Offline Networking in the Digital Age

The holiday season is upon us and with the advent of the advent which starts rather late this year I was reminded of the high quality of offline networking. Did you also miss holiday events, dinners, and Gluhwein at the Christmas markets and just realize that you are in for a treat in 2023? I know that the world has significant issues and that we are steering towards even more difficult geopolitical tension and environmental challenges than ever. However, living in an expat bubble and focusing on living God’s will through your daily work might just mean doing it anyway despite everything that is going on around us.

Modern society has evolved in many regards, especially in how we interact with each other. A significant amount of these interactions now happen in digital social spaces than real ones. One excuse I get a lot these days is that you can’t “network” because it’s very difficult to meet other people in person, especially people you don’t know.

Digital spaces are revolutionary and have brought people at great distances together but if you are like me you probably feel entirely ready to leave the house and meet a stranger in person. I have started to chat a bit longer with the bakery lady and the guy who fixes my doner kebab. It’s weird but necessary because human interaction has become so scarce and I also feel that we all deserve a bit more love these days. Don’t get me wrong: I’m generally not a very chatty person unless I’ve known someone for a long time. I rather keep a “professional” interaction short and this might come across as arrogance to some or harsh to others. However, over the last few years, I changed my attitude a lot. The pandemic has made me realize how little I often connect with people in business as in good German style I still compartmentalize. I separate business and pleasure, colleagues and friends. If you have listened to my workshops about the importance of building relationships, you probably wonder how I can hold up this paradox. 

My answer is simple: It’s a deeper level of trust that I share with my friends and more personal connections. I also don’t hold back whereas in a professional environment, I would probably not use certain expressions. Today it’s all a bit more blurred because I speak to everyone from my living room. I feel like I let everyone into my personal space, hence they must be able to handle the more authentic “Angela” as well. Still, what I am also cherishing is meeting people face-to-face. Even if someone has followed you on Social Media for a long time, a personal conversation over a glass of mulled wine or holiday lunch beats any “chat” interaction in my view. Here are a few ideas I would like to share with you to work on your professional network this holiday season.

1 – Build Trust Through Offline Networking

When was the last time you trusted a random person on the Internet? In fact, isn’t the first advice given to anyone on online social media to ignore and not trust anything a stranger tells you? Just how much of a relationship do you have with someone you’ve only interacted with in Twitter DMs? And even worse, if you are on social media you probably get abused by scammers and other annoying people a lot. Social media for me has a dark side and it’s very easy to feel vulnerable there after you were told for the 100th time that someone wants something from you. Most of the time I find it irritating and frustrating. Professional networking, similarly, can only go so far in building your relationships if they’re limited to online interactions. Face-to-face meetings help develop a higher level of trust among participants – positive body language plays a great role in helping put nervous people at ease. Similarly, interacting in the same physical space (over a coffee, at lunch, or even a mixer of sorts) is a great ice-breaker. Shared experiences always do leave a lasting memory, what better way to start building a repertoire with your network?

2 – Believe in the Networking Karma

The thing about networking is, it’s not a transactional relationship. You don’t go into it expecting rewards, or even gratitude. You do it because you believe in ‘networking karma’. That said, you are only human and even the most generous of givers can find themselves overwhelmed at times. That’s why it is important to set up boundaries that help you prevent burnout and maintain a healthy relationship with yourself and your network. I have adopted the “Five-Minute-Favor” from Adam M. Grant’s book “Give and Take” as one of the principles that I can easily say yes to. With knowledge exchange, it depends on whether I feel I get the same inspiration out of the relationship that I give in. Usually, this is the case in most of my networking groups, usually I prefer “Erfa”-Groups where practical tips are exchanged with a captive audience and “Mastermind Groups”, where we usually bring our lazy selves forward and overcome imposter syndrome. In Switzerland, you can also follow institutionalized networking by joining an association or club that is dedicated to your profession. If you need more advice on this please reach out to me. I’m offering my resources and recommendations to readers and clients within our HireMeExpress program.

3 – Allow for a Weekly “Watercooler Chat”

What I am missing the most about working in an office environment is the social part, the watercooler chats about not-so-professional topics, the casual bumping into colleagues and asking them about their cats, and the general exchange of fun and pleasantries when you work with the same people for years. As a global digital nomad, you will have to get used to building up relationships fast but there are always people that you have known for a long time even if you worked at different companies or on different projects. And it is absolutely okay if you contact them without a reason and set up a “Watercooler” chat where you strictly make small talk only or chat about your family or the last tech problem you faced when trying to organize a vaccination for your mother from abroad. I know you are as keen as I am in turning into a mega-productive robot but allow yourself this time by blocking half an hour once a week (that’s in addition to a daily lunch break). Reserve at least one day for going to the office and meeting people for lunch and coffee dates. Use the space your employer provides you with to build your internal network.

4 – Visit the Kunsthaus or Schauspielhaus (Join our Theatre Club WhatsApp Group)

For the longest time, I only participated in the Zurich “cultural events” as a bystander. We now have established the “Theatre Club” and I regularly invite clients, friends, and former colleagues to cultural events. You can do that too to build your network. Instead of meeting for lunch, invite the person you need to meet to join an exhibition or watch a play. 

5 – Watch your Boundaries

If you’re a seasoned professional with the wisdom of experience to share, offline networking can help you build trust with those who wish to seek your advice but would hesitate to reach out to you directly. By giving off an approachable vibe, perhaps giving a little impromptu talk to a group of people, you can embed that necessary bit of trust in younger professionals to reach out and network with you and others in your position. They’d go on to do it when they reach your place in their careers, and continue the cycle of positive networking! A natural consequence of purposeful networking is the asking and giving of advice. For experienced professionals, especially those who actively network, it can soon become an overwhelming practice. Giving advice is great, it’s what makes the world turn, but when your network constantly reaches out for advice on anything from spreadsheet optimization to career planning, it can lead to the sort of burnout that makes you want to stop networking. It may also negatively impact your health! Learning to say no is never easy, especially if you’re worried about coming off as impolite. It is, however, essential. Let your principles guide you: Develop a strategy that lets you identify scenarios where you say yes and those where you say no. Stick to this guideline and maintain your sanity!

You might like this video too: