If you ask ten people about their worst experiences with networking, you'll probably hear about feelings of awkwardness, embarrassment, inadequacy, and ineffectiveness. But networking doesn't have to be like this. In fact, networking can be radically different.

In this webinar, Maya Townsend will share how to get back in touch with the core purpose of networking. Participants will learn how to create sustainable practices that work for introverts, engineers, scientists, technologists, and others who may shy from traditional networking expectations. She will touch on the important role of mentors and sponsors and share simple actions that significantly increase the health of your network. You will learn:

- The real purpose of networking
- Three networks everyone needs and how to develop them
- The critical roles of a mentor and sponsor and how to fill those roles
- Simple and sustainable networking techniques that are well suited to introverts, scientists, technologists and engineers

Maya Townsend went from hiding in the corner at networking events to leading a company (Partnering Resources) that helps individuals, teams, and organizations thrive in our networked world. Using the science underlying human relationships and networks, she uncovers sound, practical methods for making soft skills generate hard results.

Maya's free Networking for Introverts eBook helps introverts weave connections, find opportunities, and create the network they need without feeling like a fraud. Co-editor of The Handbook for Strategic HR, Maya will happily tell you why you should throw out your performance reviews and why most HR departments need a total makeover. She serves on the Editorial Review Board for OD Practitioner, the premier organization development practitioner journal in the United States. Her articles on topics such as strategy, networking, and change are regularly published by Quiet Revolution, Inc.Com, CIO.Com, American Management Association, and other venues. Maya blogs at Complex Change & Collaboration.

Maya's clients include BASF, Bayer, Biogen, eCopy, Fidelity Investments, Hanover Insurance Group, Financial Profiles, Intel, McKesson, MIT, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Northwest Chocolate Festival, Thomson Reuters, and Vertex. She serves as an advisor to Gartner, the leading technology research and advisory company, on change management best practices. Maya has taught strategy and collaboration at Boston University and Northeastern University.