February 2022
NEWS AND EVENTS
ORED leadership featured in Nebraska Today story
ORED’s Becky Zavala and Jen Nelson were featured in a recent article about the university’s efforts to develop the on-campus COVID-19 testing program. The university’s COVID-19 task force charged the two ORED leaders with running the testing program’s logistics, including initiating a partnership with the Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center, which performs the polymerase chain reaction testing that is the gold standard for detecting the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Read the full story here.
Team Spotlight, March 11
The March team spotlight will feature NUtech Ventures. The presentation is from 10-11 a.m. Registration in Bridge is now available and necessary to receive the meeting link and access to the recorded session.
The ORED Team Spotlight is a response to the OPEN Forum where ORED team members explored big ideas. Staff determined that there is value in learning and understanding the work of each of the teams within the Office of Research and Economic Development. These meetings are scheduled for the second Friday of each month, beginning at 10 a.m. with remarks from Vice Chancellor Bob Wilhelm.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Changing your mindset about networking
As the pandemic recedes, it’s likely many of us will have more opportunities for face-to-face professional networking. For some people, this may not be welcome news: Networking can sometimes feel uncomfortable, particularly if your mind tends to go blank when you’re trying to make a good impression, or if you feel a lot of pressure to ask the “right” questions. In her article “The Awkward Person’s Guide to Networking,” published in the Harvard Business Review, Alyssa F. Westring provides some tips for making networking less painful. Her tips are below:
- Rewrite your networking narrative. First, pause and reflect about the stories you tell yourself about networking. Do you dislike it because it feels inauthentic and fake? Do you think you don’t have the right connections to network? If you first understand your internal narrative about networking, then you have the power to rewrite it.
- Explore what you have to give. Many people feel awkward about networking because it feels like you’re building a relationship with someone only because of what they can give you. But that feeling is built on the assumption that you are not contributing anything to the relationship. Try considering yourself as a giver in the interaction: You’re giving someone a chance to share their expertise and experience, which most people enjoy and strive for. You’re also offering a unique voice and perspective that someone may not typically have access to.
- Find your authentic curiosity. It can be hard to make stilted small talk and ask the same “right” questions over and over. To avoid this, try asking questions that genuinely interest you. What do you really want to know about this person and their experiences? If your questions are authentic, this will help the conversation feel less superficial and more natural.
- Play to your strengths and embrace your awkwardness. Don’t hide who you are. As Westring puts it, “Consider just calling out your own weirdness.” For example, admit that you’re nervous or forgot someone’s name. People often appreciate and relate to this kind of vulnerability and humor.
Westring is the Vincent de Paul Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business.
THE MONTH IN PICTURES
Thanks to all who contributed to this month’s OPEN Book. If you have an item you’d like to include in next month’s edition, please send it to Tiffany Lee.
