ARTICLES

The Benefits of Schmoozing
Seminars to teach people how to network are booming as people seek an edge in a fluid job market

BY LAURA RAMSAY
NATIONAL POST

Master schmoozers have an undeserved reputation of being phoney. In fact, says Ms. Usheroff, truly great schmoozers have a genuine interest and concern for people. "They do it in a way that really shows they care about you. Yes, you know they're masterful and premeditated in their outcomes, but because of the way they do it [the schmoozer] remembers you...it's not like they had a two-hour conversation with you at a party and, when they see you again, ask where you met. They remember. They'll say, 'How was your recent holiday?' or ask if the project you were working on succeeded."

Central to great schmoozing is mastering small talk. "A lot of people hate doing it because they feel small talk is trivial, but...small talk leads to big talk...It paves the way for trust to develop. It allows people to feel comfortable with you and feel you out before they buy into the bigger message," she says.
"That's why so much work gets done on the golf course. It's not that work is actually accomplished there, it's about building relationships."