201 Mastering Connections: Proven Tactics for Networking Success
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Wednesday, April 10
Most people cringe when they think about networking, often feeling connection is forced, awkward, or desperate. This session will dispel the myths with proven tactics to proactively connect with people in meaningful and lasting ways. Introverts and extroverts alike can benefit from building habits around personal development that will take the “ick” factor away from networking by sharing their strengths to form mutually beneficial relationships. Attendees will learn how to reach out authentically no matter what room they are in. By strengthening the ability to take risks, attendees can view unplanned outcomes as stepping stones instead of failures. Attendees can bet on themselves that they have the right to reach out, connect, and ask for help on their path to success.
In this session, you will learn to:
- Develop a method to professionally connect with people of interest authentically
- Identify personal strengths to use in building mutually beneficial relationships
- Discover how goal setting can build confidence to take risks
- Reframe failure as a learning opportunity
Monique St. Paul
Training Program Specialist
Monique St. Paul currently works as a training program specialist. She formerly worked as an instructional designer with ContinuumXR, focusing on applying learning theory and game design to training in virtual reality. She is the co-host of Intersections in Learning and Development, a webcast hosted by the Training, Learning, and Development (TLDC) community. Monique's leadership, facilitation, and public speaking experiences help her craft engaging curriculum for her learners. Monique holds a master's degree in communication management with a concentration in learning and development from the University of Denver. She received her bachelor's degree in communications from Roger Williams University. She serves as president for the ATD Southern Connecticut chapter.
Nicole Thomas
Founder and Goal Achievement Coach
Goal Achievers LLC
Nicole Thomas is the founder of Goal Achievers LLC and a Goal Achievement Coach. She previously worked as a talent manager for Morningstar Inc., leading two global learning programs in collaboration with colleagues from the EU, EMEA, and North America. Nicole has over a decade of experience in training and development, specializing in leadership, facilitation, and curriculum design in both the finance and healthcare sectors. Before her role at Morningstar, Nicole served as AVP of Learning and Development for DBRS and as an organizational capability manager for Healthfirst. She also worked as AVP of Training and Documentation for Pershing. Nicole was an advisory board member for the Customer Experience Certification at Ithaca College and is a coach accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). She holds a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and has been published in the HR director. Nicole shares her expertise on Medium and in other published works. She is listed by Women We Admire as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of New York in 2022 and 2023.