Photo contribution Vianka Villa
Dry mouth, sweaty palms, and shaky legs. At some point, you might have been nervous talking about yourself, especially when meeting new people. One expert says that in order to make networking less nerve-racking, begin by identifying your purpose and talk about yourself with a clear and succinct message in mind.
Porter Gale, a former VP of Marketing at Virgin America and author of Your Network is Your Net Worth, kicked off the keynote speeches at the Girls in Tech Catalyst conference to a packed crowd of influential women in tech.
READ: Girls in Tech Catalyst kicks off with a superhero cape
Gale’s speech focused on identifying and harnessing your self-worth. Her tips included:
- Ask yourself… what value do you bring to your network? It’s a loaded question for sure, but Gale says it’s very important to answer.
- Identifying three attributes that can clearly convey your purpose, is important to yourself, and important for others’ to perceive of you.
- The key to networking you ask? The answer may be a cliché but it’s simple, you need to perfect your elevator pitch and have the ability to articulate and expand on it at any given moment.
- Use storytelling in your message. This conversational aspect to your elevator pitch makes it more intriguing and informative to the person listening.
- Make it fun! Make it you! You’re selling yourself in your elevator pitch, so make it fun.
Stay tuned for more coverage from the Girls in Tech Catalyst at AZ Tech Beat and on our social media channels.