It was the initial nerves about logging on and confirming your attendance, and then the overwhelming thoughts and feelings the day before the event. Leading to a significant apprehension sitting in the car before walking into the event… sound familiar? To be honest, it’s a shame that the large majority of people experience this and accept this as their normal. I’ve literally had people creating a process of which they go through leading up to an event which allows them to just get through it, in order to head home and debrief themselves through another process to calm themselves before sleep.
I don’t know about you, but that sounds extremely energy draining and restricting.
You may be wondering, what is the root cause of this? Because there are many unique reasons why people experience this fear of networking, and they will be able to intellectually share these reasons with you. However when I chunk down, and dig deeper with my clients, it nearly always comes down to the same root cause.
At the surface it is a fear of networking, due to the fear of rejection, which is derived from
comparing themselves in relation to someone else, due to an underlying belief of “not being good enough”.
The problem is not the networking event, or the potential rejection, or the comparison, it is the disempowering perspective that this person has of themselves. You don’t need a strategy, or a technique. The thing you “need” is a more empowering view of yourself which dissolves the cascade of thinking and behaviour as listed above.
(C) 2020 Brady Craig - ABN 17751843630