On Thursday 10th July 2025, iNetwork had the pleasure of delivering an in-person Networking Masterclass to colleagues at North Yorkshire Council, which took place at Thirsk Racecourse. Led by Shelley Heckman, iNetwork Director, and supported by Lucy Hamilton, Stakeholder Engagement Manager for the Connected Procurement & Commissioning (CPC) programme.
The session brought together individuals from across the council to explore effective networking. The masterclass was designed not just to discuss networking but to experience it. From the very first activity, participants were encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and reflect on how they build relationships in professional settings. Rather than traditional round-the-room introductions, the session kicked off with a networking exercise in which attendees were invited to move around the room and connect with others. The group then reflected on how they felt during the exercise, what strategies they used, and what made them approach certain people over others.
The core of the session was a presentation exploring the art of networking, covering topics such as common challenges and how to overcome them, building a networking toolkit, and the power of follow-up and long-term relationship building.
To help attendees visualise their current networks, they were asked to conduct a network mapping exercise and to consider their networking goals. Whether for career progression, support in their role, or something outside of work and map out their existing relationships. This led to further reflection, where attendees considered:
- Who they have strong vs. weak relationships with
- Which connections they would like to strengthen
- What actions they could take to build better relationships, whether that’s meeting more regularly, informal catch-ups, or simply reaching out
After the success and positive feedback from the first masterclass, we are very excited to be delivering an online Networking Masterclass to North Yorkshire Council employees on Thursday 23rd October.
Are you Interested in learning more or bringing an iNetwork-hosted Networking Masterclass to your organisation? We would love to hear from you, just drop us an email at iNetwork@Tameside.gov.uk