need a lofty title to
understand how some publicists get it, while others need a new career.
Every journalist will tell you a good publicist makes the job easy. A bad
publicist turns it into a laborious task.
It was no different at this Chamber of Commerce
networking event. The best entrepreneurs made the art of networking seem
easy. The more awkward leaders made the event painful.
It got me to thinking: public relations skills also
apply to networking events. You might pay for salesforce or oprius, but if
your networking skills are off, you might be doing just as much damage at
these mixers as a hit-job in the National Enquirer.
Here’s a quick rundown on how to apply public
relations skills to any networking event.
The best publicists listen
and interact.
The worst publicists talk to you and ask few questions. The best
publicists know how to drive conversations. The worst publicists can drive
a train into a house and they won’t even see it coming. They aren’t in
control of themselves or their ideas. When you’re networking, be conscious
of your words and how you use them. Drive the conversation with open-ended
questions that lead to your intended destination. Learn how to grab
information by guiding conversations, as opposed to talking to others.
Make eye contact.
This is a common sense rule, but many people at this networking event
failed to make consistent eye contact. It was like they were afraid of
emotionally connecting to me, or perhaps they were hiding something. If
you have difficulty making eye contact with others, practice in the
mirror. A sociology professor from college demonstrated this to my class,
and it works. I do believe the eyes lead to the soul, so don’t be afraid
to reveal a part of yourself at these social events. You’ll survive.
Dress the part.
Be conscious of what you choose to wear
that morning. I met some business professionals who looked like they
stepped out of a 1970s Kmart catalogue. I don’t want them advising me on
creativity. If you’re expressive or creative, you will likely express it
in your clothes. I’m sure it sounds shallow, but the reality is when
you’re networking at these events, we base our perception on reality. And
your reality is what you’re wearing at the moment.
It’s not about me. It’s
about you. In
publicity, I tell clients we need to think of what the media needs – not
what you need. It’s no different at networking events. When you learn that
you are talking to a commercial real estate designer (like I discovered
last night at this mixer), you need to learn more about what his/her needs
are before you can determine whether or not you can work together. This
takes us back to point one. Listen and interact. The best publicists are
authentic and you can feel it when you first meet. That’s because these
publicists understand that it is really about us – and not just you. Now
that I think of it, this was a skill my teacher taught us all in
Kindergarten.
Mark Macias
is founder of
CaffeinatedVideos,
a social media
video service that enhances the web experience for businesses.
Macias also wrote the
communications book,
Beat
the Press: Your Guide to Managing the Media.
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