I can't quite find a good word to describe someone who is networked, or has connections. Particularly business wise. Only thing I can think of is "associations", but doesn't quite fit the mold because it needs to be a skill.
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"Influential"?– Dan BronCommented Aug 24, 2014 at 0:13
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1@DanBron not quite. You can have connections and still NOT be influential.– XarcellCommented Aug 24, 2014 at 0:14
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On the one hand, you want a word to describe someone's current status as "well-connected"; on the other, you want the word to describe a skill. These two requirements are a bit at odds. So, are you perhaps looking for "the ability to make new connections easily"? As in "good at networking"?– Dan BronCommented Aug 24, 2014 at 0:47
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Another one you sometimes hear is "he's really wired" or "really wired-in". if you want it to be phrased "as a skill" -- something like "man, that guy can really work a room" ... that's tricky.– FattieCommented Aug 24, 2014 at 11:14
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5 Answers
Connected or well-connected is actually a word that comes to mind and sounds right to me. Dictionary.com:
Connected
5. having social or professional relationships, especially with influential or powerful persons.Well-connected
1. having influential or important relatives or friends
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"connected" is indeed the coolest term for this. But I thin the OP wants it as a "skill"? So, something like .. "he's really good at building a network", but, more as a single word? I believe there's no such "skill-form" of "he's connected". You have to use a whole sentence like "Donald Trump sure knows how to build and work connections."– FattieCommented Aug 24, 2014 at 11:15
An individual who, through his or her connections, is able to influence the decisions of other parties. A power broker is typically an industry insider, and is familiar with other individuals and groups able to exert influence or make decisions. Power brokers may be elected officials, business leaders or individuals who are "connected". (Investopedia)
Google Ngram viewer shows that the two word expression is used about 8 times as often as the single word in current English writing. (powerbroker)
answered Aug 24, 2014 at 4:59
You can describe this person as good/skilled at networking/building relationships or socially skilled.
But there is also a specific adjective that can be used which is gregarious:
Proactively sociable, always seeking company, skilled at social navigation and networking.
Below passage supports this sense of gregarious also:
Leveraging Corporate Knowledge edited by Edward Truch
There is a colloquial term plugged-in that can be used to describe people not only connected but also informed.
technologically or socially informed and connected
closely connected; in touch with what is going on; informed; involved.
Examples:
The draw could be the communal experience, or it could be the feeling that you belong to a fraternity of the plugged-in.
But now the productive potential of millions of plugged-in enthusiasts is attracting the attention of old-line businesses, too.
Perpetually plugged-in youngsters are more likely to suffer poor psychological health.
Also, there is the word networker:
A person who uses a network of professional or social contacts to further their career:
she is an ambitious networker, closely plugged in to politics
I have the need for such a name right now. One candidate is "maven" as used in a popular by the author of the Tipping Point. In another book, he used the word "maven" as some was well connected in the sense that he/she knew many people.
This definition is at odds with a dictionary definition where it states that a maven is an expert.
While there can be differences of opinion about this meaning of "maven", I do think his usage of the term aligns with what I want.
Diplomatic
Oxford Dictionary of English
■ having or showing an ability to deal with people in a sensitive and tactful way: he tried his best to be diplomatic.
This kind of 'diplomacy' is definitely a skill that is needed to gain connections. Other words that can have similar meanings: worldly-wise, smooth, sophisticated, crafty, shrewd - but these don't really emphasize the skill as much as diplomatic does.
