The Wild Element Program

I am very excited to offer an audio program entitled "The Wild Element." 

Purchase directly using code RISE for $5 off.

$29.99

Tips for Networking

DimaGhawi.com

Originally published by The Baton Rouge Business Report.

OK ladies, let’s talk about networking. We all know that hard work and dedication to “the company” simply aren’t enough. Building mutually beneficial and trustful relationships opens new doors that expedite career and business growth. The good news is that as women, we naturally gravitate toward building such meaningful relationships. The secret is to integrate it as part of our daily work and career goals.

Seven tips that I learned over the years and found helpful:

1. Every conversation is an opportunity to form a new connection. We are networking daily with every interaction—with co-workers, neighbors, and even when standing in line at the grocery store. In addition to meeting new people, it is critical to nurture existing relationships by staying in touch and always offering support. Focus on what you can contribute to your existing and new connections instead of just what you need their help with.
2. Define your career goals and create your networking plan. Identify what you want to achieve in the next X number years, then start establishing meaningful business relationships that would help you along the way.
3. Create a quarterly networking plan that specifies the professional meetings, email follow-ups, a list of people you want to schedule phone calls with or invite for coffee at Magpie. Make it a habit to mark these plans on your calendar and give them a priority.
4. Network with decision makers within your company. Many employees are unfamiliar with other areas of the business outside their core team. Periodically, identify a manager from a different department and request a 30-minute one-on-one introduction meeting. Prepare questions to learn about the manager’s role and background and the department’s mission. This will enable you to develop a cross-functional understanding of the business while building new strategic relationships. Most managers are usually happy to help and appreciate the curiosity.
5. Social media is a powerful tool for network expansion. Repurposing just a few minutes of your Instagram or Facebook time can really pay off. LinkedIn has groups for every aspect of business that attract individuals globally with a similar focus. Get engaged in group discussions, provide comments, post ideas and virtually meet other members. Take the opportunity to evolve the most promising virtual contacts by scheduling a phone call or meet them in person if they live close.
6. Volunteering and supporting a cause you are passionate about is also an effective and less intimidating way for meeting like-minded people. Volunteers are brought together by a common interest, which makes it easier to start conversations and connect while giving back to the community.
7. Find opportunities to introduce your existing contacts to each other that have similar interests and backgrounds. Being the connector not only feels good, but it also will ultimately strengthen your core network and expand it.

Now, when you hear the words “networking event,” the first image that may come to your mind is a huge bright room, filled with strangers, all professionally dressed and wearing name tags, forming small discussion circles, and exchanging well-rehearsed elevator pitches followed by colorful rectangular business cards. As you walk in, you carefully scan the room nervously hoping to find a familiar face, and wondering how to join in one of the group discussions. Don’t worry, you are not alone.

Seven tips for navigating at networking events:

1. Some may recommend attending these events alone to motivate you to meet new people, which has merit. But, let’s face it, if you are not comfortable with attending alone, don’t miss out completely!Invite a co-worker to go with you. A familiar face can be comforting as long as you both focus on supporting each other to meet new contacts while networking together.
2. Arrive early. This gives you the opportunity to meet and connect in a smaller group before everyone else arrives. It is less intimidating than entering a crowded room and trying to break into an ongoing conversation.
3. Attend events with topics that excite you, and participate because of your desire to learn. This will reduce the stress related to networking. Instead, meeting new people with similar interests becomes a byproduct.
4. Have a professional business handshake. Make it firm while maintaining eye contact. Your handshake is critical for building a good first impression and demonstrating confidence.
5. Be present, listen, ask questions and show genuine curiosity to learn about the people you meet. Silence two distractions: the cellphone ringing in your purse, and the internal voice wondering “who should I talk to next.”
6. Follow up within two days with the new contacts that you want to stay in touch with. Send them a personalized email, or even mail a hand-written letter. Send a LinkedIn connection request and include a lagniappe of an article or a resource that is related to the discussion you had.
7. Enjoy yourself and have fun.

Men and women alike, we all know that we prefer to do business with people that we like and trust. Professional networking is how we get there. These tips use the power of connection to add value to your meaningful relationships and encourage you to be generous in offering help. Use a mix of networking methods that fit your personality. Be diligent and align your networking plan with your career goals. Most importantly, enjoy the process and make new friends.

For more information about Dima's leadership speaking, training, and coaching, visit DimaGhawi.com

Breaking Vases

BREAKING VASES
$29.99

Product includes:

1. Two hours of recording

• Part I: Intro and Dima sharing her Breaking Vases story
• Part II: Breaking Vases in our Personal Lives
• Part III: Breaking Vases in our Professional Lives

2. A worksheet designed to help you identify the internal "vases of limitations" that are constraining you, and inspire you to develop the courage to shatter those limitations in your personal and professional life.

Add To Cart

Purchase directly using code

THE VASE for $5 off.

The Wild Element

I am very excited to offer an audio program entitled "The Wild Element." 

Purchase directly using code RISE for $5 off.

The Wild Element Program

$29.99

Add To Cart

Behind the Screens of My TedX Talk

This week’s guest post is from Dima Ghawi. After emigrating from her home country of Jordan in l996 Dima pursued her passion for education and leadership, obtaining a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of San Diego and an undergraduate degree in Economics from San Diego State University. Dima is currently the Talent Development Manager for IBM at the Baton Rouge Services Center; responsible for implementing training programs for new employees. In this post, Dima talks about her experience with TEDx:

It Didn’t Take my Breath Away.

Imagine you are backstage about to deliver a speech, then the event organizer approaches you and says “you are up next.” You follow her through a dark hallway towards the stage, and with every step your heart beats a little faster. By the time you get a glimpse of the audience, your heart is beating so fast that its rhythm sounds like a drum circle pounding on your eardrums. The intensity is taking away your breath.

I kept getting this image as I was preparing for my TEDx. I was terrified to stand in the middle of the famous big red circle, with everyone’s attention directed at me. I imagined at that moment losing my breath, while experiencing my body becoming paralyzed. This fear was not unrealistic, similar experiences had happened to me in the past, and I was worried that it would happen again.

Prior to the TEDx event, I was searching for ways to avoid this nightmare from occurring, and I was trying to understand the origin of my stage fright. Through this process, I surprisingly discovered that it was caused by another fear; the fear of being judged. Standing on the stage with the lights directed solely on me, while four hundred sets of eyes and ears focused on my every move and every word, made me feel exposed and unprotected by my perfection mask. It felt that the energy was moving in one direction only, and it was targeted at me, filled with the audiences’ expectation of the quality standards of a TEDx Talk.

Delivering the speech with this image in mind would’ve taken my breath away, and not in a good way. So in my preparation, I looked for ways to redirect the energy back to the audience, and what a better way to do that than by sharing with them a gift, the gift of healing. That thought helped to shift my fear of being judged into becoming an instrument of inspiration and empowerment. My speech was no longer about me; its purpose became to help the audience with their own journey. Only then, the fear of being judged started to dissolve.

My advice to anyone with stage fright is:

1. Ask yourself, what is the source of your fear? Whether it is the fear of being judged, fear of making mistakes, fear of losing your train of thought, fear of the audience seeing your flaws, fear of failure, or a mix of all of them.
2. Acknowledge your fears, and remind yourself of the value that you are offering your audience – the special gift that you are delivering in the form of words.
3. Focus on how your speech will serve them and make a difference in their lives with the products, services, and inspiration that you are sharing with them.
4. Once the audience senses that you are sincere, and have value to offer, then they will connect with you, and the feeling of connection will put you at ease.

Whether you are speaking to an audience of five or five thousand, remember that you have the power to deliver a speech that leaves your audience breathless.