Opinion

Don’t fear speaking to anyone

Scary is the word many people use when it comes to such a setting. Not feeling comfortable or not seeing/attaining the value is another feedback that others use when meeting new people.

You are invited to attend an event, be it a formal or an informal one. The room is full of people from different nationalities, genders, and professions too. You don’t know anyone at the event with the exception of the host who has invited you, yet he/she is obviously busy serving the other guests (or customers), including yourself too. Some in this position or scenario would utilize the moment to meet the new people, introduce themselves, generate a contact as a new friend, lead, or ultimately build a network per se.

Others or the majority would just make an excuse and just leave the event altogether (for being scared, uncomfortable, or just bored). This may be something that happens or has happened to you, or it may be something that happens or has happened to someone you know. In any case, my article this week is on this important skill, i.e., talking to anyone. For the absence of the same may make or break any relation, be it personal or professional. So how do you go about speaking to new people (or strangers as such)? I will try and shed some light during this and up-coming articles, but first, let’s look at the benefits of not having a fear of speaking to anyone.

Are you aware of the types of opportunities that can arise simply by reaching out and engaging with others? You may get new business, a new place to work, a permanent job, and/or even referrals too. I can confidently tell you that the majority of the successful people you meet, see, or know have built valuable networks around them—something that I may also talk about in depth in my future articles.

You may have heard, read, been told, or come across the statement, “It’s not about what you know, but really about who you know.' You may be the best at what you do (i.e., skilled), but you can’t get all the goodies (i.e., access, network, benefits, etc.) that someone else who is much less capable than you are is always getting. Yup, that’s the unfortunate or fortunate reality of real-world life (depending on the way you are looking at it).

Scary is the word many people use when it comes to such a setting. Not feeling comfortable or not seeing/attaining the value is another feedback that others use when meeting new people. Let me attest that some of these were also a feeling that I personally had over the years, yet have overcome by realizing the importance and, of course, practicing the skill whenever an opportunity arises (via the sheer events I periodically attend).

I have seen many people from different phases of my life progress to achieve remarkable things just because they knew someone else who could offer the necessary support in one way or another.

Yes, I am a firm believer that if one is not good, then he/she will not last long of the feat achieved, irrespective of the network they have built. For example, you may land a job just because you knew someone who supported you to get it, but don’t expect to remain in the job if you don’t have the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience to operate and add value as a result. Yup, it takes two to tango.

Speaking is an art, and knowing how to utilize it for the sake of creating meaningful relationships is an advantage that one must possess in order to achieve tremendous results today, especially in this soon-to-materialize hyper- and intelligently connected world.

I will try and break down the basic steps that one can follow in order to break fear and speak to anyone easily in my up-coming articles. Until then, fasten your seatbelt, remain positive, and stay tuned.

Tariq al Barwani

The author is the founder of Knowledge Oman