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I’ll admit it. Networking is one of the single hardest things for me to do. I am extremely shy and don’t like to talk to people I don’t know (it probably borders on fear). I have several nervous habits to boot, so I come off as “that weird guy in the back of the room” as one of my college acquaintances called me before knowing me.

Yahoo!’s Personal Finance portal has an article from Forbes on how to network without speaking. It has several excellent tips for getting off on the right foot (provided you don’t then stick it in your mouth).

1. Dress professionally. There’s a reason the basic business suit hasn’t changed in a hundred years.
2. Watch hand gestures. Looking at your watch and running your hands through your hair are telltale signs you are nervous. Keep them on the table if you are sitting and use them for emphasis whether sitting or standing.
3. Relatedly, practice that handshake. A good handshake doesn’t necessarily mean crushing the other person’s hand. A nice, tight handshake will always be more appreciated than a broken hand.
4. Eye Contact. Always look people in the eyes and keep looking them in the eyes (US only). This is one that I have a supreme problem with naturally and have to override my circuitry constantly in order to get the necessary eye contact.
5. Look authentic. Actively listen and look like you are. If I don’t watch it, I tend to wonder off similar to JD on Scrubs (though not that bad) and this is part of the eye contact problem.

A lot of these are pretty common sense, but it’s still important to remember and practice all of the ideas. It will complement what is coming out of your mouth and will make people remember you. Which, after all, is the whole purpose of networking.