Time for an update on my networking/spacefinding/what-the-heck-do-I-do-with-my-life quest.

Earlier this week, I attended a great workshop entitled Taking your elevator speech to the top floor: Networking skills everyone should know. If you have been following me on this blog, you know one of my main tasks here is to not only find my space in the social media sphere, but also develop an elevator statement, and learn how to leverage and use that statement as a networking tool.

The facilitator, an acting coach, was excellent. She related several tools to be used in almost any situation, and gave us tips for zapping uncomfortable “ahs” and “ums” from our conversation. We paired up and worked on our conversational techniques. When the facilitator talked about critical listening in conversations, I thought back to a networking conversation I witnessed but did not participate in, while attending Podcamp Boston. Both of those campers used the exact techniques described by the facilitator.

But for me, maybe the timing wasn’t quite right for this workshop, for this reason: I still don’t have an elevator statement. In fact, I still haven’t figured out what it is that I do, nor have I figured out how to help people with whatever it is that I do. All of this was going through the back of my mind as the next breakout session started.

The person I paired up with had to leave early, so for this breakout session, I worked with two other participants. This brealout though, required me to talk, answering questions posed by the two other members of my group. As I fumbled through the exercise, my breakout partner stopped me dead in my tracks.

“You’re a consultant, specializing in teaching computers and technical writing. Those are great skills to have, because not everyone can write, and a lot of people don’t have time to write.”

I was floored, and didn’t know what to say. This workshop participant had spent all of, maybe, 90 seconds listening to me, yet summed up in a few words, what I’ve been trying to put my finger on for about two months now.

Well, in all honesty, the room was so loud that I didn’t quite catch every word she said, so some follow-up is needed. But her observations were a great kick-start towards my own elevator statement “nirvana.”

So keep a close eye out. There may be a blog post in the future announcing a new elevator statement, which will require new business cards, and also require a touch-up of the website. The best part though, will be crossing off yet another task on my Podcamp Boston Takeaways #pcb4 checklist.