Networking and making my way to talk to people I do not know is something I want to improve on. Over the past few years, I realized I have trouble speaking and opening up to people I do not know. I have been practicing my networking skills a lot recently by going to networking events and job fairs. The first few times I tried to network, I found myself coming off as socially awkward. In the beginning, I always felt anxious and hesitant when being told to speak with new people. After pushing myself to get out of my comfort zone, I feel slightly more confident. I believe that practice makes perfect.

I was able to relate to Andrew Teixeira’s blog post, “My First Step Towards Becoming a Better Speaker.” In his post, Andrew talked about the time he took his first step on improving his fear of public speaking. He has been working at Wegmans for six years and every year Wegmans have a fundraiser to raise money. One day he was asked to be in charge of making announcements into a bull horn to customers who make a donation of five dollars or more. He took this opportunity to get out of his comfort zone. He mentioned that he felt hesitant at first but after an hour of the job, he felt more comfortable.

I can agree with his statement that by taking small steps outside of your comfort zone, you will be able to work on letting go and feel more relaxed. I was able to push myself to be more comfortable networking by practicing my communication skills, staying positive, and encouraging myself. Talking to new people each day builds a stronger personality and better decision making skills. I was able to learn more by meeting new people.