I’m borrowing the title for this post from the pre-conference seminar Don Gabor is doing at this PASS Summit this year. It’s a 2 hour seminar that happens Monday afternoon at 4:30 pm, which means you can do a full length seminar and attend this one, or if you’re arriving mid afternoon on Monday you can start your week by getting in the networking groove.

Here’s the outline:

Learn to network and make professional connections that will pay off for years to come from best-selling author, communications trainer and “small talk” expert, Don Gabor. Using demonstrations, exercises, role plays, and coaching that focus on networking at breakfast, lunch, between sessions and at the evening reception Don will guide you step-by-step through the networking process. By practicing confidence-boosting skills, tips and strategies you’ll see that connecting with your colleagues is easy, fun and profitable! Take-aways include:

Using body language to build instant rapport

Introducing yourself and remembering names

Breaking the ice & keeping the conversation going

Transitioning from topic to topic

Ending conversations and working the room

Following up and building business relationships

Each workshop attendee will receive an autographed copy of Don’s best-selling book, Turn Small Talk into Big Deals.

Do you need business contacts? Of course you do! Just because you’re not a consultant or selling a product doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from business contacts. One of the fun parts of networking is that you just never know who you’ll meet or how it may help you (or how you may help them).

I’m going to this one, and I’m writing the $75 check to attend. I want to be in room with a bunch of other people that want to network, what better place to both meet people and practice new skills?

Now to be fair I’m biased. I met Don after reading his book about how to start conversations, hired him to coach me, and we’ve become friends. I don’t want you to attend so that Don can make $75, I want you to attend because I think he’s just about the best in the world at what he does. I watched him greet people coming into a room last year, hand shake and hello, and 10 minutes later name at least 50 of the 75 attendees. Remembering names is hard, and he makes it look easy. That’s just a part of his game!

Whether the boss pays or not (he should), I hope you’ll attend, we’ll have fun and learn a lot too.