We need to face the fact that few people enjoy networking. Even for social butterflies, it’s a chore. For those of us who are shy, it’s as painful as chapped lips on a windy day.

With unemployment at the highest rate in decades and business slowing down for most entrepreneurs, you can’t afford to not be making and maintaining contacts these days, says Jodi Glickman Brown, founder of Great on the Job, a firm that trains executives in communication skills. Whether you’re job hunting or marketing your business, get yourself out there. These techniques could make it bearable.

Work the room at events. Start by scouting out the scene. A big room full of strangers can be intimidating whether it’s the cocktail mixer at an industry conference, a corporate retreat or a networking event. Ease the stress by finding out who the attendees are ahead of time. Ask the organizer to e-mail you the RSVP list or check the registration when you arrive. You can warm up your chatter by finding someone you already know. Just make sure you move on and mingle before too long.

Bring a wingman. If you can, invite a colleague along. Ideally, you want someone more outgoing than you who will push you to meet people and maybe talk you up just a bit, says Peter Handal, CEO of Dale Carnegie & Associates, which provides corporate leadership training.

Be unfashionably early. Wouldn’t you rather walk into a room of five people than into one with 50? Get there at the beginning so that you can start a conversation rather than awkwardly join one in progress, says Wendy Gelberg, author of “The Successful Introvert.” Arrive early enough and you have a built-in conversation starter: “So, I guess we’re the first ones here …” Not exactly the stuff of the Algonquin Round Table, but it will do in a pinch.

Bond in one-on-one conversations. Keep in touch in the good times. Don’t be the one who calls only to unload about how bad things are. The technical term for such a person is “a drag.” Get out there when you aren’t searching for anything and it will be easier to get your call returned when you are.

Schedule a lunch. That meal with your former co-worker counts even if it was just fun. Those you worked with before can be great sources of referrals. Networking is not a constant series of mini-interviews. It’s a gradual process of building trust with people as well as just letting them know what you are up to these days. Aim for one lunch a week.

Zip it for a minute. Again, you’re building relationships. Ask questions to get your lunch date talking about themselves. Who doesn’t like talking about his/her number one interest?

Give now, get later. Networking does not sound great because we think of it as asking for something. But it’s really a two-way street. Help someone else and they will owe you, or at least think of you, later on. “Very few of us are walking around with jobs or business in our pockets, but we all have contacts and information we can share,” says Gelberg.

Keep in touch on-line. Build a casual network. Sign on, if you haven’t, to a social-networking service like LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. “Because interactions aren’t in real time, there’s much less pressure,” says Gelberg. The services allow you to be in touch with people without the formalities and hi-how-are-you of an e-mail. It’s often your more casual contacts who point you where you want to go. Just don’t abuse the technology and annoy people. Only “friend” people you’ve met and remind them of the connection if it’s been a while. A solid network of 50 is better than 1,000 acquaintances.

Get introduced. Know someone who knows someone who could be useful in your career? Ask the mutual friend to make an introduction via a social-networking site or search under the “People” tab on LinkedIn to see whether someone in your circle can make a connection to a specific person or company.

Give updates. Toot your horn a bit (it’s easier online) by regularly adding to your social-networking profile, updating your “status,” or even just sending out an e-mail. For example, let people know if you’re speaking on a panel or attending a conference.

Source: Adapted from an article published by Money Magazine