Do you need to talk to everybody in the room?

You could, but it might not help.  

Ever been to these large gatherings where you're supposed to go and meet as many people as you can?  

Walking around with a name tag, saying "hi" to people, sharing your elevator pitch, hearing theirs, trying to act interested, maybe setting up times to get coffee - the social formalities of meeting people. Done that before? For me, a shy (yes - I am shy) person, to do it is a fate worse than death.  

Do you need to talk to everybody in the room?  

I say no because not everyone matters.  

In a room with hundreds of people, you can't be all things to everybody. You can be a meaningful specific, HT to Seth Godin and his influences for that term, to the ones who care about the work you do.  

Recently, I attended a LinkedIn Local event about creating content. Because the invitee list was on LinkedIn, I took a moment to see who would be attending, and I made a few notes about the people I'd like to meet. Then, I reached out to those people in advance and asked if they'd like to connect.  

Did I end up working the entire room? No.  

Did I end up talking to a few people that actually cared about my work? Yes, and I also learned how to support the work of others.

Also, if you’re in Milwaukee, consider checking out LinkedIn Local's next event.