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Online Networking Event Etiquette

Online networking etiquette

It’s important to remember that whenever you put yourself out there as representing your business, that people will notice you. They will notice what you look like, they will notice your behaviour, your spelling, grammar, what’s in the background behind you. The impression you give can be a lasting one. *You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Here are some important DOs and DON’Ts for Online Business Networking Events.
DO – Dress professionally (at least from the waist up 😉
DO – Style your hair like you would going out to a live event
DO – Check your spelling and grammar before posting any text in the chat. Make sure to use proper sentence case and punctuation
DO – Have your full name listed on your video screen, properly capitalized.
DO – Type out your contact information in a word processing software before the event, so you can easily copy and paste it into the group chat.
DO – Practice your Elevator Pitch a few days before the event, then the day before and the day of, right before the event. Time yourself each time to make sure that you will be talking for at least 30 seconds and at MOST 1 minute.
DO – Keep your camera on for the whole event. It looks like you are actually there to meet other business people for business.
DO – Look at yourself on the video screen. Check out what everyone else is seeing, because they are looking at what you are doing. Show that you are present and ready to do business.
DO – Clear the area behind where you will be sitting during the event, then turn your webcam on and see what your video screen looks like with you in it and whatever else is in your background. If you can see it, everyone else at the event will see it too.
DON’T – Keep your camera on just long enough to give your pitch, then you turn it off. It may seem very selfish and disrespectful. If you don’t show the other guests that you care about what they have to say, then why would they want to give you the time of day and consider doing business with you?
DON’T – Turn your camera on for a bit, then off for a bit, then on for a bit, then off for a bit. It can be very distracting for both the event Host and the other guests.
DON’T – Be obvious that you are doing something other than being present for the event. If you want to multi-task, then the option to maintain your professional image, has to be doing something on your computer where you are looking straight ahead.
Think about this… you are going to expose your business to a group of strangers for a short period of time. What do you want them to think and remember about you?
Are you going to take the 1.5-2 hours to positively impress the other event guests with yourself and your business, OR are you going to leave them with a “I don’t really care what you think” image?
I get it, we all get tired of going to networking events after a while, and there are so many to choose from. To prevent burnout, choose only a few events per month to attend and do a great job! It would be more beneficial to you than showing up at 4-6 events and giving a negative impression.
GTApreneurs welcomes you to attend our semi-monthly Networking Events!
You’ll get up to one minute to give a pitch about your business. Put on your game face on and login on time. #networkingeventstoronto

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Tammy Defoe
Author: Tammy Defoe

Tammy Defoe is the Founder and President of GTApreneurs Inc. She is a Business Coach, Sales Trainer and Public Speaking Instructor. She is very skilled and experienced at helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

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