Making the right connections can be a game changer in your learning and development (L&D) career. However, building and maintaining a vibrant professional network can be daunting. To help, I’ve compiled essential tips and strategies below.

Tips for Building Your L&D Network

• Identify and document your key contacts: A list of your key connections can help you identify gaps and maintain your current network. Consider colleagues at your level and within your company, as well as thought leaders, influencers and executives.
• Prepare your L&D story: Craft a compelling elevator pitch and career story to use when meeting new connections.
• Participate in industry events: There are many ways to interact with like-minded professionals — attending conferences, engaging in online communities and volunteering with industry-related associations or events are a few. Another great option is earning a professional certification that comes with a built-in network.
• Be curious: When you meet someone new, ask questions and listen to their answers. Express genuine interest in their backgrounds and experiences.
• Use strategies to enhance your memory: Remembering your new connections’ names and details can be difficult. Some strategies to help include using their name immediately and often in the conversation, repeating back what you’ve heard them say, and taking notes after the conversation ends. These are just a few strategies among many — figure out what works for you and practice using it.
• Ask for additional connections: Leverage your existing contacts to meet new people. Share what you’re passionate about or currently working on to give them context as they consider additional connections for you.

Strategies to Maintain Your Network

• Follow up: After an initial connection, send a follow-up note or schedule a follow-up meeting. Make sure to mention how you met — this will be helpful for your connection and will come in handy later if you’re trying to remember how you know each other.
• Check in: On a weekly basis, you should engage with your network by liking or commenting on a few social posts, tagging a couple of key connections in your own social media posts or sharing articles or information. If you want to take it one step further, set a goal to send a message to one or two contacts a week to see how they’re doing.
• Share what you’re doing: When something exciting or new happens (e.g., you wrap up a big project, have an epiphany or even when you make a mistake), consider sharing it publicly with your social network, privately via email to your contacts or selectively by messaging the people in your network who you think will be most interested. This will keep your network informed and your name top-of-mind.
• Plan to connect with your network at events: Industry events and conferences are better with a friend. Reach out to your network before events to coordinate meetups and make the experience more valuable.
• Organize a community or regular meet-up: When you have something consistently on the calendar, it can help ensure you’re staying connected. For example, a CPTM recently shared that she formed a community of practice within her organization that meets regularly, creating a space for her peers to connect and share ideas.

I hope this checklist helps you build and maintain your own network. Building your network doesn’t have to be overwhelming; take it one step at a time.