It's all very well to think about re-branding yourself. But all your efforts will be wasted if you hide your light under a bushel. And, unless you have a multi-million pound budget to pay for airtime or advertising hoardings, you will have to rely on word of mouth to promote the New You. Yes, we're talking about networking.

Many people throw up their hands in horror at even the mention of the word. It conjures up images of old school ties or having to fawn and be insincere to people you don't like in order to get ahead.

In reality, networking is simply a technique for increasing the number of meetings you have with people, and making the most effective use of those meetings. And it's an increasingly important technique in achieving your career goals. More and more people are finding that jobs are offered through personal relationships between individuals rather than formal recruitment processes.

You just need to be able to talk to people, listen to what they have to say, and present yourself well to them. Does that sound so sinister or even difficult?

Analyse your network

First of all, you need to think about who you know. More than one of my clients has protested that, "I don't know anyone important!" But the whole point of networking is that you do not actually have to know anyone "important" to start with. If you network effectively, you will be able to forge links with people that you had not previously met before, building increasingly more useful relationships as you go. Websites such as www.sixdegrees.com argue that any individual in the world is, in theory, only six "degrees of separation" away from anyone else.

But you need to start with the people that you know. Start by writing down a list of everybody that you know. Think about all the people you know in your current job and your current organisation. Then colleagues from previous employers. And what about customers or clients that you have worked alongside of? And suppliers or people you might have met at conferences or trade fairs?

But don't stop at just your work contacts. Move on to different spheres of your life. Think about people you were at university or business school with. And what about people at that voluntary association, sports team, or community group that you might belong to?

If you're diligent with the task, your list will probably be several hundred people long. So you need to prioritise the individuals according to how they might be able to help you. For example, if you are looking for a new job, you might want to identify people who work in the right industry first.

Prepare to present yourself

The approach you take to getting in touch will depend on what you want to achieve. So it's worth investing a few minutes to decide your purpose for networking. Are you going to network passively - for instance when you bump into people? For example, your goal may simply be "to keep in touch with people in my industry in case a good job opportunities arise" or "to raise my profile within my current company". Or are you actively seeking a new role or career move right now? If it's the latter, you need to chase and cajole the many people that you know.

If you are chasing people, try to set up face-to-face contact. Go out of your way to meet them - for a drink, at their offices or whatever. But it is so much easier to build a rapport with someone in person than by email or over the telephone.

Whatever your goals, it's important to think about the five "I"s of networking

Identification
When you meet someone, it's only polite to "identify" or introduce yourself. But you need to be able to summarise who you are and what you do without a lengthy speech that will only bore people.

Think "elevator speech". Imagine that you happened to get into a lift with the Chief Executive of your dream employer or a business maverick like Richard Branson. You only have twenty seconds to talk about yourself before he gets out of the lift. How would you describe who you are and what you do? Remember though, you only have 20 seconds before the lift doors open and he exits your life forever!

Icebreaking
Nerves can prevent some people from wanting to network. The thought of talking to someone very senior can put some people off from wanting to network. But remember that senior people are still human.

"They still s**t, shower, and shave," quips Steve Cuthbertson, a line trainer with a British airline. And it's true that even the most senior people still have families and personal relationships, probably hate bad weather and traffic, and more than likely enjoy at least the occasional drink or two! So, you can always rely on common topics of conversation to break the ice.

Information gathering
Often, the whole point of networking is to find out what's going on that could help you to achieve your goals. Perhaps you want to know about industry developments. Or maybe you are more interested in the job market. Even if you are only interested in raising your profile, you need to appear conversant with the businesses of other people.

Whatever your goals, you need to have questions to probe gently for the information that you need. If you have the time to prepare, "rack your brains for questions relevant to the industry they are in," suggests Dave Batten, IT manager at a firm of strategy consultants. "But make sure that you listen to what they say. There is nothing worse than them asking you a question based on what they were talking about, only for you to have no idea how to respond."

Impression
Sometimes, networking is as much about the impression that you leave people with as what you actually said. So what impression do you want to create in other people's minds? Are you, for instance, trying to showcase your talents? Or are you trying to convince someone that you are trusthworthy enough for a business deal? Each objective might involve different approaches. The details count here too. For example, do you want to leave people with your business card? Or would that be seen as being too pushy?

But the most important impression you must leave people with is that you were genuinely interested to talk to them. People hate feeling that they are being used, says Harriet, a media specialist in London. "Most importantly, be enthusiastic when you ask people what they are doing," she advises.

Introductions
Sometimes, the person you are talking to may not have the information you need. So what you're really after is introductions to further contacts that you can speak to. Again, some people feel inhibited in asking for introductions to other people. But it's quite simple really. You might, for example, say: "That sounds interesting. Do you happen to know anyone that I could talk to about that?" And, as long as you are polite, the person you are talking to will usually be only too happy to help you out.

Sometimes, networkers worry that there's nothing "in it" for the people that you talk to. But that's untrue - networking is a two-way street. So the people in your network could come back to you with questions and seek your advice too. And, just put yourself into the shoes of the people you talk to. If someone approached you and asked you about your job and your views of your industry, how would you feel? Most people feel flattered and only too happy to talk to them!

Maintaining your network

Networking is a powerful technique for meeting more people, gathering information, and raising your profile. But it can be time-consuming. And sometimes it can be frustrating and fail to deliver what you want. "No matter how expert you think you are at networking or how great the contact is, never assume it will get you what you want," warns Andy, a management consultant with a 'Big Five' firm. "You may think you've struck gold one day only to discover that you've been completely forgotten the next day".

So, rather than relying on a small number of contacts, good networkers will instead maintain a large and diverse group of contacts. After all, now that you have made contact with these people, why waste all that effort now?

How you maintain your contacts is up to you - just make sure you do it. For some, a Christmas card may be enough. For others, it may be an occasional email or phone call. But do think about what is most appropriate for each individual that you know - you don't want people to feel that you are either hassling or neglecting them.

One tip that I've found invaluable is to ask for people's business cards, and then to write a couple of notes on the backs of them. Especially at conferences or events where you may pick up dozens of cards, it will help to jog your memory of who they are and what they do.

As time passes, some contacts will move on - but at the same time you will make new contacts. Your network will grow and mature. But hopefully you should find that your network will provide you with information, career and business opportunities that may occasionally be unexpected, but always welcome.

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Dr Rob Yeung is a Senior Consultant at Kiddy and Partners, a firm of organisation consultants and business psychologists based in London