3 Types Of People You Need To Avoid During Networking Events

In a networking event, identifying the right small business networking groups that you want to be a part of is quite a challenging task to pull off. The fact that it can also be pretty awkward for a first-timer like you to engage in a conversation with people you don't even know makes it even more difficult.

However, there are multiple ways you can prepare yourself before venturing out in the interaction-filled world of networking. One of these various ways is knowing the possible characters that you will be interacting with during the event.

To provide you with an idea with regards to the possible types of people that you can find in a networking event, we have identified some of the most common ones that you need to avoid. Here are the list and their descriptions:

#1 Gossipmongers

Be careful. People who talk and spread confidential information like wildfire should be the ones you need to avoid as much as possible. If you are stuck in a conversation with someone, observe how he or she responds to your questions. If you notice that the conversation is becoming irrelevant and thus going south, that might be a good time to politely excuse yourself out from the conversation.

There's a high probability that if a person was able to relay others’ confidential information, he or she can also do that to you. Be smart enough to avoid associating yourself with such people. Thus, being friendly and interactive in a networking event are not the only things that you need to focus on. You should also be observant enough to help yourself find the right people to talk to.

#2 Self-centered Individuals

There are people who love to talk about themselves a lot and take way more then they give. Although there's nothing wrong with introducing yourself to others, making every interaction all about you is a different story. That's exactly what self-centred individuals do in a networking event all the time. If you happen to come across with people who don't show any interest about what you're saying and constantly turns the spotlight unto themselves, do yourself a favour and step out of the conversation.

Business networking is all about building good relationships with the people you meet. However, it is also important to realise that to achieve such a goal, communication should not be a one-way road for all participants. Denotatively, communication is a two-way process that involves a source and a receiver. Thus, speaking with someone who doesn't want to hear you out is just a waste of time.

#3 The Bellyacher

In a business networking event, a bellyacher is the worst person to have a conversation with. Bellyachers are people who excessively complain about everything. It's not wrong to complain sometimes but complaining too much can be very unhealthy, especially in a professional business networking event. The main purpose of networking is to interact with people to find a common interest and develop relationships for the betterment of their businesses. Now, if you are stuck with a person who prefers to complain rather than join a healthy discussion, it will not benefit you at the end of the day.

Furthermore, the best way to handle such people is to influence them with your positivity. Share some good stuff and transition the conversation from a bad one to a good one. That way, you might just be able to build a good relationship out of your differences. Don't let the bellyachers' negativity suck the positivity out of you. Successful networkers are made up of people who managed to wait for the sun to shine after the rain.

All in all, if you would like to be a part of a positive and happy business networking event that is composed of like-minded professionals who will share information and introduce you to lots of people, BxNetworking for Business can make that happen. We can organise a fun and collaborative networking event that will allow participants to interact effectively. Not only do we provide a collaborative atmosphere, but we also make sure that business opportunities are open for all networkers.