Networking Experts Provide Tricks of The Trade Show

BY JENNIFER KIRBY, SENIOR EDITOR

Attending any industry event or trade show can be daunting. This is particularly the case when it comes to talking with fellow attendees you don’t know personally but with whom compelling conversation could benefit you professionally.

With this in mind and with Optometry’s Meeting (the AOA’s annual event) taking place this month (June 20 to June 24) in Denver, networking experts provide tips on how to make meaningful connections at such events.

TALK TO STRANGERS

Roughly 40% of adults self-identify as shy, according to an array of published sources, such as The Washington Post article, “The Secret Science of Shyness.” One proven way to overcome this is to talk to strangers.

“I’ve been in hotel elevators with people I don’t know, and I’ll almost always say, ‘Hi. So, what are you here for?’ and then they’ll ask me and, as a result, often end up attending the event I told them about,” explains Susan RoAne, a keynote speaker and author of “How to Work a Room: The Ultimate Guide to Making Lasting Connections — In Person and Online.”

“Obviously, there’s more to this than just what you say, it’s how you say it. So, your body language should be open, meaning you’re either directly facing or angled toward the person, which shows genuine interest, your voice has a pleasant tone, and you have a warm smile.”

Leil Lowndes, a communications expert, whose works include, “How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships,” suggests you use her, “Hello, Old Friend” technique if you’re nervous or shy about talking to a stranger. This requires acting as if the person you’re speaking with is a friend you haven’t seen in a long time.

“It puts you at ease, while conveying an open and receptive body language,” she explains.

Ms. Lowndes adds not to speak too fast, as this shows you’re nervous and makes it difficult for the person you’re speaking with to understand you.

DEVELOP A PLAN OF ACTION

Visit the event website, in this case, optometrysmeeting.org , decide which meetings you’d like to attend and your specific goal for each, says Ms. RoAne.

Devora Zack, a leadership consulting specialist and author of, “Networking for People Who Hate Networking,” suggests you replace basic questions, such as “What do you do? with more interesting alternatives like, “What is your favorite part of your work?”

“Now, you’ve started a really interesting conversation, enabling you to build a great rapport,” she explains.

Ms. Lowndes recommends you arrive at the show floor early if you plan to speak with certain vendors, to avoid competing for one-on-one time.

“To make a personal connection, remark kindly about the booth set up, and then transition into who you are, why you’re there and the questions you have,” she explains. “Also, be sure to write the answers, so that they know you’re not there to just pick up whatever tchotchke they’re offering.”

Ms. Zack adds that showing up early to any event is often more comfortable for those who feel overwhelmed by networking, because fewer people will be there, making them less likely to be engaged in conversation.

DRESS PROFESSIONALLY, YET COMFORTABLY

Ms. Zack recommends you wear clothing that’s event appropriate, yet also comfortable, for example comfortable flats over adorable heels. You don’t want to wear anything that will distract you from focusing on the people you want to speak with, she says.

BRING/ASK FOR BUSINESS CARDS

This provides a physical takeaway item to aid folks you speak with in remembering you later and passing your information on, explains Ms. RoAne.

“Don’t be embarrassed to say, ‘If you have a card, may I have one?’ And if they don’t ask for your card, there is no harm is asking, ‘May I offer you one of my cards?” she says.

She adds that once you have their card in hand, look at it, make a flattering comment about the card, such as, “cool font,” look back at the person who gave it to you, then back at the card, and then put it in a card case or another important place to show you respect the person and their card.

Ms. Zack suggests you write something on the back of the card, such as something specific you talked about, so you can remember the person when following up on the business cards you receive.

CREATE YOUR OWN SELF-INTRODUCTION

The self-introduction Ms. RoAne suggests contains four traits:

(1) seven to nine seconds of pleasantry (“It should be seven to nine seconds because after that, eye contact is considered a glare.”),

(2) firm handshake (“It’s a way of self-introduction that shows people how they should introduce themselves to you.”)

(3) personal relationship to the event (“This helps other people have context for why you’re there, facilitating conversation.”), and

(4) the benefit of what you do, not your job title, and invite them to do the same.

“Saying ‘what about you’ vs. ‘what do you do’ gives people the chance to talk about their interests, instead of their job title, enabling an enjoyable and memorable conversation,” she explains.

Other self-introduction examples, based on situation, according to Ms. RoAne:

• Meeting an industry celebrity, such as a KOL. Incorporate recognition and humility: “Hi, I’m ________. I just wanted to introduce myself, because I’m so impressed with the work you’re doing; you’re such an inspiration. I hope I can be so fortune as to give back to the profession as much as you have.”
• Looking for a job opportunity. Use questions that show your interest: “I hear you may be looking for a new associate. I’m so interested. What do you suggest I could do to be considered?” Or, “I’m graduating, and I’m looking forward to starting my career in the profession. Is there anyone you think I ought to meet and talk to?”

Two caveats: (1) Never ignore the spouse or child of the person you talk with because it’s just plain rude, and (2) if you’ve brought your spouse or child, stand side by side vs. facing each other, so your body language shows you’re open to meeting others, Ms. RoAne explains.

BECOME PART OF THE GROUP

When at table events, approach the table that includes those who look like they’re having the most fun because they’ll be more amenable to including you, says Ms. RoAne.

“Stand in the periphery of that table, and then ask, ‘May I join you,’ when you notice a pause in the conversation. Most often, people are so congenial, that they’ll say, ‘Of course, you can join us,’” she explains.

Standing in line is another opportunity to network.

“The line is your best friend because it gives you a temporary purpose, two people to talk to (the person ahead and behind you), and a natural conclusion when you get to the front of the line.” explains Ms. Zack. “Plus you get a prize – whatever you were waiting in line for!”

KNOW WHEN/HOW TO “MOVE ON”

If you note a lull in the conversation or have gotten the information you wanted and gave the other person enough time to speak, extend your hand, summarize the conversation, and excuse yourself, says Ms. RoAne.

“You want to say something along the lines of, ‘Hey, it was great meeting you and talking with you about ____.” May I have your card? Can I offer you mine?’” she explains. “By putting your hand out and summarizing the conversation, you’re not only signaling in a polite way that the conversation is coming to an end, you’re also letting the other person know that you really were listening to everything they said, which leaves them with a positive view of you.”

REMEMBER TO FOLLOW-UP

“Attending industry events or trade shows is all about the follow-up,” explains Ms. Zack. “I can’t stress that enough. You can collect, or you can connect. Aim to follow-up within two days of returning from the conference because we forget about half of what we hear within forty eight hours.”

Ms. RoAne adds that if someone gave you a great idea or helped you to make a connection, let that person know you are appreciative by sending a thank you note.

HONOR YOUR TEMPERAMENT

Lastly, when it comes to all the tips above, remember what your social preferences are vs. fighting against them, as doing the latter will hinder your networking efforts in that people will pick up on your discomfort, explains Ms. Zack.

“One thing to notice when you’re at an event is how often you’re saying, ‘I should do this.’ ‘I should’ almost always means, ‘I shouldn’t,’ and what I should really do is rest,” she says. “You know what? For you to do well, if that’s your natural temperament, then you need to not necessarily attend everything.” OM

O.D.s Reveal Most Valuable Tips for Managing Cataract Patients

BY SHANNON SIMCOX, SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR

In honor of cataract awareness month (June), optometrists Josh Johnston, Cecelia Koetting and Maynard L. Pohl provide several tips for successfully managing cataract patients:

• Position yourself as director of your patient’s care. “As a primary eye care provider, educate your staff on cataract co-managed care, and communicate well with the patient, staff and surgeon,” says Dr. Pohl. “When you do the ‘heavy lifting,’ your patient will confide in your experience and guidance.”
• Test, diagnose, educate. Dr. Johnston, “Cornea” columnist for Optometric Management, suggests you perform the appropriate tests, such as VA, brightness acuity/glare testing, etc., needed to look for the visual signs and symptoms of a cataract, make a clinical diagnosis based on your test results, and educate the patient about how cataracts are a normal and treatable condition, “even allowing you to treat astigmatism and presbyopia at the time of surgery.”
• Look out for ocular surface disease. “The No. 1 pain point in cataract surgery, especially with premium IOLs is residual refractive error. This is most often caused by poor pre-op data with topography and biometry due to ocular surface disease,” explains Dr. Johnston.
  Dr. Koetting agrees.
  “We know that ocular surface disease can be exacerbated by surgery, so working to control it before surgery will also help to minimize worsening after surgery,” she says. “By doing so, we help to ensure that all measurements are accurate and that the patients’ surgical outcome will be optimized.”
• Manage patient expectations. Dr. Koetting adds that making sure the patient knows what to expect helps decrease unhappy patients as well as the chair time required to counsel them. ■

Lessons From the Practice: The Value of Chairside Assistants

It was in the early 1980s when I had a chance to spend a half day observing a local, friendly ophthalmologist in his practice. He had a very large, well-established practice, and I had a small, but growing, practice that I opened cold. This doctor had a chairside assistant who sat beside him at a side desk in the exam room and recorded the patient findings in a paper chart.

I was amazed at how fast the ophthalmologist could see patients and still do an excellent job, clinically. I was impressed with the efficiency of the doctor and the technician working together. It was an awakening for me. Although scribes were almost unheard of in optometry at the time, I could clearly see how this same technique could work in my practice.

I did not really “need” a chairside assistant at the time because I did not have the patient load that the ophthalmologist had. But I started using them anyway because I believed in the philosophy of, “act as you mean to go.” I implemented techniques in my practice before they were actually needed. I emulated large, successful practices because I thought doing so would make mine become that way. That turned out to be true.

I took the scribing idea a bit further than the ophthalmologist by having my scribes do more pretesting and manage the eyewear-selling aspect of patient visits. I eventually called these cross-trained employees “super-techs” because they were clinical technicians, scribes and opticians all in one job description. The advent of EHR provided a strong additional benefit of chairside technicians, and scribing has become a primary function, but there are many excellent reasons for O.D.s to utilize them. ■

– Neil Gailmard, O.D., M.B.A., F.A.A.O., Walnut Creek, Calif.