I have a confession to make. I'm a closet introvert. The thought of attending a networking event often makes my stomach turn, hands shake and palms sweat. As I enter the room, I force myself to take a deep breath and smile. Smiling is my coping mechanism -- a decent one to have in these situations. You probably already know that networking is an excellent source of building and maintaining connections. For those who are in the job market, networking can provide the lead that helps you land your next job. Throughout my career, I’ve seen that networking events are a great way to build connections. I met my current business partner at an entrepreneurship meet-up. All of the contractors that we use were found through professional contacts that I met at, you guessed it, networking events. Logically, I know that networking is good for me and my business. I've been networking for years and have made some professional connections and even a few friends. But, somehow it still seems to make my stomach turn as I enter a room for the first time. Here are a few tricks that I've picked up over the years that I'd like to share with fellow introverts and networking-averse job hunters:

1. Use body language. Take a deep breath, relax, then force yourself to join the party. You don't have to start the conversation. Almost everyone is there to meet other people. Grab your name tag and try to make eye contact with someone who's not preoccupied. Smile. A majority of the time, they'll approach you. Extended eye contact and friendly facial movements seem to be the universal conversation-starting body language. Put your phone, pen or other distracting object away. While playing on your phone can be comforting and makes you seem less awkward, it actually is perceived as standoffish. Try to invite others to talk to you, don't scare them away.
2. Make it a game. For introverts who are competitive by nature, here's a trick you can play on yourself. Make it a competition. If I attend the event with someone else, I try to make more connections than they do. I let my competitive nature override my nerves. This also ensures that I don't end up talking with my friend or colleague the entire night. I've wasted more than a few networking events hiding behind the person I came with. Flying solo? Set a goal for the number of people you want to talk to that night. Having a target in mind will inspire you to try to break out of your shell and shake off your nerves.
3. Be prepared. Have a few conversation openers ready. I've found that having a few topics that you've practiced a few times makes starting a conversation easy. Most of the time it's as easy as introducing yourself or making small talk about the event.
4. Test the waters. One way that you can avoid the "I don't know anyone here" syndrome is to spend some time developing your social media presence. If you've already met a few people who are attending the event online, it will make chatting with others much easier. Some of the easiest networking events that I've attended were Tweetups. Everyone kind of knew each other through conversations on Twitter. That can make it much easier to relax and enjoy yourself rather than spend the evening worrying about introducing yourself to others.
5. Take a break. If you're getting overwhelmed, it's perfectly OK to give yourself a break. Go find the nearest bathroom, dark corner or location outside to take a few minutes to collect yourself. You'll be able to reenter the event refreshed and ready to talk. Also, don't schedule too many events in a short time span. You don't have to be a "power networker" who goes to every event he/she is invited to. Take your time and ease yourself into the process.

These are the tricks that I’ve personally used to overcome my shyness at networking events. While I'm still not the life of the party, these have definitely helped me to meet new people and expand my network. Try a few at your next event and I’m sure that you’ll be able to overcome some of your wallflower tendencies. Image courtesy of Flickr user peruisay.