HNG Meeting January 8, 2016; Agenda: HNG 2015 Summary & Open Forum Discussion

Hello Everyone, 

Now that we are in the winter months, if the Hopkinton schools are cancelled on the day of our meeting then we do not meet; however, if there is a delay, then we do meet.  Even if the schools are not closed, if the weather is bad, it is best to stay home then risk an accident.

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by a slide presentation and a networking exercise.    The facilitator or this week will be Emilia Gordon.  We will devote the first hour to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs and Leads. Important Note: Please make a serious, concerted effort to arrive before 10:00 AM. We are going to start the meeting on time at 10:00 AM.  In the second hour, Gil will show a number of slides showing the Hopkinton Networkers Group 2015 Summary, and this will be followed by an "Open Forum Discussion on Networking."

Hopkinton Networkers Group 2015 Summary

This will be a brief slide show summarizing the significant statistics occurred during the 2015 year of the group. This will include attendance, total money collected, expenses, gifts to St. John's church, landings, HNG fund, and proposed gifts to St. John's for 2016.

Open Forum Discussion on Networking

Quotes from the internet:
"Networking is a socioeconomic business activity by which groups of like-minded businesspeople recognize, create, or act upon business opportunities."

"....networking is the linking together of individuals who, through trust and relationship building, become walking, talking advertisements for one another."

"....networking is about being genuine and authentic, building trust and relationships, and seeing how you can help others."

*  Buddy groups
         How often to meet:  weekly/monthly
         Commitment: following through with goals/plans for next meeting
         Exchange business leads/referrals
*  Networking groups: attend as many as possible
        Ask questions that cause who, what, where, when, and how as opposed to those that can be answered with a simple yes or no. This form of questioning opens up the discussion and shows listeners that you are

        interested in them.
*  Trade shows
*  Seminars: Mitre monthly meetings
*  Open houses/Job fairs: Working the floor
*  Toastmasters
*  Information interviews
*  Volunteer for positions in Non-profit ventures
*  Articulate what you are looking for and how others may help you
*  Call those you meet who may benefit from what you do and vice versa
*  Have a clear understanding of what you do and why, and what makes your doing it special or different from others doing the same thing
*  Networking using the internet:  Social networking websites can serve as great resources for finding other people who share your interests and career goals, and starting conversations with them in a low-pressure way. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

*  Discussion boards
      

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

January 22, 2016          Brian Hawley and Tom Bodine

General Information

The networking group meets in Hopkinton, at St. John the Evangelist Church parish hall. The meeting occurs, from 10 to 12 noon, and will meet the first and third Friday of the month. The parish hall has a capacity for 250 people and there is plenty of parking spaces in the parking lot and on the street. Around the perimeter of the parish hall are rooms to allow us to have focused network groups or for any other purpose we need. We chose the first and third Friday to allow everyone to attend the Acton Networking Group or any other networking group, if they wanted, on the Friday we do not meet.

We will maintain our close affiliation with Acton Networkers by using the same list-server to share information between the groups. Any e-mails specific to the Hopkinton Networking Group (HNG) will be indicated in the subject line either by "Hopkinton Networking Group" or "HNG"; this way anyone attending these meetings will know the e-mail is intended for them.


We will follow the following agenda items:
* Welcome
* Landings (with doughnuts)
* Announcements
* New member introductions
* Needs and Leads
* Speaker(s), Workshop, or Focus Group
* Cleanup


For those new members who give their introductions, this is what we would like to know:
* Name
* Skills and Value Statement
* Where have you been?
* Where are you going?
* Your title
* Your target companies
* Geography of search
* Name and e-mail address

If anyone wants to join our team, please let one of us know; we could always use the extra help and input for ideas.

Directions:
Take Rt. 495 North/South and get off Exit 21A. Go through three traffic lights. Colella's Supermarket is on the right at the third traffic light. The first street after the third traffic light is Church Street, take a right turn. The church is on the right. Go around to the left of the parking lot and go into the side entrance of the parish hall.


Depending upon where you live, perhaps you may want to use Mapquest for a more direct route. The address of the church is:
St. John the Evangelist
20 Church Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748


Regards,
Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) Coordinators:
Sheri Ablaza               sheriablaza@gmail.com
Emilia Gordon            emiliagne@gmail.com  
Gil Krispien                g.krispien@verizon.net   
William Lam              wmlam508@yahoo.com 
Ronaldo Lu                 ronaldo.lu@comcast.net      
Vincent Rocheleau     vrocheleau@hotmail.com