Networking conversation tips for physicians

Last week I wrote about people with whom to consider networking.

So there you are, all ready to pick up the phone, write that re-introductory email or saunter into the cocktail party ... and you freeze. You don't know what to say!

And you dread that ever-so-intrusive question "So tell me, what is it you do?"

It's simple if you have no goals of career change in mind. You're a doctor, after all, and everyone knows what that means.

But what if you no longer want to be pigeon-holed as a physician?

Here are tips to break the conversational ice and position yourself in your new forthcoming as-yet-to-be defined role:

1. Declare your intention. I help my clients develop a straightforward almost scripted response that indicates what they are intending to do, and are in the process of making happen -- hence their need to network and get the assistance of others.
   
   This takes the pressure off having to fumph and stutter and feel like a bumbling novice idiot at this networking stuff.
   
   Say "I'm passionate about  _______________ (gardening) and I want to transition to _______________ (healing landscaping) to take advantage of my skills of ________________ (my talents as a gardener as well as my knowledge of medicine and healing plants)."
   
   
2. Let people know who you best like to help or work with. If your listener understands who your ideal "target person" is (the person or people you want to meet), they can more easily introduce you.
   
   If he or she knows what job, career or field you are considering transitioning into, they can mentally scan their Rolodexes to figure out how to help. Which most people naturally are inclined to do.
   
   Say "I work with ___________ (hospital administrators) who are struggling with _______________ (how to communicate effectively with their medical staff and get them to help control utilization) and a good person for me to meet is _____________ (the CEO of Main Street Hospital)"
   
   
3. Illustrate your points with stories or anecdotes. From infancy, we are hard-wired to listen raptly to stories. They fire up our imaginations, and open up our creative thinking.
   
   Share brief case studies from your prior experience, or tell success (or funny failure) stories. Use visual and emotional language to engage them. Reminisce about times when you were engaged in your passion, and how much fun you were having.
    
   
4. Steer the conversation to the other person. People love to be heard. When you have given your short "scripted response" as outline above, make a point of turning the tables on them ("So Joe, I'd love to hear a bit about you and your line of work. What is it you do?") and getting to know them much better.
   
   Ask them how they got into their field (hopefully your field of interest). Find out what they love most about their work. Or what their biggest challenges are, and how they have chosen to solve them. Be interested, focus less on trying to be interesting!
   
   
5. Be genuinely curious about the other person. This is an extension of number 4. You'll have so much more fun and be under way less pressure if you focus on building a real relationship, even if it is around your golf scores or your family vacation plans. It makes a conversation a whole lot less stressful.
   

Next time, we'll focus on what to do after that initial conversation.