THE NETWORKER

BUSINESS: THE NETWORKER Smile Connections by Bob Arnold

BUSINESS: THE IN BOX Time for Inspiration by Steve Rak

The handshake is gone - for now! That is all right, it will be back.

Right now, there is a unique opportunity to work on the second best way to make a first impression: a smile.

The three best ways to work a smile are to be genuine, add laughter and project interest.

When people meet for the first time, they mostly will be looking at each other’s eyes, which project the expression on their mouths. Will they see a frown or a smile? They better see a genuine smile. Your smile is proof you are genuinely interested in meeting them.

A smile is only a step away from laughter. Infusing laughter within the conversation is accomplished best by asking questions that bring out interesting responses.

If someone you just met asked, “You know, looking at you reminds me of a race driver. Do you like racing?”

You would laugh as you come up with a catchy response. As corny as it may sound, it will get the conversation off to a smart start, mainly because it got you to laugh.

The key is to ask questions that get them to talk about themselves, rather than things like the weather, and infuse the conversation with laughter and interest.

In today’s world, we are engaging in a lot of networking events online. We tend to be more focused than when we are face-to-face, watching someone’s face to pick up those subtle clues as to who they are.

As we focus, we may frown and reflect anything other than interest in other people. If we try to get to know another person on the screen, any question we ask is broadcast to all 20 people in the meeting. That frustrates and causes frowning.

Be aware of your facial expressions and be sure to project interest through a smile.

These tips should help you find more success in your networking.

Bob Arnold is the founder of ONward Networking and the international best-selling author of “The Uncanny Power of the Networking Pencil,” which can be purchased at https:// amzn.to/2KSy3Xm More networking tips are available at “Bob’s Pencil Points” blog at http://onwardnetworking.com/ or by contacting Arnold at TheNetworkingPencil@gmail.com Medina resident Steve Rak is an award-winning columnist and has spoken at numerous venues throughout the United States and Canada as the owner of Rak Consulting, http://www.rakconsultingllc.com/, and Southwest Landscape Management, http://www.sw-landscape.com/ E-mail questions or suggestions for future column topics to Joy@BlakeHousePublishing.com with “In Box” in the subject line.

One of my favorite quotes attributed to Steve Jobs is: “Think Different.”

He was emphatic that the second word be “different” not “differently.”

Those two words, like almost everything else Jobs did, were symbolic of how the man thought.

I could write an entire column on the essence of those two words and the context Jobs was trying to imply, but that would miss the point entirely.

Steve Jobs had a remarkably simple approach to his complexity. I would venture to say his genius was in making the complex easy. His attention to detail, from the packaging of his products to the layout of the electronics inside them, was obsessive. In the end, he understood that mankind needed to be able use them easily or they would just be another technological marvel destined to collect dust in a museum somewhere.

Now, more than ever, is a good time to think different. Maybe it is time to get a heaping dose of inspiration so your business will prosper in the coming days.

In my case, I always have drawn inspiration from entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, Richard Branson and Gary Vaynerchuck, to name a few.

Grab a book or search the internet for something that will inspire you to move forward in a positive way.

Give the doomsday newscasts a break, even if it is for a short time.

The relevancy of my Steve Jobs observations above are quite on point as to what is happening in the world today.

In the days to come, it is imperative that we learn to think different. The irony is that we probably do not have a choice anyway.

Steve Jobs was a master at problem solving and finding ways to push the world to try new things. We really could use some of that spirit right now.