Do you have any old friends that you haven’t talked to in awhile? Do you think it would be weird to call them and meet them for lunch? I thought it may be uncomfortable, but I have been making it happen. I have been discovering that people have been very receptive and very happy to hear from me. I have been finding a lot of common interests with people that I never knew existed.

Here are two quick communication tips that I use when talking with old friends or acquaintances:

1. Be a good listener - people will be interested in you if you show an interest in them first.
2. Open up to people, and tell them what you really think. I find that people usually agree with me, and even if they don’t, the conversation takes on new depth.

I challenge you to pick up the phone and invite someone out to lunch. Someone you’ve lost touch with or someone that you don’t know very well. I am sure that you will be pleasantly surprised with the results, as I have been.

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I have been reading a great book on networking lately, “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi. This is something I have been consciously working on lately. The book talks about how the size of your network and the people you associate with are in direct proportion to your income. The author makes the point that this is one of the central things that separates the successful from the unsuccessful. Another interesting idea from the book is “…the more speeches one gives, the higher one’s income bracket tends to be”.

I have been reconnecting with a lot of old friends recently. I had sent out an email to many people a few weeks ago, and ever since, I have been getting emails and calls left and right from people I haven’t talked to in a long time. It has been great. Today, I spent most of the day meeting with old friends and setting appointments to meet others for lunch and dinner for the remainder of the week. I am learning that a lot of business and a lot of success is staying in touch with people, listening to them, and letting them know what you are doing. It’s always a fun time at the least, and additionally, sometimes business can be done, and it is mutually beneficial.