The Leadership Training Activity Book: 50 Exercises

MATERIALS

Handout 31.1: Networking Tools

EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

 Index Cards: Three cards per person

 Self-stick nametags in two colors (two blank nametags for each person, one of

each color)

 Black or dark blue magic markers and pens

ROOM SET-UP

A large room with enough space for people to mill around and practice networking.

Comments

You can present all of the skills included in this activity at the beginning of your work-

shop, so participants can practice using them during breaks. However, if you conduct

a multiday workshop on leadership, consider introducing these skills one at a time—

possibly at the beginning of each day, because they are so energizing.

RESOURCES

Baber, Anne, and Waymon, Lynne. Make Your Contacts Count.NY: AMACOM, 2002

(also available from http://www.ContactsCount.com).

Trainer’s Notes for Activity 31

STEP-BY-STEP PROCEDURE

Step 1: Start by asking participants to stand and mill around, shaking hands and

greeting everyone in the group.

Explain that we are often too hard on ourselves and this can be

especially true when we are “networking.” When we enter a group for

any reason, for example, we don’t always feel confident that we will have

anything interesting to say to other people, especially if they are strangers.

Step 2: Pass out three index cards to each person. Ask participants to write down

three concerns they have about networking, such as “Nobody will talk to

me” or “I won’t know what to say” or “I can’t remember names.”

Step 3: Ask everyone to stand up, pick a partner, and hand him or her their three

cards. One partner must transform the critical statements to something

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