Latest / Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections / Networking Unleashed: An Interview with Natalie Jackson and Michael A Forman, Professional Speaker

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Networking Unleashed: An Interview with Natalie Jackson and Michael A Forman, Professional Speaker · Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections

0:00
Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
0:03
Connections, the podcast where meaningful relationships
0:07
become lasting opportunities. I'm your host,
0:11
Michael Forman. Today we're exploring a different
0:14
side of networking, not as a way to collect contacts,
0:18
but as a way to build community, strengthen trust,
0:21
and create experiences that people remember.
0:27
Our guest, has built a thriving business by helping
0:31
organizations improve customer and employee experiences
0:36
while creating a networking community where meaningful
0:39
conversations lead to real growth. If you've
0:43
ever wondered how authentic relationships can
0:46
transform your business and your leadership,
0:49
you're in a great conversation. I would like
0:52
to introduce to the podcast, Natalie Jackson.
0:57
She is a professional in everything I just spoke
1:00
about. And I was very interested in this podcast
1:03
because this definitely is in line where I go
1:07
all the way across the country talking about.
1:11
So, Natalie, first of all, welcome to the podcast.
1:15
And just give us the clip notes of how you got
1:19
where you are today. Yes. Thank you for having
1:22
me. And for me, I learned about project management
1:27
and customer experience and employee experience
1:29
along the way and figured out how to carve that
1:33
into something that I get to focus on every day.
1:35
So I was in -house in certain roles. I was at
1:38
big consulting, boutique consulting, and had
1:40
a few aha moments that I feel like there's something
1:43
here because I don't see a thread that runs through
1:46
everything where we put our customers or clients
1:49
or patients or donors. or members in the center
1:51
of things and considering how our employees show
1:54
up. And so much of that has to do with choices
1:57
that we make as humans. So parlay that into starting
2:00
Crescent Consultancy about three years ago and
2:04
then at the start of the year Crescent experiences.
2:09
That's wonderful. That's wonderful. I can't wait
2:11
to start asking you some questions. Okay. Okay.
2:14
So you built a business around customer and employee
2:18
experience. Do you believe the quality of a company's
2:22
relationship ultimately determines the quality
2:26
of its customer experience? And if you do, why?
2:30
I definitely do. I think so much of what I see,
2:35
there's such a gap between how employees and
2:39
leaders and others show up. and how that translates
2:42
into what we're doing. So I usually ask the question
2:45
when I enter an organization, what's your brand
2:48
promise? How are you showing up? Is there anything
2:50
in there that explains how you show up? And oftentimes
2:53
they'll say, we have a brand promise, but it
2:54
doesn't talk about that experience and how it
2:56
actually feels, how it feels for the customers
2:59
and how it feels for the employees. And I think
3:01
to bridge that gap is by building those relationships,
3:04
both internally and deliberately with our customers.
3:08
And a lot of that has to do with listening. Absolutely.
3:13
And when I go around and I do workshops and I
3:17
educate the employees on the customer experience,
3:22
I often have to educate the C -suite executives
3:26
because if they don't change, then the whole
3:30
nothing changes in the organization. And you
3:32
know that as well as I do. That's very important.
3:36
It's few and far between. Yes, yes, I love to
3:39
hear you say that. That's something having worked
3:42
in, helped in a consulting capacity, a very large
3:45
organization, some in the med device space and
3:48
others, setting up a CX, a customer experience
3:50
department. What I realized a few different times
3:53
is that if we're building this department in
3:56
one piece of the organization, but we don't have,
3:59
like you said, that full alignment about just
4:02
how we want to show up, how we want to measure,
4:04
what decisions we can make, how to empower everyone.
4:07
it stalls out. They don't necessarily have all
4:10
of that influence to make a change throughout
4:13
and access to leadership and the board and all
4:16
other employees or sometimes their customers
4:18
or patients or employees. And sometimes they
4:21
don't even have the full budget to go make those
4:22
nimble changes that come up. So yes and yes.
4:26
I suppose it all boils down to the culture of
4:30
the company. And the culture, as you well know,
4:34
starts from the top. It doesn't start from the
4:36
bottom. So if we don't change what's happening
4:39
at the top, nothing will change at the bottom.
4:43
That's true. Okay. There was a very quick example.
4:47
I was out and about at Speaking of Networking
4:49
at a networking event and I happened to meet
4:51
the CEO of a company where I had purchased business
4:54
insurance from and through an agent and it was
4:57
we were chatting in a group and I will not name
5:00
names of course but it was one of those moments
5:02
where I was so excited I'm one of your clients
5:04
and sure I might be a small client but I'm a
5:06
client and there were no questions not how are
5:09
we doing now what do you think about us now what
5:12
was your experience who you working with? Which
5:13
agent? Zero questions. And that is, if that's
5:17
indicative of the culture, there isn't that curiosity
5:19
there or that wanting to keep growing. That tells
5:22
me something for when renewals come next year.
5:25
You just really said the difference between being
5:29
a boss and the leader. And without you saying
5:34
the words, that was, he just was basically a
5:37
boss shouting the what to do and having his minions
5:42
do it. without truly believing what he was saying.
5:46
So I understand that. Okay. You created a networking
5:51
community centered on learning and meaningful
5:54
conversations. What did you see missing from
5:58
traditional networking that inspired you to build
6:01
something different? Yeah. Yeah. Thank you for
6:04
that. For me, I mentioned I went out on my own
6:07
about three years ago. And yes, I was in a sales
6:11
and business development capacity and delivering
6:14
and working with clients, large ones too. But
6:17
I wasn't out selling what I do in my own services.
6:21
I had the team, the departments, the business.
6:24
When I stepped out on my own, I realized, and
6:26
I have an advisory board and they're kind of
6:28
like, Natalie, this is when you're selling yourself.
6:30
It's a service. I'm not selling a product at
6:32
the moment. that made me realize I need to get
6:36
out there in a different way. I started to join
6:38
networking groups in a more formal capacity and
6:40
have to talk about myself. And for me, I had
6:43
to do quite a bit of self -reflection. Which
6:45
rooms felt the best for me? Which ones where
6:48
I could be myself? Which ones couldn't? I didn't
6:51
like the formal ones that had 60 people and you
6:54
had 20 seconds to give a pitch or 30 seconds
6:56
or a minute. And I'm in some of those and I love
6:58
parts of them. But I was finding my own kind
7:01
of friction in the process. own learning that
7:04
I started to think, okay, what makes me feel
7:06
like I can show up with me? Where am I finding
7:09
that I'm actually connecting with a human? What's
7:11
leading to those natural referrals, partnerships,
7:14
collaborations? And I think it was just my own
7:17
journey of having and the whole self discovery
7:19
that goes with that to say, okay, what's going
7:21
to feel good for me? And so We did a pilot at,
7:25
I feel like I can say the name, at TaylorMade.
7:28
It's, we did a pilot to help women learn golf.
7:30
Cause I'm thinking what's something that motivates
7:33
me if I don't have to just stand and say, what
7:35
do you do? What do you do in a conversation?
7:37
But rather I can gain something else and to learn
7:40
a skill. I thought there's a couple of things
7:42
missing. We want a setting that's comfortable.
7:44
People want to learn a new skill, I think. And
7:47
golf, especially on the women's side, there's
7:49
like something missing there and it's intimidating.
7:52
Decided to just do a pilot. since TaylorMade
7:54
already has a robust internal program to teach
7:57
golf to the women employees. They said yes, and
8:00
we leveraged that to do a pilot. I got to invite
8:02
about 20 executive women in January to come to
8:06
the kingdom, the headquarters. And what I noticed
8:09
about that, it was beautifully done, and their
8:11
brand is so high end. It was wonderful, and the
8:14
lessons were great, but... We asked each of the
8:17
women, why did you sign up for this? What made
8:19
you want to be here today? And their responses
8:22
were like golf for this specific one. Golf is
8:25
intimidating, or the men walk really fast, or
8:27
I'm always helping at the tournament, but never
8:29
participating in a tournament. I want to boost
8:32
my business this way. All these different reasons
8:33
came up. And because we had a relaxed setting,
8:37
I'd say out of the 20 women, like 18 of them
8:39
came up to me and said, can we please do more
8:41
of this? And just that loud voice of other women
8:45
feeling so energized and excited to be around
8:47
each other in a comfortable place and learn something.
8:50
That was like that one moment. And I won't make
8:53
the story too long, but fast forward, I had to
8:56
think about it a little bit and said, you know
8:58
what? We can't host everything at TaylorMade.
8:59
That's a once in a lifetime thing. How can we
9:02
keep this feeling going? Popped, I thought, perhaps
9:05
let's start our own something like this. So it
9:08
doesn't mean that it's only going to be women
9:10
forever, but starting a Women's Collective, where
9:13
it's skill -based connections, so kind of what
9:16
you were saying, to take out the formal networking,
9:19
to take out the need to pitch. It's the human
9:22
showing up in a place to just relax their shoulders
9:25
and show up and get to know people for who they
9:27
are. And of course, that's when natural connections
9:29
happen. So for that particular track, we're approaching
9:33
our, I think, fifth event, because it's new for
9:35
this year, our fifth event in golf. It's been
9:40
really well received. It's so nice to see the
9:43
interest from different places. And because it's
9:45
women to start, different men in the networking
9:47
circles have referred their different colleagues,
9:49
their wife, their friend, or whoever to come
9:52
join with these other executive women who want
9:54
to learn something. And we're going to do some
9:56
offshoots in wellness, which I'm happy to share
9:58
more about. But I noticed that it didn't always
10:02
feel comfortable for me in certain rooms. And
10:05
from listening to other In this case, again,
10:09
other women, they're seeking something just where
10:11
they can just be themselves and be relaxed. Yeah,
10:15
I'm known as a network strategist. And because
10:19
I developed my own networking group about eight
10:22
months ago, and it's a weekly group at night,
10:25
I get either 10 companies or 15 companies or
10:30
whatever the case may be. But I created it so
10:34
that You don't have to pitch yourself. What I
10:38
teach is you don't pitch yourself. You pitch
10:41
the feeling you give after your job is done.
10:46
So you never say hi, I'm Michael and I'm a network
10:49
strategist and everything. No, I'm just turning
10:51
conversations into clients and I'm helping you
10:55
keep all the money that you leave on the table
10:56
and things like that. And after a while they
10:58
say, Mike. What do you do? And so that that's
11:02
what I'm trying to keep up. So I know exactly
11:05
what you're saying. And kudos to you for you
11:07
having the fifth one, because that means that
11:10
it's working. It's working. And referrals are,
11:14
it means so much to me that because it means
11:18
that you're getting out there and you're actually
11:19
doing it. So that's very good. Networking is
11:23
often measured by how many people you meet. Should
11:27
it instead be measured by how many people become
11:31
better because they know you? I like that. Very
11:34
fitting to that feeling, right? Yeah, I don't
11:38
think it's, it's an interesting one. And I know
11:40
you have these conversations all the time, right?
11:43
It's interesting because you hear that sort of
11:47
canvas and get the numbers and it's a numbers
11:48
game. I believe that there's validity to that,
11:52
the perseverance and the wanting to stretch and
11:54
explore the network out there. But I really like
11:58
the kind of the emotional connection, relational
12:02
connection, and people feeling authentically
12:04
passionate about what they encounter. And I see
12:07
it. So I'd say I'm more in the camp of the second
12:11
one, the second part of what you said. Just the
12:15
excitement that I observe when people are connecting
12:18
each other. I hear about those super connectors
12:21
I've worked with for a while. I saw how they
12:23
interact and they did this and they did that
12:25
and it felt so great. And you're going to get
12:28
much higher quality referrals when it's coming
12:30
from that authentic emotional place rather than
12:34
a colder one. Oh, I thought you should meet when
12:36
you drop in the LinkedIn. Which one's going to
12:39
land better? Which one's going to convince you?
12:41
Clearly, it's the emotional one. Yeah, I'm known
12:44
in this area as a super connector because I have
12:49
to do it at least one or two times per week.
12:52
And I've been doing this for four years. So one
12:55
or two times per week, I take two people, I put
12:57
them together, I back away and I say, go at it,
13:01
but I'm connecting the two of you. And I really,
13:05
the pandemic, I use that as a line in the sand.
13:09
Pre pandemic networking was more transactional.
13:13
You have $3. I have a widget. We're going to
13:15
exchange it. I'll build up my customer list.
13:18
And that's all I have to do. But post pandemic,
13:22
it's become more relational. Where I used to
13:25
go into a networking event, come back with 200
13:28
business cards and say, look how good I did when
13:31
I did horrible. It's not nothing. So now when
13:35
I go to a networking event and I go twice a week,
13:38
by the way, to a networking event, I come back
13:42
with 10, 15 cards, because that's all that I
13:45
can properly follow up with, create a relationship
13:48
with, and everything else. And you get so much
13:51
more out of that than the other way. Yes. I'll
13:54
tell you, I was at an event last night. It's
13:56
been a busy week this week. This was a very cool
13:59
one. Three companies sponsored it. One of them,
14:02
Pacific Lending, I was invited through. I brought
14:05
a friend of mine. And it's funny because I just,
14:07
we were on a hundred, gosh, over a hundred foot
14:11
sailboat. here in San Diego. It was the America's
14:15
Cup replica. America's Cup replica. It was a
14:17
very cool experience. Beautiful on the bay. And
14:20
yeah, about 60 people or so, the appetizers,
14:23
drinks. Everyone was having a lovely time. There
14:25
were overlaps, the sort of referral partners,
14:27
different banks, all that. And I'll share with
14:29
you, these are the cards that I came back with.
14:32
And I had such good conversations. That's not
14:34
60. Right? And this is a writing down each one.
14:37
This person was in this group and that's really
14:39
interesting. And this person with the nonprofit
14:41
and this is an expert in AI and really meaningful
14:44
conversations that, yeah, I think they could
14:46
lead to things. So whether that's a connection
14:49
for someone else or a potential client, who knows?
14:52
Here's a little tidbit for you for when you network
14:55
and everything else. The follow up is so much
14:58
more important than actually meeting the person.
15:01
So on the back of the business card, Write down
15:04
the date, the name of the function, and something
15:08
you spoke about. So at the next time you look
15:10
at the card and go, I don't know where the hell
15:13
I know him from, but I know him. Turn the card
15:16
over and you can read and say, oh, that's right.
15:19
That's right. I have a, I have a secret sauce,
15:22
so to speak, for follow -up and it works. And
15:26
it just, it changes the, the 2%, you have a 2
15:31
% chance of them answering your emails the first
15:35
time, a 2%. So I brought that up to 75%. So it's
15:43
really incredible thing, but that's something
15:46
else. Okay. Some people walk into her. Yes. Yes.
15:54
Some people walk into a room asking, who can
15:57
help me? Others ask, how can I help? How does
16:02
that single mindset shift, change the relationships,
16:06
build trust, people build trust? I really like
16:11
that question and I might have a different take
16:15
on it. How can I help, I believe, build trust,
16:21
but what I've observed as I've had to move through
16:24
these different rooms and think of even my clients
16:27
in different sales roles, I've observed that
16:30
getting to know the person and talking about
16:34
whatever in their life or that day or the thing
16:38
that they're facing or whatever they're feeling
16:40
or the lunch or whatever it is in whatever setting,
16:43
for me that comes first. I feel like if I lead
16:46
in with a little bit of that, like a little small
16:48
talk and a little how can I help? We don't have
16:50
a rapport yet and they don't know what to ask
16:53
or I don't know what to give and we don't know
16:55
anything about each other. So I feel like I...
16:59
from my experience, just getting to know them
17:03
and about them is, I'd say, first, and then we
17:08
can find those connections. And as humans, we
17:11
look for what's common. We live in the same neighborhood,
17:14
or the kids are at the same school, or I love
17:15
that restaurant, or I just did that, or this
17:17
breakout, or I do more of that. and that leads
17:21
to I think more of a richness and the trust building
17:25
before we get to that unless there is a true
17:28
immediate need then it's the hold on a sec you
17:31
need to meet and that does happen and that's
17:33
actually very fun when it happens but I'd say
17:35
it's one in every five times yeah that that's
17:39
true and for me it's one in every ten but I go
17:41
in with what's called a servant's heart I go
17:45
in thinking what can I do to help this person
17:49
rather than looking for what they can do for
17:51
me. And I have a little thing called FORM, F
17:54
-O -R -M, that I keep in the back of my head.
17:57
Family, occupation, recreation, and a certain
18:02
message. So I can talk to them about anything.
18:05
Their children, their grandchildren, their occupation,
18:08
their recreation, where did they go for vacation?
18:11
I can get all that going because there's the
18:14
know you, like you, trust you, then they'll do
18:17
business with you. know you, everybody knows
18:20
you, likes you. Now it's just a little bit, right?
18:24
But trust you. There's a wall between the two
18:28
of you. And you're breaking that wall down and
18:31
that trust level is going up. That's when you
18:34
can start to do all that. So it really comes
18:37
in handy. It does. And I was just going to make
18:40
sure that the hosting, you're a host too, of
18:44
course. I have had the aha that When I'm hosting
18:48
something, I feel I can help curate that environment
18:52
so that can happen more. And that's why we're
18:54
talking about the events. The events are 12 to
18:57
14 people and everybody gets a chance to talk
19:00
and everybody gets a chance to feel the, like
19:02
I'd say almost like the hospitality, the experience
19:04
of it. And it's curated, it's personal and every,
19:06
you know, that fosters, it accelerates what you
19:11
just described. You being the host. You do that.
19:14
You can control that. You can guide that. And
19:18
as soon as somebody starts getting off that tangent,
19:21
you can, you have the authority to bring them
19:23
back in. And so it, and you're absolutely right.
19:26
It's just, it's such a wonderful feeling when
19:29
you can bring other people up. You can help somebody
19:34
else or connect somebody else or just whatever
19:37
the case may be. But, and really that's the reason
19:40
why I got into business because I'm in the business
19:45
of helping others. Now I may educate them. I
19:49
may take them. I may mentor them. I may, they
19:52
may be a client of mine, but it's all the same.
19:56
Okay. So let's say customer experience and employee
20:00
experience are often treated as a separate strategy.
20:04
Are they actually reflections of the same organizational
20:07
culture? Yes. Well done. Yes. That's it. One
20:15
more answer, we're done. It is. There's different
20:19
ways of approaching it. I do believe very much.
20:22
I use the definition for customer experience.
20:25
You can see the same for employee experience.
20:27
It's brand activation across every single thing
20:29
that you do. That is every single thing that
20:32
a customer and an employee does and experiences.
20:35
They must go hand in hand. And I know some will
20:39
use the term now like total experience to try
20:41
to bring that to light. I do still believe that
20:44
there are different approaches. So much like
20:46
you would take a stakeholder group or a persona
20:48
and you would do a journey map across all the
20:51
stages, you're going to focus on one particular
20:54
we'll say persona, right? So you're thinking
20:57
about your client. You're going to go and do
20:58
that. You want to put the overlay of what the
21:00
employees are experiencing, but I really enjoy
21:04
looking at the employee experience from What
21:06
does the brand look like to employees? How are
21:09
we getting our word out there? Do we have a robust
21:12
onboarding program? What are we doing for training?
21:15
Are we fostering engagement? Are we thinking
21:17
about what's going to happen when that employee
21:20
moves on? Are they advocates or are they kind
21:23
of bad mouthing the company? That's so important
21:25
in its own right. But we're asking employees
21:29
and leaders to show up and serve who? The person
21:31
who is buying our product and service. So we
21:34
really do need to link those. It all comes back
21:37
to the culture of the company on how that, so
21:42
the experience is always, I owned restaurants
21:45
in my before life and I treated my employees
21:50
very well because if I didn't do that, how can
21:54
I expect the waitress to treat the customers
21:58
so well? So I treat them well, then they'll treat
22:01
the customers well. And it's a big loop, but
22:05
They felt very good. Plus, they always knew that
22:07
I had their back. As long as they didn't do anything
22:09
stupid, I had their back. And that goes a long
22:12
way. It really does. Yeah. And I'm sure you set
22:15
the parameters on here's how we show up and here
22:17
are our expectations. And here's where you have
22:19
that freedom. And here tell us when it's working
22:22
great. That is the culture that's fostering that
22:25
openness. I'm a military guy. Yeah. So when I
22:29
came out and I went to business, I set things
22:33
up that strict right down to the uniform, to
22:37
everything else. And, but I had customers tell
22:42
me how nice it was that all the waiters and waitresses
22:45
all, I didn't let them wear jeans. I didn't black
22:49
sneakers, the whole thing. And they all look
22:52
sharp. And of course they all, all the clothing
22:55
had to be clean when they came to work. And believe
22:59
it or not, that was a big one. Okay. So. What's
23:04
one leadership behavior that quietly destroys
23:07
trust inside an organization and one habit that
23:12
consistently strengthens it? That's a tough one.
23:16
That's tough because there's, I think that there's
23:18
a very long list. But for the first one, destroying
23:21
trust, I think, again, based on observations
23:25
and seeing how much employees and teams rely
23:29
on who's setting that stage and who's setting
23:32
that culture. Leaders who maybe haven't done
23:36
the work to get out of their own way. I think
23:39
that's one of the biggest blockers and aren't.
23:43
bettering themselves and thinking about really
23:45
strong, you mentioned like a servant, like a
23:47
servant leadership model, or just taking that
23:50
extra mile to think about the human and how the
23:51
way that you show up affects other people. I
23:54
see that quite a bit. And that limits employees
23:58
to know, it's just employees, like teams, leaders,
24:01
whoever, right? It limits the organization from
24:04
moving forward when they feel like there's sort
24:06
of that like a wall there. And I think that can
24:09
be across any small team, any large team. For
24:16
me, I guess, selfishly, because I live very much
24:19
in the experiential space. I see experiences
24:22
that thread through every single function and
24:24
department that is measurable, that does contribute
24:27
to growth and ROI. When I see a leader who gets
24:30
that and can pan out a little bit and look across
24:33
everything and want to collaborate, like I work
24:36
with chief commercial officers who willingly
24:38
collaborate with chief technology officers and
24:41
COOs to say, what is that experience that we
24:44
want to deliver and what do we need? to change.
24:46
I'll help with that. That to me is helps them
24:49
get to that next place and leveraging those like
24:52
you could take any structure whether EOS or scaling
24:55
up or just like lean or any of those disciplines
24:57
just rising above and finding that thread throughout
25:01
and teaching employees to show up that way. I'd
25:04
say those are that's the positive. Oh great I
25:07
agree 100 % on all points so kudos. Facilitated
25:13
countless conversations have you noticed that
25:17
the most influential people tend to ask better
25:21
questions rather than provide better answers?
25:25
I love this. I listened to your conversation
25:27
with Priya from the other day. Because that's
25:31
a lot of the messaging or what was coming out
25:33
from me when I got to have my own perspective
25:36
was that gap in listening. Yes, 100%. The momentum.
25:41
that can be felt when you keep listening and
25:44
keep asking questions. And although I'm talking
25:46
a lot today, sitting quietly really does draw
25:49
out the most. That's my job is to keep you talking.
25:52
Right, that's right. You're doing that. But yes,
25:55
you learn so much. And if you pay attention to
25:59
the undercurrent, the tone, the body language,
26:03
like listening between the lines is as valuable,
26:05
we know, as only the words only mean so much.
26:09
So That influence to be able to draw patterns
26:14
and signals from conversations is very powerful,
26:17
and I think there's an art to it. Absolutely.
26:21
It's called active listening. And there's an
26:23
80 -20 rule. You always have the other person
26:26
talk 80 % of the time, but your 20 % of the time,
26:30
most of that 20 % is listening to the other person
26:34
and figuring out what they're saying and ask
26:36
them questions about what they're saying. That's
26:39
right. It really comes out to 95 .5, but it's
26:43
an 80 -20 rule. I do interviews with my clients
26:46
across their customers or their clients, but
26:49
very much their employees to get that sort of
26:51
baseline. Some might call it like a 360, but
26:54
they're interviews to draw out signals. And I
26:56
noticed just very recently we had a senior leader
27:00
join, volunteered to join a call when I like
27:03
to meet one -on -one with leaders. So we had
27:05
two team members and the leader, and that was
27:08
the ratio of who spoke up. That leader spoke
27:11
the most. And the team members who we were there
27:15
to listen to, I think they probably spoke five
27:17
minutes in the call because that trust wasn't
27:20
there. The baseline wasn't there and I couldn't
27:22
properly actively listen. No, you brought the
27:25
person in that would make them shut up. Exactly,
27:28
which I don't like to do. No, you know, regardless
27:31
of how it happened and you had I don't know how
27:35
you could tell them, but that's the reason why
27:38
you couldn't get the information out was because
27:40
he was there. Yeah. No, it's true. Yeah. There's
27:45
something to that, for sure, to keep in mind.
27:49
Absolutely. Absolutely. Okay. If you could redesign
27:53
networking from scratch for today's world, what
27:57
would you eliminate and what would you keep and
28:00
what would you add? Can you ask me one more time?
28:05
Okay. If you could redesign networking from scratch
28:08
in today's world, what would you eliminate? What
28:13
would you keep and what would you add? Okay.
28:17
I would eliminate overly formal rooms that are
28:22
too big. I would eliminate keep or add. I would
28:27
keep the ability to create our own spaces and
28:31
to just to meet each other and to ask good questions
28:34
in a place that's maybe accessible. And I would
28:40
add But we're starting to see more human connection.
28:45
I do a ton of these podcasts. And everybody's
28:50
always trying to stuff AI into the conversation
28:53
because that's the new buzzword. And I try to
28:56
tell them AI is a great tool, but it's not replacement
29:01
for networking. That person to person, that feeling
29:05
of the vibe of the person, feeling the vibe of
29:07
the room, getting the idea of what's going on
29:10
around you. AI cannot reproduce any of that.
29:15
And so I can tell them because they are, they
29:19
have AI companies, they're trying to network
29:21
or communicate with certain other industries.
29:24
And I say, that's great, but don't approach them
29:28
as if AI is your company. AI is a tool. It's
29:33
a quiver in your arrow. And that's all it is
29:37
because otherwise you'll never, you'll make it
29:39
here. to a certain point because people, oh,
29:43
my God, we have to have AI. So as they realize
29:46
what they have, you can't go further. So, yeah,
29:49
we haven't talked about AI at all until that
29:52
moment. So, yeah, it's because you know what,
29:55
especially in networking, it's important, but
29:59
it's not the most important. What you do is a
30:04
whole lot more important than any AI company.
30:08
because you are bringing people together. You
30:11
have the emotional. When I go on a stage, I just,
30:16
my earlier meeting, here's the difference between
30:19
AI and me going on a stage. AI can't bring the
30:24
emotional, what I bring to it emotionally. Also,
30:28
if the room is big enough, and I've had this
30:30
happen also, is that I hear my own heart. in
30:34
my ears because I was so nervous because I was
30:37
talking to 300 people after the first five minutes
30:41
that goes away and everything's all good. But
30:44
AI can't reproduce that. They'll tell you exactly
30:48
what to say. But what about the pauses and everything?
30:53
And it's just not the same. All right. I didn't
30:55
mean to take your time. No, I see it. When you're
30:59
preparing for something, it's easier if you can
31:01
internalize what you want to say rather than
31:03
reading a script, unless you're acting even then
31:06
that you have to embody and become your character,
31:08
right? Okay, so let's bring this podcast full
31:11
circle. When people leave one of your networking
31:15
events, what do you hope that they've gained
31:18
beyond a new business opportunity? Yeah, and
31:22
the model that we're starting up, they will have
31:25
learned something. They will have felt like they
31:29
could totally be themselves And they felt I've
31:32
heard it right and he felt like energized when's
31:36
the next one and how can I support? So they'll
31:38
feel motivated To do more and I've noticed they'll
31:42
I want them to feel inspired to go find other
31:45
ways to kind of keep going Absolutely, Natalie.
31:49
I gotta tell you you were a great podcast guest
31:53
I can probably talk to you for another two hours
31:55
about certain situations and we can do this all
31:59
day long. So it was really that good. But if
32:04
somebody wanted to hire you for your services
32:07
or just say hello, how could they get hold of
32:11
you? Of course. LinkedIn is always a great option.
32:14
Natalie K. Jackson, not Natalie Jackson, because
32:17
there are so many of them. My website, thecrescentconsultancy
32:20
.com. And our events are, I wouldn't say invite
32:24
only, but reach out to me directly if you would
32:26
like to be included. We have a Luma site out
32:28
there for the Crescent experiences local to San
32:31
Diego. Good. And you can see on my LinkedIn,
32:36
all the different. speaking opportunities and
32:39
networking things that I do. And it's really
32:42
incredible when you have the right people doing
32:44
it. So if you are championing this idea of the
32:50
networking groups and meetings, you're doing
32:52
a great job and just keep going the way you're
32:55
going. That's all. This was a fantastic conversation.
33:02
The biggest takeaway. The best networkers don't
33:06
just build connections, they build communities,
33:10
they create trust, invest in people, leave every
33:13
conversation better than what they found it.
33:16
If you enjoyed today's episode, like, follow,
33:19
and subscribe to Networking Unleashed, building
33:21
profitable connections, so you never miss a conversation
33:24
on networking, communication, leadership, and
33:27
building relationships that create real impact.
33:31
If this episode resonated with you, share it
33:34
with someone who's passionate about people and
33:37
purposeful leadership. If you're looking for
33:40
a keynote speaker, executive communication coach,
33:43
or workshop leader to help your team communicate
33:47
more effectively, build stronger relationships,
33:50
and turn conversations into opportunities, visit
33:55
michaelaforman .com. Again, Natalie, thank you
33:59
so much for coming on the podcast. You were wonderful.
34:02
Thank you so much. I enjoyed the conversation.
34:10
Oh, I would like to welcome you to the Fusion
34:14
Alliance Business Expo 2. That's right. We're
34:18
having another networking expo. Now, this one
34:21
is going to be even better than the first one
34:23
in March. This one is October 22nd, held at iPhone
34:28
Restaurant and Event Center, 6000 Medlock Bridge
34:32
Parkway, Georgia. Now, This is your chance. This
34:37
is your chance to showcase your business, connect
34:40
with the community, and gain unmatched exposure.
34:44
This event is designed to highlight your thriving
34:47
business and is a must -attend gathering for
34:50
most local leaders and entrepreneurs. So now,
34:55
what is there going to be? First of all, it's
34:57
free admission to the public. Come one, come
35:01
all. There's going to be a large audience to
35:03
see your business. You're going to gain new customers,
35:07
build your brand, and establish strategic partnerships.
35:11
So whether you're looking to gain new customers,
35:15
build your brand, or establish strategic partnerships,
35:19
Business Expo 2 is the place to be. Don't miss
35:23
your chance to be part of this exclusive annual
35:26
showcase of John's Creek's best businesses. Remember
35:30
it's October 22nd. Remember that October 22nd
35:35
between the hours of 11 a .m and 4 p .m. The
35:39
location 6000 Medlock Bridge Parkway Johns Creek.
35:44
You can go to the website and it's www. FusionAlliance
35:51
.info. F -U -S -I -O -N -A -L -L -I -A -N -C
35:56
-E .info. You can get all of it there. You can
36:00
be a vendor. You can be a sponsor. Or if you
36:03
want, you can just come on and enjoy it. So come
36:06
on down. Everyone else is going to be there.
36:08
And just enjoy yourself. All right, folks. A
36:13
huge thank you to our guests for sharing such
36:15
incredible insights today. And of course, a big
36:18
shout out to you, our amazing listeners, for
36:22
tuning in and spending your time with us. If
36:25
you're interested in my digital courses, being
36:27
coached, or having me come and talk to your company,
36:31
just go to Michael and fill out the request form.
36:35
Remember, networking isn't about being perfect.
36:38
It's about being present. So take what you've
36:41
learned today, get out there, and make some meaningful
36:44
connections. If you've enjoyed this episode,
36:47
please don't forget to subscribe, leave us a
36:50
review, and share it with someone who could use
36:53
a little networking inspiration. Let's keep the
36:56
conversation going. You can find me on Apple,
36:59
Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or my website, foreman
37:04
.com slash podcasts.