It is important to appreciate that we all have different approaches to communication and making connections and the prospect of talking to someone at a conference or meeting is more stressful or difficult for some people. Happily, there is a lot of advice available from other more introverted networkers.

Written for information technology experts, this article shares advice on overcoming shyness: http://www.cio.com/article/2437488/relationship-building-networking/how-to-network—12-tips-for-shy-people.html.

In academia, we are really lucky to work in an international and cosmopolitan environment. Think about the range of nationalities in your department and ask individuals for advice, especially if you are going to a meeting or hoping to network with someone from a very different culture than the one you are familiar with. Be willing to share your own advice with others.

You can also read:

• Geert Hofstede has spent his life researching different working cultures around the world. He has written many books and these underpin the highlights on his website, including a country comparison tool so you can see how other countries differ from your own in their working cultures.
• The academic jobs website jobs.ac.uk has a series of country profiles which provide some insights into differences in academic systems and cultures.

At conferences and research meetings, everyone has shared interests, giving us all “permission” to talk about our research. However, the initial contact, especially if people are already talking with others, can be a source of anxiety.

• Rosie Redfield, a microbiology lab leader from the University of British Columbia, lists the many opportunities to initiate conversations at conferences and shares her ideas for conversation openers on her blog.

• Do your homework! Andy Tay, a PhD student in the bioengineering department of the University of California, Los Angeles has blogged about how preparation can reduce nerves when networking and reduce the chances of saying the wrong thing.
• The HumNet (Humanities Network at the University of Manchester) has developed a networking resource which includes a list of questions that you can tailor to ask for help from someone.

It’s perfectly natural to feel anxious about approaching experts and potentially demonstrating your relative ignorance. However, the potential benefits of connecting with someone important and knowledgeable in your field should outweigh the fear of approaching them. You aren’t the only one who feels like this.

• Talking with colleagues will probably reveal very similar feelings and it may help to read this blog post from Professor Dame Athene Donald where she encourages younger researchers to have confidence at conferences.

Before you decide that you couldn’t possibly be of interest to a more senior researcher, remember these five things:

1. You work at the cutting edge
2. Your approach and knowledge are a unique combination
3. You are using the work of others and have opinions on this work
4. You are a researcher at a leading university and may have useful connections
5. You are immersed in research rather than administration, teaching, politics or grant writing, so have more focus and knowledge than you may realise

You should also ask more senior staff in your own institution if they can help by making introductions either at the event or in advance via email or social media.

Nerves can always get the best of even the most experienced researcher. If you have a bad experience and say something you regret, try to learn from it. The next time you see that person you can always make light of it by explaining you were a little overwhelmed the last time you met. Most people are human enough to remember how nerve-wracking networking can be at first and will forgive you the occasional stumble.

To reduce your chances of saying the wrong thing, this blog post is based on a workshop with researchers who “rewound” their mistakes and identified better practices.

If you think you are unusual in feeling insecure in an academic community, a quick search online for “academic imposter syndrome” should put those fears to rest. It is perhaps related to the tendency of people in research to continue to learn about unfamiliar ideas and to push themselves and their understanding, but the fear of being found out for knowing less than you think you should be is fairly common! There are many resources to find on this topic but the “I’m not worthy” refrain of the Research Whisperer’s guest post from Jay Thompson may strike a chord.

As he says, imposter syndrome can strike at any point in a career, as evidenced by this post from Professor Dame Athene Donald.

Go back and read the first section again!

Somewhat perversely, the best way to address this is to network. You may find clues from people talking about events on social media. Whilst at meetings, ask where else people tend to go and which conferences or events they find useful. Look online for meetings and see if they produce any conference reports or awards prizes to early career researchers.