Lunch anyone?

I've never been a schmoozer. That's what I call it, for other folk it's the process of networking.

But you know what....I think it's time for a change. OK, maybe not a radical change but a change nonetheless.

I don't think I'll be maintaining a little black book full of contacts, one for every day, but I do think I'll be a little less reticent.

I've never really seen the point of "lunch" or "drinks" or "coffee".

I mean grabbing a lunch in the canteen is good for chatting to the people you sit with for the rest of the working day and also for preventing blood sugar levels dropping. It is good to get away from the desk and it is good to chat in a slightly less worky environment. But do you know what's better? Meeting someone for lunch, i.e. having a lunch date. Somehow because it's prearranged it's different, and better. It's the kind of time when people can be less guarded, they can tell you what's really on their mind, what's really going on.

Going for drinks is something that doesn't readily happen in our office because we don't have a neighboring hostelry. But I'm London one day a week, and that's the perfect time to catch people out of the office environment, relaxing and wanting to share news.

And coffee. Well I do coffee, but it's usually anti-social coffee, grabbed quickly between meetings. I used to do social coffee but it stopped. In the office it's an opportunity to catch up with colleagues, outside of work it's an opportunity to catch up with ex-colleagues, potential colleagues, potential suppliers and the list goes on.

When I said it wouldn't be a radical change, I meant I'm not going to be going mad. You won't catch me "lunching" every day. But what you will find me doing is saying "yes" more often to invitations. Normally I'd be too busy and my schdule would be too hectic and I'd feel too guilty. Well the guilt stops here.
This isn't something just for me, it's for other people to. The old BT ad was right - it's good to talk. OK, maybe I talk a little too much but the intent is there.