Slides of my Breakout Session during the Student Leadership Summit 2013 organized by Cirkle K of the University of Aruba. Date: March 15, 2013.

1. Building your Network
Edward M. Erasmus, MA
March 15, 2013

2. About me…
• Edward M. Erasmus
• Degree in Business & Finance
• Degree in Public Administration, Management &
Organization Sciences
• Professional areas: accounting & control, public
finance, strategy, marketing, financial
management, operations management,
entrepreneurship and innovation, social media.
• Married, 3 daughters

3. About me…
• Head of Operations @ Free Zone Aruba NV
• Part-time lecturer @ the University of Aruba
(FEF & FAS)
• Speaker and facilitator
• Member of the National Council for Innovation
and Competitiveness (NCIC) since 2011
• Advocate for a sustainable Aruba
• DJ, music producer, innovation freak…

4. How about you?...
• Name
• A unique and outrageous word
to describe you

5. Before we start….

6. Roadmap for today…
The roots of networking
Networking explained
•
Forms of Networks
•
7 Tips for better Networking
•
Networking in the 21st century
•
Some final thoughts
•
•

7. • A field of computer science
• In the context of online social networking
(via social media)
• Complex network theories…
• Etc., etc.

8. But to uncover the origin of networking we
will have to travel way way back in time…

9. 6,000 years B.C.

10. Barter…
• The first evidence of network building with
the purpose to exchange goods.

11. Which brings us to the point of
networks….

12. Network…
• A concrete pattern of relationships
among entities in a social space.

13. Networking is…
Socialization with a purpose
A process of exploration
•
One or more fluid conversation
•
A way to learn how to help others
•
Taking genuine interest in others
•
Creating genuine interest in yourself
•
•

14. Networking is…
• Not drinks with the buddies
• Not telling someone all the problems you have
• Not telling everyone how much you need a
new job
• Not sticking your card in somebody’s face
• Not a debate
• Not proving how smart you are…

16. Networking is about
relationship building
• Building and maintaining genuinely
helpful relationships with other people,
for mutual benefit.
• It’s about creating a diversity of
connections and win-win alliances with
others through nurturing relationships
based on trust.

17. Why Networking??
Because the alternative is sheer luck…

18. Why Networking??
• Everyone of us has something to offer that
someone else wants…..
• Information, resources, skills, experiences,
connections, etc.
• Good networking promotes mutual exchange…

19. Forms of networks
1. Social networks among individuals:
friendship, advice-seeking, romantic
connections, acquaintanceship
2. “Formal,” contractual relationships
among organizations and people: strategic
alliances, buyer-supplier contracts, joint
ventures etc.

20. Forms of networks
relationships flow through people: director
3. “Informal” inter-organizational
interlocks, employee mobility, social networks
that cross organizational boundaries
4. Affiliations, shared memberships that
suggest connections: trade associations,
committee memberships, co-authorships etc.

21. Personal networking
• Networking for personal and social reasons
• Finding people with common interests
• May lead to unexpectedly meaningful
connections

22. Strategic networking
• At a strategic level, it is important to
consider how you should be networking to
achieve your business and career goals.
• How can networking help you? Who should
you be networking with and how can you
meet those people?
• What can you do for them?

23. 7 tips for Networking at events
1. Resist the urge to arrive late.
2. Ask easy questions.
3. Ditch the sales pitch.
4. Share your passion.
5. Smile.
6. Don’t hijack the conversation.
7. Remember to follow up.

24. “Communication–the
human connection–is the
key to personal and career
success.”
~ Paul J. Meyer

25. Networking in the 21st Century

26. State of Social Media
• Since the launching of Facebook (2004) and
Twitter (2006).
• Unprecedented growth in usage of social
platforms.
• Not just for sharing fun stuff with friends…
• Opportunities for people and businesses to
engage in creative new forms of online
communication and networking

27. Countless array of platforms…

28. Not a hype…..
It’s a fundamental
shift in the way we
communicate.

29. 1B

30. microblogging tool + social networking
Registered Users
200,000,000 +
Updates per month
130,000,000 +

31. Registered Users
200,000,000 +
•Find contacts
•Start and use groups
•Create resumes
•Use ‘signal’ for news/info
•Link with slideshare
•…and more….
LinkedIn community in
Aruba is growing fast!

32. Contains profiles of
Fortune 500
executives and
leading
entrepreneurs
Average individual
salary on LinkedIn
is $115,000

33. Social Platforms are
changing the way we
network

34. Social Networking is
disrupting how we…
Interact
Gather and share information
•
Make decisions
•
Collaborate, develop and create
•
Do business
•
•

35. The Facebook Effect..
1. Driver for Democracy
2. Content Sharing and
Collective Experience
3. A Return to Neighborly
Communication

36. Driver for democracy

37. Driver for democracy

38. Collective experience

40. Return to Neighborly
Communication
A global village…

41. Global Networking

42. Global Networking

43. Global Networking

44. Global Networking

45. Global Networking
• Networking with peers around the globe is
easier than ever
• Changing the way we relate to one another
• Opportunities, opportunities, opportunities…

46. Building Your Network
Create a network database
Use social media to your advantage
•
Join service clubs
•
Offer to volunteer and help others
•
Build your own interest group(s)
•
Join global networks and platforms
•
•

47. Some final thoughts…

48. Network with purpose and integrity
Know what you want
Know what you have to offer
•
Think ‘Win-Win’
•
Never misuse your contacts
•
Be patient
•
•

49. Networking Zombies…
Avoid becoming one...

54. Edward M. Erasmus, MA
e.erasmus@fzanv.com
edward.erasmus@ua.aw
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/edwardmerasmus
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/em_erasmus
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardmerasmus
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/em_erasmus
Blog: http://edwardmerasmus.wordpress.com

55. Questions…