1. What to wear? If you are a man, don’t laugh at this point, this is not a fashion tip! It’s important to wear something suitable for the occasion, but try to wear something comfortable for you. If you usually don’t wear a suit, don’t start now, people will notice you are uncomfortable, and it can be interpreted as unreliable. If you are not sure, and there isn’t a clear dress code, try asking a colleague on similar events. Remember, dress code is important, but feeling comfortable around others is crucial.

Sometimes, dressing wrong for the occasion is serving a purpose…

2. Like Actors – Learn your lines! If you are not a people person, and finding it hard to introduce yourself, do as professional actors do, rehearse and learn by heart. You can implement this method by learning by heart, just like writing your CV. Take the highlights of your work and business actions, and shape them into 3-4 short sentences you can say naturally, short and to the point. My personal example I use in events is say: “I’m a self-employed business developer. currently I’m working on…” .Keep it short and interesting. You can finish these few lines by handing a business card and wait to see if people ask to hear more.

3. Rehearse. Practice makes..well, you know. Again, like actors, a good rehearsal is a great help before the real show. The best way to rehearse on networking is only with the real thing. Try finding prior to your event a smaller one. See if you can find a smaller event (there’s always something), even on a different subject before the event you intend to attend. Go to a smaller gathering, where you preferably know a few people, and try approaching people with the lines you remembered by heart. If it works stick to it, if not, you can still adjust them before the important event.

4. Do your homework. Try making the most out of every event. Study the subjects that will be spoken about, what’s up for discussion? Who is going to attend the event? Study these detail and network with specific new people on relevant subjects to them and yourself.

5. Don’t forget to enjoy. Even business events these days have a fun aspect to them (or at least they try). In most conventions there is a variety of people, eatable food and in many cases, drinks. Think of these events as an opportunity to enjoy yourself, with business as an added value. If people will see you as optimistic and positive, it will ease the networking.

These 5 guidelines should keep you comfortable, confident, positive and interesting enough to network effectively to new connections.

This week we’ve discovered that even a very short taxi ride can be an opportunity for making connections. My girlfriend took a short taxi ride in town. You know how taxi drivers like to talk  - they’re born with excellent networking skills.

This specific taxi driver that took my girlfriend happens to make a living also from real estate. He started the conversation by showing noting that some new buildings that they passed upon are very expensive. This triggered a conversation about the prices of houses in the city.

In any taxi ride you can develop a conversation about the price of homes, sports and some healthy complaining about the government. This taxi driver had an agenda. He had a reason for triggering his passengers to talk about house prices.

In the case of my girlfriend, the rant about rising house prices was fruitful. My girlfriend and myself are looking for a apartment to rent together in the coming months. The talk about houses in the city lead her to mention this fact. The taxi driver jumped on the opportunity and told her about his other occupation.

Now she was more interested to hear about this issue from his knowledge. At the end of the ride, he offered her his business card, and she was glad to take it and keep it.

I’m not sure if we’ll use his services when we’ll do an extensive search for an apartment. We might use his services in searching but might strike a deal through someone else. But we still have a great story about networking.

As shown here, networking can happen anywhere.

We can also learn from this taxi driver’s style – he began the chat by talking about something on the route. After some discussion, his potential client showed interest in his business, and he presented it. And at the end he “made the move” with his business card.

This elegant networking is quite impressive.