Networking to Success, Thurs, Period 2 (7/17/08)

[1petrelli1.livejournal.com]

"When you're at a networking event you may find yourself dealing with someone you don't like," Nathan said, feeling inspired to change the class topic for the day given his earlier encounter with insult-flinging pirates. "Unfortunately saying anything obviously bad about someone has a way of hurting you more than it hurts them. After all, who's to say that you won't start talking badly about everyone you network with?

"However sometimes you'll have someone in your network who you'd really like to tell the truth to. Let's say they're about to hire someone who you fired and for good reason. Now you'd get into all kinds of trouble for saying that you canned someone because you were pretty sure they were stealing petty cash. But you could say something like 'I'm very happy to say he's a former employee of mine.'

"Think up ways someone could bother you - maybe they're sexist, maybe they have bad breath, maybe they never pick up a check. Then think of a way to warn somebody about that while still sounding polite. Go back and forth with each other. Extra points for creativity."

[ocd is up!]