Learn how to prepare for and profit from any networking opportunity, whether it is a planned event or a chance encounter. Being comfortable talking with others on a professional or personal level helps you develop more profitable relationships. Don't leave the office without these must-have strategies.

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Being good at conversation is a skill that you need to develop if you want to get ahead in business. And it is relatively easy to learn even if you think of yourself as shy. If you do it right, the other person does the majority of the work and enjoys every minute of it. The secret is not to do all the talking but to focus on other people and listen to what they have to say.

A good conversationalist asks questions. It is not necessary to act as if you know it all. If you don't have a clue what the other person is talking about, ask. Not only will you learn something, but you will also stimulate more conversation.

Listen to the other person, and remember that listening is not a passive act. Use your mind as well as your ears so that you absorb what is being said. Unless you think about what you are hearing, you can't respond appropriately.

Pay attention to body signals. If you look at other people when you are speaking, make eye contact with them and check out their posture, you will know if you are holding their attention or boring them to tears. When they look away from you or begin to slump over, you have either lost their interest or worn them down with words.

Make sure that the signals you send tell the person that you are listening. That means facing people, looking into their eyes, nodding from time to time, and paraphrasing or repeating what they have said. .

Most importantly, wait until the other person has finished speaking before you start to talk. Resist the urge to complete someone else's thought or jump in with a response mid-sentence. No matter how enlightening your next comment may be, the person who is rudely interrupted will not be impressed.

(c) Lydia Ramsey. All rights in all media reserved.

Networking events are a staple of business life for a variety of reasons. These functions are important if you are interested in promoting your products and services, if you are trying to attract new customers and if you want to maintain relationships with your existing clients. The way you prepare will directly affect how successful you are at the luncheon, banquet or the after-hours social.

Before you leave your office, you know that you should have in your possession an ample supply of business cards, copies of brochures or promotional materials in case there is a display area and your list of ten people with whom you want to connect-that number may seem a bit ambitious, but all ten won't show up. In your head you want to have ready and rehearsed your professional self introduction and the three topics you can talk about when there is a lull in the conversation.

Add one more thing to that list-your listening skills. Listening has become an under appreciated facet of communication. We spend time thinking about what we are going to say rather than paying attention to what other people are saying. Listening is more impressive than talking. Think about it---have you ever heard people complain that you listened too much or that you made them feel too good by hanging on to their every word? Probably not.

People are hungry for the kind of attention that listening offers. And those people are your clients, co-workers, supervisors and prospects. Family and friends appreciate conscious listening, too.

Some of the best listeners are the current array of personal and professional coaches whose success depends on hearing what people are telling them. Coaches pay attention, and then relate back to clients what they have just said. My friend Lucie Coffie is a coach who has always amazed me with her insight, intuition and great people skills. Most of her talent comes from listening.

Try getting other people to talk at the next networking event you attend. Tune into their words of wisdom rather than uttering your own priceless observations. You may just find yourself labeled as the next "Great Communicator" or better yet, "Business Person of the Year."

(c) Lydia Ramsey. All rights in all media reserved.