As a young entrepreneur, you know how crucial it is to get your idea in front of the right people. Finding those right people, whether developers, investors, or other partners, depends on how well you nurture your professional relationships. Facilitating connections means your idea or technical skills might not be enough; you need to exercise what are known as “soft skills,” or highly transferable communication skills. Read on to learn how to practice these soft skills in the workplace and how they can impact your professional goals.

What Are Relationships Built On?

Relationships are built on respect. There are many ways to be respectful in a networking conversation, but one underrated approach is to always give your contacts your full attention when they are speaking. When someone shares their insights, views, or ideas, be sure to actively listen to inspire them to expand on their thoughts. This skill can help you in your venture as well. Showing respect is crucial to keep creativity and energy flowing from your teammates.

How to Use Empathy in Networking

In the words of Brene Brown, empathy “fuels connections.” People with higher levels of empathy are skilled at understanding a situation from another person’s perspective and reacting compassionately. Empathy in a professional setting means that people can establish authentic connections with one another that enhance performance and relationships.

Empathy’s role in networking is clear. After all, networking depends on relating to one another and being considerate of your contact’s time, and empathy is the art of relating to others and understanding their feelings. Outside of the networking context, empathy could also create a healthier work environment, leading to increased productivity, employee loyalty, and even increased profit.

Humans tend to crave associations and closeness, and empathy helps accomplish these goals in any context: cultural, social, family, friends, or business. Empathy keeps people together and brings out their genuine humanity.

Block Time On Your Schedule

Trying to build, nurture, and maintain a network can feel like a full-time job in and of itself; it can be a lot to juggle. Connections you make now can impact your professional life for years. What was a simple introduction a year ago could turn into a valuable opportunity today, especially for a young entrepreneur. You might meet a lifelong mentor, a business partner, or a like-minded friend.

Just as you would with anything else important, schedule time for networking activities and industry events. Block out time once a month when you attend an event, reach out over a video call, or meet at a local coffee shop. Even just 30 minutes at a time goes a long way in nurturing the relationships that make up your network.

How to Use Honesty in Networking

Honesty can be summed up in two words: never lie. You may decline to answer a question or try to sidestep a question, and you can be selective in what you communicate; however, the words you say or write must be genuine. Like respect, mutual trust provides the foundation for a solid professional relationship. When trust is present, the relationship can survive difficult times and still remain intact.

By behaving in ways that inspire other people to trust you and avoiding the behaviors that undermine trust, you can establish solid professional relationships with customers, colleagues, and even opposing counsel. In a new entrepreneurial venture, trust becomes even more crucial to keeping relationships intact.

How to Put Your Best Foot Forward

Similarly, like trust, you can always start your professional relationships off on the right foot by expecting the best of other people. People can tell when you have low expectations or you feel being cynical. On the other hand, people can feel it when you have confidence that they can succeed; they can feel it when they know you believe in them.

How to Make Better Connections

One must connect with people on things that matter to them. This connection starts with caring. One can show that one cares about others by being curious about their interests and needs and by connecting people to other people that they may want to talk to. You can introduce them to others, help secure resources for them, and connect them to anything else that would benefit them. Working with fellow entrepreneurs will often get you both further than simply competing against each other.

How to Improve Your Communication Skills

Communication is essential in every aspect of life. As an entrepreneur, your communication may include unique scenarios such as pitches or marketing campaigns.

Good communication skills are necessary for effective collaboration, teamwork, leadership, productivity, and problem-solving. You can practice good communication by using clear and concise language, appropriate tone, and effective timing in verbal communication.

Also, pay attention to your nonverbal communication. Eye contact, appropriate gestures, and an open posture can position you as pleasant, engaged, and approachable in a conversation.

Above all, make sure to tailor your communication to the recipient. Investors, customers, managers, and technical personnel all have different needs and concerns; speak to those unique needs by deliberating modifying your tone and vocabulary.

Impacts of a Positive Attitude

Staying positive is essential for building professional relationships. Research has shown that being positive leads to better outcomes in negotiations and other business dealings. A positive attitude is vital for job interviews and networking events. Potential employers or networking contacts are watching your attitude and are more likely to want to work with you or offer you a job if you exhibit positivity. Positivity has a ripple effect that positively impacts not only the individual but also the group or organization. When team members are positive, they are more productive and creative.

For more information, check out Building Professional Relationships.

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