This energetic 60‑minute session will help you move from “networking is awkward and transactional” to “I know how to build genuine relationships that support my career, my colleagues and my clients.”

Through a series of short, interactive exercises, you’ll practice simple tools you can immediately use back at work. We will reframe networking from “slimy” or “selling yourself” to become comfortable introducing yourself in ways that are authentic and memorable.

You will leave having captured your strengths‑based introduction, key questions and listening cues, plus a clear networking challenge to complete over the remainder of your week. You’ll walk away having learned something new and feeling more confident, empowered, and able to apply these tools straightaway in your day‑to‑day work.

What we’ll cover:

• A clear, modern definition of networking as a relational, not transactional, workplace skill.
• Greater confidence building connections across teams, roles, and working styles.
• A strengths-based way to talk about yourself that builds trust and momentum.
• A simple framework for creating quality connections in hybrid and fast-paced environments.

Why is it important for people to learn this skill?

As organisations navigate hybrid work, rapid change, and increasing pressure on performance, one challenge consistently rises to the surface: employees are finding it harder to build meaningful professional relationships. Isolation, weakened trust, and fragmented communication are now recognised as real risks to collaboration, engagement, and retention.

Networking is often misunderstood in this context. Many professionals associate it with self-promotion, extroversion, or transactional exchanges that feel forced or inauthentic. Yet in today’s interconnected economy, the ability to build genuine, human relationships is not a “nice to have”; it is an essential workplace skill.

Most people already have what they need to build strong connections, but modern work has made those connections harder to form and sustain. Authentic networking isn’t about schmoozing or selling yourself. It’s about seeing each other clearly, building trust across boundaries, and creating the conditions for collaboration to thrive.

In this Authentic Networking session, participants practise practical, human-centred approaches to connection that counter isolation, break down silos, and strengthen professional relationships. Through reflection, discussion, and actionable tools, participants learn how to turn networking into a skill that supports wellbeing, collaboration, and long-term success.

Who is this relevant for?

This is for anyone looking to build more meaningful professional relationships at work and beyond.

About the Subject Matter Expert

Michelle Schechter is a certified Career Purpose Coach and founder of the Career Gym App, dedicated to helping people and teams around the world find lasting fulfillment, meaning and balance in their professional lives.

Michelle began her career in Global Brand Marketing for LinkedIn and has since worked as an award-winning consultant, storyteller, and speaker. Her collaborations have been featured in Variety, The New York Times, The Independent, Time Out New York, and at the Festival de Cannes. Michelle is on the Faculty for The School of Life and a Thinking Partner for Philosophy at Work. She holds a BSc in Business and Musical Theatre from Northwestern University and a Master of Arts from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA).