National Black MBA - Dallas Chapter

Are You Connected?

The Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the National Black MBA Association hosted its annual Membership Kickoff and Networking event on January 28, 2010 at the Hackberry Creek Country Club in Irving, Texas. They introduced the theme of the year – Are You Connected? which serves as a call to action for the membership, partners and friends to expand their professional networks.

The events of the evening were opened with greetings from Susan Bell, current president of the local NBMBAA chapter followed by the introductions of the 2010-2011 NBMBAA Leadership Board members and committee chairpersons.

After each chairperson, shared the focus, roles and responsibilities of each of the committees, the program shifted to a presentation on the strategic art of networking moderated by Wendi Mouton, Vice President of Operations.

Clifton Johnson, the economic development committee chairperson and program coordinator, began the Art of Networking session with the discussion of Developing Your Elevator Pitch and the Benefit of Strategic Networking. According to Davis, effective networking has a specific purpose of “developing a nurturing relationship with people that are mutually beneficial.” A well-crafted elevator pitch is a standard tool used for effective networking in business networking, corporate, social and entrepreneur-focused settings. According to Davis, a pitch should be 30-seconds or less in length, state who you are, your company, what you do, how you can help and give a call to action. He also stated that a good pitch is best crafted through: drafting, memorization, and practice. Davis closed with the thought that an avid networker should customize a 30-second speech for each intended audience.

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone was the second aspect of the networking breakout sessions. Mouton expressed strategic preparation as the main key to being effective in networking. “Know who your audience is and find out information about the event,” began Mouton. “Networking is not just about getting something, it is also about giving something.”

Shirley Addison, vice-president of administration, focused on Controlling the Conversation as you are networking. “Controlling is an illusion,”she begin, “You can not control the conversation but you can control the effects of it.” Addison explained that one should know how to break the ice by asking an open-ended question. She also encouraged individuals to come to the conversation with simple questions but also be able to listen and provide follow-up questions. To end a conversation is a simple process according to Addison, “Give your business card, a firm handshake, say nice to meet you and walk away.”

Deidra Ellington, Graduate Program recruiter at The University of Texas at Dallas School of Management, an educational partner of NBMBAA-DFW, spoke on Selling Your MBA. “Get out there and network, stated Ellington. “Seventy-five percent of people get a job by networking.” She also shared that one should stay current on the changes in the industry to keep your degree relevant.

At the close of the session, the attendees continued to network with other professionals as well as visit with committee chairpersons to express their interest in being a part of the volunteer efforts of the organization.

The committee leaders expressed the need for active member participation on all committees along with the current opportunity for a community relations chairperson. The desired individual would be the DFW community liaison between NBMBAA and other local non-profit groups. They would also need to deliver Financial Literacy and Credit Repair programs in underserved areas.

During the evening, Chery Long, NBMBAA Membership Committee chairperson, also shared value-added membership benefits which included coaching sessions, mentoring opportunities and entrepreneurship partnerships amongst other programs.

The National Black MBA Association is an organization which leads in the creation of economic and intellectual wealth for African-Americans and dually serves as the organization of choice for this professional community. Its mission is to increase the number as well as diversity of successful blacks in the business community by: 1.) Providing innovative programs to stimulate their intellectual and economic growth; 2.) Building partnerships with key stakeholders who facilitate this growth; 3.) Increasing awareness and facilitating access to graduate management education programs and career opportunities in management fields, and 4.) Developing the pipeline of youth by providing a framework to deploy business practices. For more information, visit www.dfwmbas.org.