Tips for Coping With New Situations

The following tips may be helpful in coping with the ups and downs which are quite common during such times of transition:

1. Maintain continuity of pleasurable past activities. For example, if you have been a jogger, then continue jogging. Don't stop now when you need it most. If you've enjoyed bull sessions, then find some people and start some here. If you have enjoyed listening to music in private, do so.

2. Spend some time getting a handle on things by sitting down, getting "centered", and organizing what you have to do. Do one thing at a time. Finish one before starting another.

3. Friends are assets -- for information, for support, for sharing feelings, for new learning and for fun. Develop friendships and sustain them. Keep in mind that the intimacies of the past are difficult to recapture instantly.

4. Check out information and share feelings with others in the same situation. Most often you will find that there are others who are having some of the same feelings.

5. Remind yourself that the challenges that you are presently confronted by are also opportunities. It's normal to feel a bit apprehensive about some aspects of the novelty. Accept it.

6. Remind yourself that others have gone through what you are experiencing right now.

7. When you review how things are going for you, note your successes as well as the things you wish you had handled differently. Try not to be too harsh on yourself.

8. Keep your sense of humor. It also is a friend to be nurtured and sustained.

9. Attempt to seek out accurate information. If it is ambiguous, attempt to clarify it.

10. Make use of the resources available. If you get stuck, talk to someone, whether it be friends, professors, research assistants, teaching assistants.

10 Ways To Develop Confidence In New Situations

Summary: Very few people are at ease striking up a conversation in a room full of strangers. Here are some simple ways to make network meetings more productive and more fun.

Do you enjoy one-on-one networking, however, the thought of walking into room full of people you don't know horrifies you?

You're not alone. Yes, even a social butterfly, President of the Social Committee in High School and avid networker knows how you feel. Here are some tricks that have worked:

1. A great way to network at a conference is to volunteer at the registration desk. Why? You get to say hello to everyone who registers in your line and everyone who registers gets to see you behind the registration table. At the event, you'll feel more comfortable talking with people because you've "met" them already. And if those aren't enough benefits, people will "recognize you" from the registration desk, and be more likely to come talk with you.

2. Once you join a new group, ask the Chairperson what volunteer opportunities are available. Take on a small or large task, based on what you like to do and/or do something that may quietly help you market your business.

3. If you teach a class or speak, go into the room early. Get a feel for it, change it around if need be, and greet everyone who walks in with a big "hello my name is ...". Bring name tags or recycle the tops of old manila folders, have each person put their name on it, and put it on the table in front of them.

4. When you are planning to attend a meeting for the first time, call up whomever you can from the organization. Ask them if you can meet them at the meeting. Then you'll "know" someone that you can look for when you arrive.

5. Carry a name tag in your glove compartment. Make one for personal use, another for business use. Then people will feel more comfortable walking up to you in meetings.

6. Practice some opening lines and your handshake before you attend the event. Practice using a mirror and ask your family to let you practice on them, too.

7. Develop two a 30-second commercials (also called elevator speeches, USP - unique selling propositions). One is for personal use, and the other would be for business use. On a recent telelclass provided by Jay Levinson of Guerrilla Marketing fame, he suggested creating a 7 word commercial, too.

8. Remember that everyone in that room is a human being, too. Everyone has their own fears to deal with... and they might even be the same as yours.