Networking is one of the most fundamental aspects of career success. Building a strong network within one’s industry leads to greater career mobility, a wider range of opportunities and a solid foundation of connections to lean on for advice and support. Networking can be generally defined as connecting with others in the hopes of adding value to their businesses or careers in return for the same courtesy from them (Fenech, 2022).
While networking has many benefits, the prospect of meeting people in order to advance one’s career can be an intimidating prospect for some. If you are considering a career as a life coach, you will be qualified to support clients in gaining networking confidence and skills after completing your training.
As a life coach, you can provide clients with tips for creating a networking approach, and customizing a plan of action that meets their specific personality, needs and goals. Below, discover more about how you can help clients to improve their networking skills as a life coach.
Help Clients Reduce Their Nerves During Your Life Coach Career
Networking can be nerve-wracking for plenty of people. After you become a certified life coach, it is likely that you will encounter clients who struggle with overthinking or feel inhibited by their shyness when meeting others at networking events (Gohil-Thorp, 2022).
As a life coach, you can help your clients by encouraging them to shift their attitude and mindset around networking (Gohil-Thorp, 2022). Instead of viewing others at an event as superiors, clients can view them as potential collaborators or even friends (Gohil-Thorp, 2022). With this mindset, your clients can confront the assumptions they have about networking, and begin to motivate themselves to approach the prospect from a new perspective.
Moreover, remind your clients that networking is a learned skill, rather than a natural capability (Mind Tools Content Team, 2022). With the right attitude and strategy, they will be able to improve over time, becoming confident and successful networkers.
Coach Clients to Create a Plan of Action
When a networking event comes up, your clients will be much more likely to succeed if they first establish their goals–and a plan to reach them. Whether their goal is to speak to someone specific, discuss a certain topic or spread awareness about their mission, setting a few realistic objectives will help to provide clients with an idea of the ‘why’ behind their efforts (Mind Tools Content Team, 2022). During your life coach career, you can help clients to set manageable goals around networking, as well as strategic plans to reach them.
One helpful networking strategy involves prioritizing quality over quantity (Heitzman, 2015). Rather than talking to as many people as possible, networking is often more successful by focusing on the interactions that really matter in propelling a client’s business or purpose (Heitzman, 2015).
Additionally, clients can remember to center conversations around not just themselves, but the other person they are talking to. Asking plenty of questions can encourage those around them to talk about their business and work, helping clients identify ways to connect (Fenech, 2022).
Provide Tips for Maintaining Contact After Events
Often, a client’s struggles with networking can be the result of one key problem: they never followed up. As a life coach, you will want to help your clients understand the importance of maintaining contact with a connection after a networking event or a meeting. Following up is essential for establishing a line of contact from which a relationship can grow (Van Edwards, 2022). When reaching out to others after a networking event, remind clients to explain who they are and how they could add value with their skills (Fenech, 2022). With these skills, your clients will be prepared to confidently seize opportunities within the networking world.
Ready to pursue life coach training?
Launch a career guiding others to success with a program at Rhodes Wellness College!
Works Cited:
Fenech, M. (2022). 5 ways to become a better networker, and why it’s so important in business. Entrepreneur. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/411311
Gohil-Thorp, A. (2022). The how and why of Career Coaching Series: Networking Nerves Gone. Life Coach Directory. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://www.lifecoach-directory.org.uk/memberarticles/the-how-and-why-of-career-coaching-series-networking-nerves-gone
Heitzman, A. (2015). For the introverts out there: 10 tips for becoming a better networker. Inc.com. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://www.inc.com/adam-heitzman/for-the-introverts-out-there-10-tips-to-becoming-a-better-networker.html
Mind Tools Content Team. (2022). 10 ways to overcome a fear of networking: Forging connections authentically and with confidence. MindTools.com. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/overcome-fear-networking.htm
Van Edwards, V. (2022, January 3). How to network: 18 easy networking tips you can use today. Science of People. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://www.scienceofpeople.com/networking/
