When it comes to networking, your strongest professional relationships are the ones you build long before you expect to need them. Learn from 3 accomplished leaders who know how the ripple effect works in real life. You will hear insights from BARON MANETT, Founder and Chief Experience Officer at PSBX, SHELAGH PAUL, Head of Global Communications at OMERS, and THE HONOURABLE DAVID TSUBOUCHI, former Ontario Cabinet Minister. They all contributed to the book “The Ripple Effect: Networking for Success,” and in this episode, they share personal stories about connection, reciprocity, and the habits that help the right people stay in your orbit. This conversation will help you rethink your approach to networking. You will learn how to make a clear and respectful ask, how to stay relevant without being transactional, how to recognize valuable peers early in your career, and how consistent behaviour builds a reputation that others trust. CONNECT WITH ANDREA 🌐 Website: https://talkabouttalk.com/
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreawojnicki/
✉️ Andrea’s Email Newsletter: https://www.talkabouttalk.com/newsletter/
🟣 Talk About Talk on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talk-about-talk-communication-skills-training/id1447267503
🟢 Talk About Talk on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3afgjXuYZPmNAfIrbn8zXn?si=9ebfc87768524369
📺 Talk About Talk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talkabouttalkyoutubeCONNECT WITH THE GUESTS Baron Manett
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baronmanett/
🌐 PSBX: https://www.psbx.co/ Shelagh Paul
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelaghpaul29/ The Honourable David Tsubouchi
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtsubouchi/MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE📚 Books:

The Ripple Effect: Networking for Success by David Tsubouchi and Marc Kealey – https://amzn.to/3WZyqpK
The Currency of Gratitude by Michele Bailey – https://amzn.to/434Vqpe
The 4 C’s Formula by Dan Sullivan – https://amzn.to/49t6RMZ
Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson – https://amzn.to/4nYujVE

🎧 Podcasts:

The Tim Ferriss Show – https://tim.blog/podcast/
The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett – https://www.youtube.com/@TheDiaryOfACEO

TRANSCRIPTION Shelagh Paul: You don't know the diamonds that are all around you in your own peer set right now. David Tsubouchi: When you're helping others, they remember that, and they remember you. Baron Manett: To make it work in true networking, somebody has to pick up the phone. Andrea Wojnicki: Welcome to the Talk About Talk podcast, where you'll learn the communication skills so that you can communicate with confidence, credibility, and achieve your career goals. Let's do this. Let's talk about talk. My name is Dr. Andrea Wojnicki, and I'm your executive communication coach. Just call me Andrea. Please check out the TalkAboutTalk.com website to learn more about all the services that we offer at Talk About Talk, including private coaching, corporate workshops and online courses. And don't forget to hit subscribe, so you'll never miss a new podcast episode. Today we're talking about networking specifically what you need to do to create the network that you need later by taking action today. I have to admit, I was a little bit nervous about this episode because it's the first time that I've interviewed three guests at once. Yes, the power of three me plus three. But it went really well, and I hope you agree. About the Guests: Baron, Shelagh & David All three of these guests contributed to a book on networking called The Ripple Effect: Networking for Success. You're gonna hear from my friend Baron Manett. He's my favorite classmate from our MBA program. He wrote a chapter called Curious, Grateful, and People First, Networking for Future Leaders. Baron is a leading Canadian brand strategist, a marketing professor, and the founder of Per Se brand experience. Then there's Shelagh Paul, author of the chapter entitled The People on the Bus. Yes. Shelagh is a master of the metaphor, and she is also the global lead at Omers of Communications. Yes, communications. I think I have a new friend. And finally, David Tsubouchi. David's the co-editor of this book that we're referencing, The Ripple Effect Networking for Success, which was published in 2025. David's chapter is entitled, be a Giver, not a Taker. I love this. He's an accomplished leader, a former Canadian cabinet minister, and an author whose insights on generosity and connection are nothing less than inspiring. Overview: Why Networking Feels “Icky” — and How to Fix It Okay, let's get into this. As a communication coach, I know that often people feel icky about networking, but when you're purposeful about networking, and you make an effort. That effort can go a long way, and this conversation will provide you with many suggestions for how to make that happen. Here we go. Thank you so much, David, Shelagh, and Baron for being here today to talk to us about networking and the ripple effect. Let's start with a big picture. The book title, the Ripple Effect, and Networking for Success. I would say that this is an evocative title. It's a beautiful metaphor. David, can you share with us what inspired you to create this collection and to use this title? DT: I'm gonna start you off in a different direction. That wasn't the original title that I submitted. Uh, the original title I submitted was. The no *hole rule. And, uh, the publisher reminded me that, uh, we, we have Simon Schuster distribute this in the United States, and that probably wouldn't be a good thing to have as a title. And he was quite right because we were lucky enough to get book list, which makes recommendations, the libraries in the United States to recommend a book for the libraries down there. So it was a wise decision. So, as you know, I mean, the ripple effect, you know, one small ripple can create. Figure waves. Uh, and sometimes it's a matter of time. I mean, networking is not something that happens overnight. It's about creating relationships. And all of us will say the same thing. Uh, it's a common thing throughout the book that the ripple effect, uh, is about quality, not quantity. It's about having that circle of integrity around you. It's like having the culture, you know, organizations have to have a good culture to be successful. The same thing with the, with, uh, your network. AW: Exactly. It's the quality of relationships, not the quantity of relationships. And I was gonna say the term network is itself almost like, well, it's not a network, it's describing what it is. And I love this image of. The ripple effect, like a drop of water and how it ripples out. And it grows not just in quantity, but in quality. So networking starts with the first step, right? The drop of water. Taking the First Step: How to Reach Out Authentically Baron, in your chapter in the book, you talk about how you reached out to David you years ago, and you were, I'm gonna say a little bit nervous or anxious about doing so. Can you tell us that story and then talk generally about how we should write that first email. I get this question all the time from my clients. They're like, it's just awkward. How do you do that? BM: It's a great question. It's so great to be, uh, back on the podcast, and thanks for having us. You know, I think back on it 'cause it was approximately 20 plus years ago when I first really heard of this guy, David Tsubouchi. And I was, uh, I thought I was a kind of high Roland in advertising creative person, and I had a great idea, long story short, an idea around poker, and I thought it would be just as simple. To just, I sold it to our awesome client. It turned out to, you know, be a big program, and I just thought I'd go down to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, like a driver's license kind of thing. And I just get a license. And I walked in, I said, I'm just here for my license, for my poker tournament. And the outspoken clerk behind the counter says, you whatcha talking about, you can't have that. And then, who are you? I was like, whatcha talking about? I just give it, go ahead. Just how much is it? It's illegal. I go,...

The RIPPLE Effect: NETWORKING for Success with Baron Manett, Shelagh Paul, and David Tsubouchi (ep.202)