It’s not always possible to remain in touch with everyone that you professional meet or interact with. It’s certainly not easy to remember people’s names. However, the impact you leave on them when you meet is what they will remember about you.

I had a network of hundreds of people that I’ve connected with overtime. I had a poor engagement with them until I figured out the way to leave that long lasting impact on others.

These 5 simple but effective techniques have helped me in widening my network and having better engagement rates:

Smile

Smile is contagious. When someone sees you smiling, they will smile too. Smile activates neuronal signalling molecules that influence the activity of the brain and helps reduce stress.

So, smiling does not only help you feel better but it also helps others feel happy.

Smile when you see someone, no matter you know them or not. They will remember you for your smile.

Listen keenly

Dale Carnegie mentioned in his best selling book, How to win friends and influence people – Attentive listening is the biggest secret of being a great conversationalist.

Listening builds trust and makes the other person feel important. When you’re conversing with someone, listen first and then share your thoughts.

Appreciate others

Expressing gratitude towards others makes an instant and a direct connection with others. If you truly appreciate someone, they will remember it for a long long time.

Not only will they be genuine with you but also open up to accept their mistakes and work harder to correct those. They will also be more receptive to constructive criticism.

Start with trust

This is one of the biggest learnings of my life so far. I’ve had get relationships with my peers in my career so far because of this.

When we start a professional relationship with someone, I’ve learned that it’s better to start with trusting them. If you believe them , they instantly start to trust you. Otherwise, it’s a hard journey for everyone towards winning each other’s trust over time.

Forgive others

We all make mistakes, and the one who easily forgives wins more. It doesn’t mean ignoring other people’s mistakes. Good people will always take responsibility for their mistakes if you got the other four things going.

You will have a drastically better relationship with others if you forgive them. Be kind, and help others whenever you can.

Thanks for reading my post!

I want to know what helps you in having better engagement with people in your network. Please share your thoughts.