Some people think the point of networking is to develop new business opportunities and to win contracts. While this is partially true, the real reward of networking is the connections that we make – or remake if we haven’t been in touch for a while. It’s the mutuality of finding out what someone you possibly used to work with is doing now and to let them know the same about you. It’s the chance to have some informal input into a great new idea that someone you know or have just met is working on – even if you never know how your comments may have shaped the direction that their initiative takes. It’s the way to re-introduce yourself to people who have known you in another context but don’t really know what you do in your professional like. The new tools like LinkedIn that support networking in the 21st century are great but it’s the human connections that make it fun.

Jane Rounthwaite