Our founder, Ling Shih, recently revealed that she is an introvert. For many people that know her, this might have come as a surprise, but for those of you who resonated with her story, we wanted to tackle a subject that often sends chills down the introvert’s back: networking.  

Ling used to cringe at the idea of networking events. The mingling. The small talk. The name tags and awkwardness. It was a minefield of anxiety. For introverts, networking can be a frightening prospect. But despite all this, Ling learned how to master networking.  So today, we want to share some of her best tips for networking as an introvert.  

Here are a few ways she transformed her networking game:   

Prepare

Ling learned that a little research could go a long way. Before events, she would scout out attendees, brush up on the event’s topics and arm herself with a few interesting conversation starters. This helped immensely because she was never lost for what to say.  

Listen

Introverts have superpowers. They’re great listeners. So, Ling decided to lean into it. Instead of worrying about what to say, she just focused on listening and engaging with others. It’s amazing how genuine interest in someone’s story can create an instant connection.  

Find your networking comfort zone

Networking doesn’t always need to involve big, noisy events. Ling learned that smaller, more intimate gatherings were more her style. So, instead of the big events, she looked for industry-specific meetups, coffee chats and even virtual networking sessions. These environments felt a lot more comfortable to her, and the connections were a lot deeper and more useful after the fact.   

So, if you’re an introvert, try not to panic at the mention of networking, and if you have any tips on how you make the most of networking events, leave us a comment.