The holiday season is upon us! While visions of sugar plums and eggnog might be dancing in your head, don’t overlook one of the best — and often most enjoyable — opportunities to expand your professional circle: the holiday party.
Most people associate “networking” with formal events like Chamber, FSB or BNI meetings. However, the festive atmosphere of a holiday gathering, whether it’s a company party, a client reception, or a social celebration that includes business contacts, provides a unique and powerful setting for building genuine relationships. With the business world often experiencing a slowdown (outside of retail), people are usually more relaxed and open to non-transactional conversations.
Holiday parties are more than just a source of free food and drinks; they are prime networking real estate. But to make the most of this opportunity, you need to approach it with a strategy rooted in finesse and respect.
Here are the essential keys to successfully networking over the holidays.
1. Honour the Event: It’s a Party, Not a Pitch
This is the golden rule of non-traditional networking. The primary purpose of a holiday party is celebratory and social. Your networking efforts must be supplementary to the event itself.
- Mind Your Approach: Don’t treat the room like a business mixer. The emphasis must be on finesse. If you are overtly selling or distributing business cards like confetti, you will turn people off.
- Keep it Natural: Avoid acting like you’re in a boardroom giving a presentation. Let people understand who you are as an individual first. The goal is to build a relationship, and that is best achieved when you are being yourself. Remember, it is a holiday!
2. Practice Responsible Celebration: Know Your Limit
For parties where alcohol is served, this is a non-negotiable rule. Nothing derails professional credibility faster than over-imbibing at a business event.
- The Two-Drink Maximum: While this is a guideline in some business organizations, it’s a brilliant standard to adopt. Have a hard limit and stick to it.
- Maintain Control: The goal is to remain sharp, articulate, and memorable for the right reasons. Many of us can recall instances where a colleague had “a little too much,” and that memory is difficult to erase. Don’t let that person be you.
3. Steer Clear of Negativity and Sycophancy
Conversation is key, but the wrong kind of talk can damage your reputation.
- Don’t Go Negative: Avoid complaining. This includes griping about how busy you are, your department, or especially your boss. While it might feel like a bonding opportunity, it’s unprofessional and makes you sound perpetually dissatisfied.
- Avoid Being a “Suck-Up”: On the flip side, don’t be a sycophant, excessively kissing up to executives. Executives appreciate knowing their work makes a difference, but overdoing it is uncomfortable and transparently self-serving.
- The Right Way to Compliment: If you want to connect with a leader, share one specific story about a major win from the past year that directly helped you, their department, or a client. This shows genuine appreciation and offers specific, relevant feedback.
4. Be Prepared: Do Your Homework
Networking effectively, even at a party, requires preparation.
- Scout the Guest List: If you know who will be in attendance (especially key individuals or department heads), do a little research. A quick Google search can reveal recent achievements, projects, or interests.
- Conversation Starters: Use your research to start seamless conversations. Knowing someone’s department or recent project allows you to open with genuine curiosity rather than generic small talk.
- Ask Insightful Questions: Engage people by focusing on them. Good questions include:
- “How did you first get started with the company?”
- “What was a major challenge your department overcame this year?”
- “What were you most proud of accomplishing in the past twelve months?”
Pro Tip: Remember, this is not an interrogation! Seamlessly integrate your questions into the natural flow of conversation, showing genuine interest in their journey and work.
5. Confident Value and a Future Segue
Before you walk in the door, give yourself a quick pep talk. You bring value to the table, and you should be confident in that.
- Know Your Wins: Make a mental list of your key accomplishments over the past year. Be ready to naturally weave them into discussions, particularly if they overlap with the people you’re speaking to. This is about being prepared, not bragging.
- Open the Door for Follow-Up: A holiday introduction should be a segue for a future meeting. As the conversation winds down, if you’ve connected on a professional level, open the door for a later, more focused connection.
- If they mention a project, offer to help: “I really love what you’re working on. Is there anything I can do to help?”
- If they accept, you have a perfect reason to follow up: “That’s fantastic. Let’s connect next week so I can find out more about how I can assist.”
You truly can network anywhere, anytime, in any place. Paradoxically, it is often in these non-traditional networking settings, like a holiday party, where you get the most “bang for your buck.” The casual environment helps lower barriers, allowing you to establish the foundations of a professional relationship built on connection and shared experience, not just a transactional exchange.
Remember to honour the event and focus on creating valuable connections, and you’ll find your holiday networking efforts paying dividends long after the New Year rings in.
