Revista Octubre Toastmasters

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PROFESSIONAL GROWTHThe Benefits ofNetworking OnlineHow to build valuable relationships through social media.Building key relationships online willhelp you succeed professionally. Itsurely helped me. Indeed, thanks to mynetwork of social-media contacts, I foundthree internships, my first job in Londonand, since starting my events agency andtraining business in 2014, more than 75%of my clients.Building relationships offline is essential,but social networking is important too. Useit to build a strong professional network.Social networking allows us to easilyinteract with other users and find peoplewith similar interests, thanks to the useof websites and applications such as Facebook,LinkedIn, Twitter, and more.Through social media and the internet,you can build an online identity, connectand build relationships, acquire knowledge,and share ideas and informationwithout the limitation of time or space.Here are some tips for maximizingyour social networking tools.Keep Relationships AliveSet your social accounts to send andreceive automatic notifications so that youand your contacts will be aware of eachother’s activities. However, your mostimportant communications are one-toone,and they should be done often. Be intouch with your contacts regularly.Something I do, for example, is whenI find an interesting article, I share itwith my contacts who I know will enjoyreading it. I usually send it via a friendlyemail or LinkedIn message. I use thiscommunication as an occasion to catchup on their news and, at the same time,add value for them.The more connections youhave, the more visible youbecome—but quality is key.I recommend listing contacts in anExcel document. Rate your connectionswith numbers to prioritize the importanceof the relationship. Let’s say you want tochange career paths and get into the hospitalityindustry: List the companies in thatindustry that you’d like to work for. Extendthis list to include key contacts withinthose companies—those are your A-listers(Number 1’s) with whom you want tobuild relationships. A person you meeton an airplane with whom you exchangecontact details but who is not relevant toyour current career objectives would beclassified lower down the list (maybe a 3).Contact them again at a later stage if anopportunity of mutual interest arises.Use this document to store usefulinformation about your contacts, includingwhere, when, and how you connected;where they work; details on their interests;and your next steps in developing arelationship with them.Share ContentThe content you share on social mediashould be relevant to what you do andthe areas you specialize in. Share stories,BY VICTORIA SALEMarticles, graphs, news about the companyyou work for or own, and anything elsepertinent or interesting for your networkof contacts. You can share your contenton all your social media feeds so your connectionswill see it when they next log in.Where to ShareChoose your social networks dependingon the goals you want to achieve. Thinkof which networks are most relevant tothe industry you work in. My thoughtsare that LinkedIn and Twitter are morefor information sharing and have a more“professional” look than Instagram andFacebook, where you can be more creativeand playful with your content. For example,if you work in finance, then LinkedInand Twitter would probably be the maintools you would use. If you are a freelancedesigner, then maybe Instagram and Facebookwould be best. Depending on yourline of work and the nature of the content,the choice of social media to use will differ.LinkedInFor years, I accepted mostly all LinkedInconnection invites I received, congratulatingmyself as the contacts stacked up. Butbecause of all those strangers in there, Ifound myself in the tongue-tied situationof having one person I didn’t know askingme to introduce them to another person Ididn’t know.Yes, the more connections you have,the more visible you become—but qualityis key. Connect to people you have met,26 WHERE LEADERS ARE MADE
whom you know well enough to feelconfident introducing to others in yournetwork, and whom you are interested inlearning from.FacebookIf you haven’t already, create a page foryour business or your Toastmasters club.(New Zealand Toastmaster Lauren Parsonshas created three videos on publicrelations tips for Facebook, includinghow to create a club Facebook page.) Thisshould be separate from your personalpage, but you should invite your existingfriends list to follow your business page toget it going.On my Facebook professional page, Iadvertise the services I offer—includingposting photos and videos. I also “like”and share the Facebook posts of others I’mconnected with.Your business page reflects your company.If you are going to use Facebook, beactive by sharing content regularly.TwitterTwitter is mainly used to share content andto make your professional presence morevisible. On this platform, you share informationin the form of tweets. You can writeyour own tweets (limited to 280 characterswith spaces), reply to tweets, or retweetothers’ tweets. When retweeting, add acomment to explain why you feel this informationis interesting or important.On Twitter, you can search for ap erson, company, or hashtag (a word orphrase introduced by the number symbol)that you are interested in. Follow relevantaccounts and interact with them.Connect and CommunicateOnce you choose the social networkingplatforms you’d like to use, try to inspirepeople and build successful relationships.Here are five tips to help youbecome a better online connector andcommunicator.1Stand out. Develop an interestingbranding message and package your“professional brand.” For example, onLinkedIn stand out with an eye-catchingintroduction. On Facebook and especiallyon your business page, consider adding aninteresting cover image.2Show vulnerability. If it’s authentic,go public with failure. Share whatyou learned from those failures and don’thesitate to add pictures or videos. Postswith photos are the ones that catch oureye and create an emotional punch. Youcould share reflections about a businessyou tried to launch but weren’t able to, apresentation that didn’t go so well, or anythingelse you feel comfortable sharing.Don’t be afraid to show the real you!3Show your passion. Passion createsengagement. If you are passionateabout your business, let that shine through.If you are truly excited about the work youdo, other people will feel that excitementand get caught up in it. Use your content totell stories that move people. For example,share something that happened to you orsomeone you know. People like anecdotes.4Do your research. If you are thinkingabout connecting with someone,search their name on Google, LinkedIn,Twitter, and their company’s website. Bylearning more about them, you can findthings you have in common.5Emphasize diversity. Audit yournews feed (the system where you seethe content in your network): Are youfinding a diversity of backgrounds, professions,locations, ages, etc.? A diverse networkis key to broaden your awareness ofdifferent perspectives and to access variedcontent. You can make dedicated lists onTwitter and Facebook, which allow you toview posts only from the people on thatlist. Follow them, interact with them, andfollow what they follow.Spending time every day on socialnetworks makes a difference. Think aboutyour overall strategy and how you can useonline tools to support your goals.Most importantly, be professional andauthentic. This will help you build relationshipswith people who are interestedin you. TEditor’s Note: “Building a Social MediaPresence” is a Level 4 elective project in all 11paths in the Pathways learning experience.Victoria Salem is a member of theCovent Garden Speakers in London,England. A professional coach and anevents and networking expert, she helpsi ndividuals build better relationships sothey can be more successful and createmore opportunities for themselves. Learnmore at tgncoaching.co.uk.TOASTMASTER | OCTOBER 2020 27
Page 1: THE MAGAZINE FOR COMMUNICATORS & LE
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Page 6 and 7: ONLINE MAGAZINEwww.toastmasters.org
Page 8 and 9: QUICK TAKES4 NEWS FROM TI90 Years o
Page 10 and 11: TRAVELING TOASTMASTERGET CREATIVE!
Page 12 and 13: TOASTMASTERS TOOLBOXWhat’s the Po
Page 14 and 15: PROFILEMeet the Winners of the2020
Page 16 and 17: PRESENTATION SKILLSHow toAvoid thes
Page 18 and 19: PRESENTATION SKILLS4Over-explaining
Page 20 and 21: MENTORSHIPMentorship inToastmasters
Page 22 and 23: TABLE TOPICSSpontaneousSPEAKINGTips
Page 24 and 25: TABLE TOPICSanswer a question. For
Page 28 and 29: PRESENTATION SKILLSSupercharging Yo
Page 30: FUNNY YOU SHOULD SAY THATWatch What

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