SECTION IV
Gender-Neutral Random Connecting
As a male, I cannot claim to have walked the path—or for that matter, in the shoes—of a female random networker. However, I don’t have to be a social scientist to know that there are unique considerations when random connecting across genders. I’m all in favor of using one’s resources and tools to one’s advantage—in other words, going with the best of what you’ve got—so the matter of random connecting between the sexes warrants special attention.
It’s no secret that men and women see and think about the world differently. It’s built, and then programmed, into us. Not to mention, there is the vibrational energy of male versus female; there’s flirting energy, and there’s professional business energy. And if you’re a successful businesswoman or businessman, you surely know the difference, on both the giving and receiving ends. So although making random connections with complete strangers in any situation requires excellent interpersonal skills, those abilities are especially important when it comes to connecting across genders. I randomly connect with both men and women every day, because it is second nature for me to talk to strangers all the time—whether I’m in an elevator, at the grocery store checkout, waiting on a taxi line, or at any of the dozens of other day-to-day venues in which I find myself.
The electric frisson of meeting new people is the engine that drives my business. But I cannot claim expert status when it comes to making ...
