How to Make Networking Much, Much Easier

Let’s talk about everyone’s favorite thing in the whole, wide world: networking!

That super-fun activity of meeting people in whatever industry we’d like to work in; so people know who we are, what we do, and how we can help them make cool things!

Even thinking about the act of networking frightens many composers; especially if you’re an introvert like me, who’d much-rather stay comfy and cozy indoors playing games all day.

In an attempt to make it much-less frightening, let me share with you a lesson I’ve learned from one of my favorite games: Persona 5!

In this awesome game, where you battle society’s cognitive distortions in the Metaverse, the protagonist, codenamed: “Joker,” gets stronger by making friends in the real world and strengthening those bonds throughout the game.

Some of these new friends include: a super-talented artist, a teenage-chess prodigy, and a street-side fortune teller! As you can see: our hero learned how to connect with all kinds of people! 

There’s one consistent ‘technique’ Joker, used to connect with every one of them: he made every interaction, and every conversation, about them, while being as sympathetic as possible to their stories and their troubles!

He listened intently to every word they had to say, and only offered his own input when ‘prompted’ (when the player was asked to select how he’d respond) during the conversation.

The temptation during every interaction we have with game developers, and even other composers and sound designers, is to talk as much as we can about ourselves! After all, how else will they know how great we are at what we do?

I implore you to avoid doing this 99% of the time. Instead: follow the example set by our dashing, Phantom-Thief protagonist! We may think we have a valuable skill to offer someone in our craft (and we’re right about that!), but I assure you: the most valuable thing we can do for anyone is listen.

Think about it this way: if you had to choose between a contractor who only ever talked about what they do/wanted to do for your project, and another who made it their mission to learn as much about your project’s needs, and your pain-points as a developer, who would you be more-likely to hire? Who would you be more-likely to recommend to friends of yours who needed help?

Be a friend first (and foremost), and networking will not only become easier, but much more fun!