Face to face networking is still critical. It helps one get to know about people and people get to know you. It also helps you learn about different industries and who the key decision makers are.

Here are a few tips to ensure you have fun networking while appearing confident, relaxed and engaging.

1. Do research on the event including who is going to be there and the background of the event.

2. Bring a friend with you. Introducing someone helps get you going and plus they can introduce you.

3. Dress for the occasion – slightly underdressing is better than over dressing.

4. Wear comfortable shoes.

5. Eat before the event so you will not be starving. Anyway, it is not about the food.

6. Prepare a personal introduction and an easy ice breaker.

7. Always go up to a group. Never wait till someone comes to you

Keep these tips in mind and you will have a good networking event. Instead of surviving you will be thriving.

Wouldn’t it be great if you aced every interview and every person you met liked you instantly? This thinking reminds of when I was in sales. We were told to picture 10 deals. Out of that there would be 2 deals you would always get and 2 you would never get.

However, if you focus on the 2 deals you got, it has a tendency to bring your best. In fact, when you focus on the good, you will have a better than average chance of getting 80% of the 6 deals you have left. So forget about the rejections, focus on the situations that work. It makes rejection a non-issue.

One of my favorite voice exercises to improve diction is to use the diction pencil. Take a clean pencil, hold it between your teeth — not biting on it, but keeping it at the very edge of the top and bottom front teeth. Read a paragraph twice. Then take the pencil out and read it again. This will help with the s, v, f, and th sounds.

Also, with and without the diction pencil, try these classic tongue twisters:

– Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

– Sally sells seashells by the seashore.

– I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit.

– The sixth sheep’s sixth sheep’s sick.

– Round and round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran.

– Betty Botter bought a bit of bitter butter.

Practice these exercises once a day for a month and you will hear the difference in the clarity of your diction.

Recently, I was at Costco getting my tires replaced and the electricity in a one block radius went down. There was no indication from ComEd when the power would go back up. The registers could only take cash or check.

Within a heartbeat the employees began apologizing. They also offered bottled water and cookies to everyone. The cookies were the big ones in oatmeal/raisin, chocolate chip and toffee. Plus, you could have more than one!

I stayed for about an hour. When I left they were still giving out bottles of water and cookies. The tire folks called me back in about two hours when the power came back on. I was so impressed. They explained and apologized for the inconvenience even though they were not the problem. This is an example of the good customer service.

Now comes the bad. I was traveling for a client and had a 5:15 pm flight back to Chicago. The flight was delayed three times. However, we only found out each time were to board that the flight would be delayed. Finally, we began to board at 11 PM, waited 20 minutes only to be informed that the flight was cancelled.

No warnings or apologies were given. The airline personnel attitude was more like: Why you are bothering us with your presence? I was much more impressed by the passengers who (like myself) never got mad or raised their voices.

It was interesting going from very good customer treatment to bad and ugly in a matter of just a few days.

Last weeks’ Time magazine’s has Facebook’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg, on the cover. She is wearing a burgundy dress. The dress indicates femininity and burgundy is color of royalty and power (from the Power of Color by Dr. Morton.) Sheryl’s pose is one of low key strength.

The look is a critical element in a leader. It encompasses clothing, body language, eye contact and how people perceive you. Is it perfect all the time? No, but it must be consistent and people around you must get it. A signature visual is what will help you stand out among the crowd. It supports your body of work and constantly replenishes your confidence capital.

Often, when I am working with clients on their interviewing skills – it is their body language that negates their professional presence. The On-Line University staff writers have written a blog on this topic. It emphasizes how critical body language is in communications. It points out how perceptions are created: 82% with the eyes, 11%, ears, 7%, smell, taste and touch.

Go to http://www.onlineuniversities.com/body-language to view a graph and article that will give you tips on how to insure that those around you see you as a confident person and to comfirm that you mean what you say with your voice and body language.

Josh Groban currently has the number one selling CD, “All that Echos”. On Feb 11, Josh was asked why he does not perform more popular songs. He replied that his voice was not suited for it meaning the vocals would not have the impact he wanted them to have. He also said that he was not comfortable performing in that genre.

Groban’s career thus far suggests that he stays with and strengthens what he does best. You can see the growth from his first CD to the current one, which has sold 25 million copies to date. (Interesting numbers, knowing that after being discovered, he was told that his voice might not sell.)

Groban’s stance suggests a maturity and insightful understanding of his own abilities. We might all take a lesson from this and embrace/strengthen what do we do well and build a proven track record to confirm it. Stay focused on what you do best and while always moving your skill set forward.

Interviews fall into the same category as public speaking. We can be extremely nervous while at the same time, we want folks to know that we are brilliant and belong in that role. Even Jodie Foster, writer, actor and philanthropist hated the audition process, which is similar to an interview.

Breathing is the number one physical action you can take that will steady and help you exude confidence in an interview as well as help you get through a panic attack, should one occur.

Secondly, you want to practice how you will talk in the interview. Remember what it is about your background, life and practical business experiences that puts you over the top for the position.

Keep in mind, though, that a “gotcha” question might be asked. If so, repeat the question and breathe deep to settle yourself. These tips will bring you closer to getting the job you are meant to have.

Unfortunately, it has become very common not to respond to e-mails, phone calls, voice messages and even direct questions. I find that a true professional will respond with one of the following statements:

– I will get back to you when we have an answer.

– I received your message and will get back to you by________.

– I received your message and will get back to you as soon as I can.

A real professional will respond within 24 hours. Become a pro who always gives the courtesy of a response. If you are already responsive, good going and keep it up.

In the book “Shouting Won’t Help,” author Katherine Bouton whose hearing loss began at age 30, lists three tips on how to help someone who has a hearing loss. They are:

– Look at the person you are talking to

– Repeat the question or answer by paraphrasing it

– Articulate using a normal voice and even pace.

It’s all great advice since many folks today may experience hearing loss due to loud noises and ear phone usage. In fact, we are getting used to seeing hearing aids because they are becoming as commonplace as glasses.

Also, if you have a hearing loss – let people know about it in an easy conversation. It will remind them to use the three tips above and help you understand what they are saying.