Today we had the chance to hear a presentation from guest speaker, Rob Cullen at Griffith College. The presentation was one of my favorite parts of the trip, as I feel like it left me with many things that I can apply to my own professional life. Rob has a unique approach to networking, and his tactics and strategies were very clever and effective. He went over a variety of techniques, as well as some general professional advice for us.

Many networking techniques are very much universal and are used in all different countries. A good example would be the handshake. Rob actually gave a demonstration of a proper handshake with the help of Jack. He told us that something as simple as a handshake can be very important when meeting somebody, and this is certainly a universal truth. Another example of a universal networking technique is having proper body language and having respect for personal space. Rob talked to us about the importance of keeping a proper distance from a person not only in respect to their personal space, but to allow room for others to join the conversation.

While many techniques are universal, some appeared to be specific to Ireland based on the things I have learned throughout this trip. One thing that comes to mind is something that Dr. Kelly told us about meeting people in Ireland. He told us that in Ireland, it matters much more to a person where you are from as compared to what you do for work. He said that Irish people are very much a product of what section of the country they are from, making this a key detail in conversation when meeting a new person. From my experience, I tend to talk much more about what I do for school and work when meeting a new person, and much less about where I come from.

One strategy I will certainly use in my future networking is attaining somebody’s name when you have forgotten it. This is something that I have struggled with in the past, and Rob gave us some clever strategies for dealing with this. He told us one good strategy is asking for a persons full name or last name in an attempt to recall their first name. He also told us not to be afraid of simply asking for them to repeat their name, since most people will not have a problem with that. Another networking technique I intend on using is creating opportunities to invite other people into conversations. Rob told us it is a good idea to introduce people you are talking with to others that you have previously talked to or known prior. He said the best way to do this is standing in a manner that allows others to join a “circle” then inviting others over and introducing them. This can be useful because everyone knows it is more comfortable to converse in a group, as compared to one on one.

Overall, I really appreciate the things Rob Cullen taught us and I will certainly remember his strategies when networking in the future!