Welcome back to On the Schmooze. Thank you so much for joining me. Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Iris Polit this week you’ll be hearing from me, your host.

Every other week I’ll be offering my take on some aspect of networking and relationship-building. These shorter podcast episodes will include practical networking tips and techniques you can put into practice right away. My hope is that insights from me and my guests will help you achieve the leadership position you’re seeking, build and sustain your professional network, and find the work/life balance that works best for you.

This week, I'll be sharing how strategic volunteering launched my career and specific steps you can take to achieve your career goals.

Listen, subscribe, and read show notes at www.OntheSchmooze.com - episode 28.

On the Schmooze Podcast: Leadership | Strategic Networking | Relationship Building

OTS 028: Leave them thinking you’re fascinating

Welcome back to On the Schmooze. Thank you so much for joining me. Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Howard Putnam, CSP this week you’ll be hearing from me, your host.

Every other week I’ll be offering my take on some aspect of networking and relationship-building. These shorter podcast episodes will include practical networking tips and techniques you can put into practice right away. My hope is that insights from me and my guests will help you achieve the leadership position you’re seeking, build and sustain your professional network, and find the work/life balance that works best for you.

This week, I’ll be sharing best practices for making introductions via email.

Today’s episode takes you step by step through writing an email introduction, so I encourage you to download the transcript of today’s tips so you can easily reference them. Visit www.OntheSchmooze.com and look for episode 030.

OTS 030: Email Intro Etiquette

Welcome back to On the Schmooze. Thank you so much for joining me. Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Dorie Clark, this week you’ll be hearing from me, your host.

Every other week I’ll be offering my take on some aspect of networking and relationship-building. These shorter podcast episodes will include practical networking tips and techniques you can put into practice right away. My hope is that insights from me and my guests will help you achieve the leadership position you’re seeking, build and sustain your professional network, and find the work/life balance that works best for you.

This week, I'll be sharing my thoughts on the different ways outgoing extroverts like myself have something I’m calling extrovert privilege.

Listen, subscribe, and read show notes at www.OntheSchmooze.com - episode 32.

OTS 032: Extrovert Privilege - Robbie Samuels

Welcome back to On the Schmooze. Thank you so much for joining me. Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing John Corcoran, this week you’ll be hearing from me, your host.

Every other week I’ll be offering my take on some aspect of networking and relationship-building. These shorter podcast episodes will include practical networking tips and techniques you can put into practice right away. My hope is those insights from me, and my guests will help you achieve the leadership position you’re seeking, build and sustain your professional network, and find the work/life balance that works best for you.

This week, I'll be sharing my thoughts on a new definition of networking.

What do you think of when you hear the word “networking”? If you are most people, that word has a negative connotation based on your experience. If you keep going to networking events, have a bad experience and feel they are ineffective, then go out to another event and not change anything - well, it’s like that saying, “insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.”

You need a new definition of networking. One that isn’t based on transactional exchanges with strangers or brief stilted conversations meant to screen very quickly everyone you meet. These limited definitions aren’t working for you and won’t get you the results you seek. For many people, the phrase “what’s in it for me?” is top of mind when they are at a networking event. If you are approached by someone with this frame of mind, you would feel like they were quickly screening you to see if you were worth speaking with further and then being chummy to get something from you that they need. Even if you offer them exactly what they are looking for, you won’t feel a bond with them or the desire to stay connected. 

Listen, subscribe, and read show notes at www.OntheSchmooze.com - episode 34.

OTS 034: New Definition of Networking - Robbie Samuels

Welcome back to On the Schmooze. Thank you so much for joining me. Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Susan RoAne, this week you’ll be hearing from me, your host.

Every other week I’ll be offering my take on some aspect of networking and relationship-building. These shorter podcast episodes will include practical networking tips and techniques you can put into practice right away. My hope is those insights from me, and my guests will help you achieve the leadership position you’re seeking, build and sustain your professional network, and find the work/life balance that works best for you.

This week, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the ABCs of business cards.

Over the last few months, I’ve been working with an association to increase connections at their convention. In an age where information is found with one click and we count “likes” as engagement, conventions hold the promise of meaningful in-person connection with like-minded colleagues. Only through thoughtful and strategic planning will this promise become a reality.

Prior to my work with the association, I asked questions about their membership and the culture they had created at their convention over the last three decades. That’s when I discovered that a lot of the front line staff attending this event would likely not have business cards. As I shared in episode 14, “Are Business Cards Dead?”, even in the age of smartphones and apps, business cards are a critical tool for networking. This episode’s title is “The ABCs of Business Cards” because I believe you should Always. Bring. Cards. Remember those ABCs and you’ll be ready to make connections.

Listen, subscribe, and read show notes at www.OntheSchmooze.com - episode 36.

OTS 036: The ABCs of Business Cards - Robbie Samuels

Welcome back to On the Schmooze. Thank you so much for joining me. Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeffrey Hayzlett, this week you’ll be hearing from me, your host.

Every other week I’ll be offering my take on some aspect of networking and relationship-building. These shorter podcast episodes will include practical networking tips and techniques you can put into practice right away. My hope is those insights from me, and my guests will help you achieve the leadership position you’re seeking, build and sustain your professional network, and find the work/life balance that works best for you.

This week, I'll be sharing my thoughts on a common networking practice that I believe is highly ineffective. Listen to learn what not to do.


Whether you know the phrase “spray and pray” or not, you probably have experienced this phenomenon and possibly, like me, you have been guilty of doing it. When I first started promoting a group I founded over a decade ago, I whipped out a business card within seconds of meeting anyone who might remotely be interested. It took me awhile to realize this wasn’t the most effective way to network. When friends and colleagues began to talk up my group, instead of me doing all the promotion, the group really took off.

Now, I teach people how to stop wasting time networking and I have a PSA: Stop Spraying and Praying. When people tell me they don’t like networking, it’s this kind of behavior that is turning them off.

Listen, subscribe, and read show notes at www.OntheSchmooze.com - episode 38.

OTS 038 PSA: Stop Spraying and Praying - Robbie Samuels

Welcome back to On the Schmooze. Thank you so much for joining me. Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie Chung, this week you’ll be hearing from me, your host.

Every other week I’ll be offering my take on some aspect of networking and relationship-building. These shorter podcast episodes will include practical networking tips and techniques you can put into practice right away. My hope is those insights from me, and my guests will help you achieve the leadership position you’re seeking, build and sustain your professional network, and find the work/life balance that works best for you.

This week, I'll be sharing some tips about how to approach tight networking circles at events.

Over the last few months, I’ve been working on a new book and in the process asking my network to share their problems networking at conferences. Over and over I received questions that could be boiled down to - How do I get more value out of the experience of going to conferences? It’s a lot of time and money and I’m never sure how to meet people while I’m there. Maybe I shouldn’t bother going?

Maybe you’ve asked yourself a similar question?

Conferences are expensive and time intensive, but I wouldn't recommend avoiding them altogether. What you need is a strategy that will boost your confidence and help you feel your time and money were well spent.

Listen, subscribe, and read show notes at www.OntheSchmooze.com - episode 40.

OTS 040: FAQ: Are conferences worth it? - Robbie Samuels

Welcome back to On the Schmooze. Thank you so much for joining me. Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Matt Schneider, this week you’ll be hearing from me, your host.

Every other week I’ll be offering my take on some aspect of networking and relationship-building. These shorter podcast episodes will include practical networking tips and techniques you can put into practice right away. My hope is those insights from me, and my guests will help you achieve the leadership position you’re seeking, build and sustain your professional network, and find the work/life balance that works best for you.

This week, I'll be sharing the details of a study that explains why networking makes us feel dirty.

Are you resisting networking because you feel like it’s dirty business? Well, you are not alone. A study published in 2014 found that networking with the goal of career advancement made people feel icky. The study, co-authored by professors from Harvard Business School, University of Toronto, and Northwestern University, used one experiment to conclude that this kind of transactional networking for professional gain made people subconsciously rank cleaning products higher than other household or office products. In another experiment participants who thought about this kind of professional networking answered fill-in the blank words with words associated with bathing, while those thinking about personal networking to build friendships did not.

What leads to this feeling of being dirty? We are our harshest critics, so if we cannot justify our networking behavior and feel we are using others without offering anything in return, we may question our moral purity and that makes us feel dirty.

All networking is not created equally.

Listen, subscribe, and read show notes at www.OntheSchmooze.com - episode 42.

OTS 042: The Dirty Business of Networking - Robbie Samuels

Welcome back to On the Schmooze. Thank you so much for joining me. Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Mary Pilon, this week you’ll be hearing from me, your host.

Every other week I’ll be offering my take on some aspect of networking and relationship-building. These shorter podcast episodes will include practical networking tips and techniques you can put into practice right away. My hope is those insights from me, and my guests will help you achieve the leadership position you’re seeking, build and sustain your professional network, and find the work/life balance that works best for you.

This week, I'll be sharing tips to help you more effectively and inclusively network with people with disabilities. This is an excerpt from my soon to be released book “Croissants vs. Bagels: Strategic, Effective, and Inclusive Networking at Conferences.”

Creating a welcoming event is a multi-faceted endeavor and I would be remiss if I did not offer some guidance on how to communicate with a person with a disability. Unfortunately, the angst people have about networking gets amplified when given the opportunity to connect with those with disabilities. This may be true even if you have a disability yourself.

Some people choose to avoid engaging rather than do or say something wrong. Others make an awkward, hesitant effort, which is sometimes perceived as inconsiderate, and rather than making someone feel included may have the exact opposite effect.

The bottom line is to be respectful. Aside from that basic tenet, there are some things to keep in mind when communicating with someone who is differently-abled than you.

Listen to the rest of this episode...

Listen, subscribe, and read show notes at www.OntheSchmooze.com - episode 44.

OTS 044: Communicating Across Disability - Robbie Samuels

Welcome back to On the Schmooze. Thank you so much for joining me. Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Scott Stratten, this week you’ll be hearing from me, your host.

Every other week I’ll be offering my take on some aspect of networking and relationship-building. These shorter podcast episodes will include practical networking tips and techniques you can put into practice right away. My hope is those insights from me, and my guests will help you achieve the leadership position you’re seeking, build and sustain your professional network, and find the work/life balance that works best for you.

Today’s podcast features excerpts from my soon to be released book, “Croissants vs. Bagels: Strategic, Effective, and Inclusive Networking at Conferences.” The unusual title will make a lot more sense by the end of this episode.

If you have been listening to my podcast, you are clearly prioritizing networking and creating relationships that work for you and your career or business. That said, you probably also have some anxiety around doing all of this. For many, the idea of meeting with strangers ranks somewhere around the thrill of going to the dentist. They would rather skip all of this fuss and just put their head down and do their work. You may have felt the desire to avoid networking events altogether, but have come to accept that they are necessary.

You have been told that networking was important, that meeting people was critical for your success, that your business would grow if you made the right kinds of connections. Your experience has left you feeling exhausted just thinking about going back out to yet another networking event. I host this podcast, and I’m launching a book this summer, to help you stop wasting time networking and be more strategic, effective, and inclusive while building great relationships.

Listen, subscribe, and read show notes at www.OntheSchmooze.com - episode 46.

OTS 046: How to shift your body language to be better at networking - Robbie Samuels

On the Schmooze is a weekly podcast about leadership, career challenges, work/life balance, and building a professional network. I interview talented professionals and share my own insight. Each episode provides you with actionable take-aways that you can put into practice now and benefit from for years to come. I'm a professional speaker and teach people how to stop wasting time networking through my signature session Art of the Schmooze. My keynotes and breakout sessions are about relationship building - whether through fundraising, sales, networking, or intercultural communication.

On the Schmooze Podcast: Strategic Networking

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